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Dedicated mental health support for South West veterans

A new service designed to inform and support service veterans in the South West living with mental health issues launched in October.

The South West Veterans Mental Health Service is a new partnership between Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust (AWP) and Combat Stress, the Veterans’ Mental Health Charity, supported by Help for Heroes.

The aim of this innovative service is to deliver improved care and support to former service personnel who suffer mental health problems as a result of their military experiences. With the South West hosting approximately 42,000 serving service personnel and a high number of veterans, support of this kind is clearly needed.

Dr Arden Tomison, Executive Medical Director of AWP, said:  “We know that 1 in 4 people will, at some point in their lives, be affected by poor mental health. While veterans have the same issues to deal with as anyone – depression, stress, anxiety etc – the added stresses of combat and service life can compound those problems.

"We want to encourage veterans and their families to recognise the signs of problems looming, understand the issues that influence this and help them find the expert support that they need. We are delighted to be able to work with such respected and influential partners in delivering this much needed service."