By IRNA
London : Clinical care for British servicemen and women injured on military operations is now “world-class” but more is needed to look after families and veterans, especially in providing mental health care, a parliamentary committee reported Monday.
Support had to go beyond the period of an individual’s service, and should form part of the government’s compact between the services and society, the Defence Select Committee said.
It warned that many mental health problems only come to light years after people have left the armed forces, and said there is currently no proper Ministry of Defence (MoD) system for tracking veterans and making support available when necessary.
“The MoD needs to do more to look after families and veterans. We welcome the moves the government has made to extend priority access to healthcare for veterans, but too much is being left to good intentions and good luck,” committee chair James Arbuthnot said.
The concern comes after many British troops serving on military operations, particularly in Iraq, have suffered from varying degrees of post-traumatic distress.
In a report on medical care for the armed forces, the committee said the treatment of mental health problems is mixed and needed improving, specifically mentioning the way the MoD works with the charity Combat Stress to provide respite care.
“People who have served their country often develop psychological problems many years later, and there have to be more effective ways of tracking, monitoring and treating them properly,” Arbuthnot also said.
“We need to ensure that veterans are handled by those who understand their experiences and the challenges they face,” he added.