The recent news coming from Afghanistan is causing some distress within the veteran community. In a letter to the Royal College of GPs and the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, Dr Jonathan Leach OBE, noted “I’ve been watching the pictures from Afghanistan and considering what potential impacts there might be on GPs and the NHS more widely. There are clearly potentially wider strategic risks but I think, in the short-term, the events there could well have a considerable impact upon the military and veterans’ community including family members. Within this, events such as those over the weekend have a high risk of triggering post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but also other related things such as domestic violence, alcohol and drug use and suicidal risk.”
Veterans First Point (V1P) Lanarkshire – part of NHS Scotland and the Armed Forces Community Covenant – has been developed by veterans for veterans and is staffed by an alliance of clinicians and veterans. The service – which is free at the point of access – provides support for veterans and their families living in Lanarkshire.
Dr Jennifer Ring, counselling psychologist with NHS Lanarkshire and V1P, said: “Here at V1P our specialist team (which includes veteran peer support workers who are all ex-servicemen and offer a first point of contact for anyone approaching the service), we have already noticed an increase in distress and an exacerbation of mental health difficulties, including PTSD symptoms, in some of our veterans.
“Our peer support workers and clinical staff will work collaboratively, ensuring that veterans receive co-ordinated support, appropriate to their needs. I would encourage anyone who feels they could benefit from V1P to get in touch by email or telephone.”
All service providers in Lanarkshire, who may be working with military veterans, are encouraged to be mindful of the possible impact of these events. Veterans who were involved in a military deployment to Afghanistan during Operation Herrick and those who have lost friends and family are likely to be most impacted by the current events in Afghanistan.
If you are a veteran, or a veteran service provider, please consider some of the services that can best provide support at this time. These include:
- V1P Lanarkshire, a specialist peer support and psychology service for military veterans – telephone 0300 303 3051 or email LanarkshireV1P@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk;
- Samaritans crisis helpline – telephone 116 123;
- Breathing Space – telephone 0800 83 85 87;
- NHS24 – telephone 111.
