The Armed Forces Covenant Legal Duty is a legal obligation for NHS bodies to provide healthcare to the Armed Forces community, including prioritising treatment for veterans with conditions resulting from their service.
The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise by the nation ensuring that those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces, and their families, are treated fairly. You can read more about the Armed Forces Covenant here:
The county of Essex is covered by the following 3 Integrated Care Systems:
NHS Suffolk and Northeast Essex Integrated Care System is working with partners across the ICS to support the armed forces community and their families.
More information can be found on their website:
NHS Suffolk and Northeast Essex Integrated Care System
NHS Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System
Information about the support provided can be found on the website:
NHS Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System
NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care System
The ICB, along with our partners, are committed to ensuring members of the Armed Forces Community have fair and easy access to health and social care services.
More information can be found on their website:
NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care System
There are three NHS Foundation Trusts in Essex, all have signed the Armed Forces Covenant and are Veteran Aware.
ESNEFT’s Armed Forces and Veterans Group (AFVG) ensures serving military personnel and veterans are not disadvantaged when referred for treatment and ensures they are heard at every level.
AFVG includes senior ESNEFT managers, Armed Forces Clinical Champions and colleagues with a service background. All are committed to improving Armed Forces experience. Group members give hospital tours to Armed Forces personnel. They also work with the patient experience team to resolve Armed Forces issues, and to provide clear information.
Accountability for Armed Forces, ‘Veterans and their families’ (VATF) is included in the duties of staff who champion the adherence to the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant throughout ESNEFT.
The Trust is committed to supporting members of the Armed Forces Community and their families and they achieved veteran Aware accreditation in the early part of 2024.
In signing the covenant as a merged Trust, they are promising to support colleagues and their families who serve, or have served, in the Armed Forces. Making sure they are treated with the utmost respect and fairness.
Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) has pledged its support to armed forces personnel and their families by signing the Armed Forces Covenant. EPUT runs the Transition, Intervention and Liaison Service (TILS) for military veterans across East Anglia, a service that helps ex-service men and women with mental health needs. They work closely with health and military partners to deliver the Op COURAGE specialist mental health service, which has helped hundreds of veterans since 2017.
Op COURAGE is the specialist mental health service for veterans in England, providing dedicated support to those who have served in the UK Armed Forces. Commissioned by the NHS, Op COURAGE offers confidential help for a range of mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and problems linked to alcohol or substance misuse. The service is staffed by people who understand military life and its challenges, ensuring veterans receive tailored care. Support is available whether individuals have recently left the Forces or served many years ago, with self-referral options and pathways through GPs or other healthcare providers.
Click on the logo to find out more:
Op RESTORE is the NHS’s dedicated physical health and wellbeing service for veterans in England who are living with injuries or illnesses linked to their time in military service. Previously known as the Veterans Trauma Network, it was rebranded in 2023 to align with the naming of other veteran-focused NHS services.
Accessible via GP referral, the service delivers a tailored care plan drawn up by a team of civilian and military-aware clinicians, ensuring treatment by professionals who truly understand the unique health challenges faced by veterans.
Op RESTORE doesn’t shorten NHS wait times—but it ensures veterans “wait well,” connecting them to the right experts, providing welfare support from military charities, and coordinating closely with services like Op COURAGE to address any mental health needs alongside physical rehabilitation.
Click on the logo to find out more:
Next time you visit your practice tell them if you are a serving member of the armed forces, a veteran or a family member or carer of someone who is as this will help them to help you. Ask them if they have GP Veteran Friendly accreditation and look out for the logo.
You can find more information about the Veteran Friendly scheme here:
You can read about support for General Practices in Suffolk and other NHS veterans services here:
Supporting anyone who is or has served in HM Armed Forces
Including family members: spouses, widows/widowers, dependants
