Veterans In-Service Injury Network

What is the Veterans In-Service Injury Network?

The Veterans In-Service Injury Network works with medical specialists with an understanding of military life to provide an independent expert clinical review of military service-related injuries, which remain a concern despite treatment, or conditions that have developed far earlier than expected due to military service.

It might be an injury or scarring that has not quite healed right, or a respiratory or skin condition that just won’t go away, even after treatment. It might be joint or hearing issues that have developed decades earlier than your civilian colleagues, family and friends.

How can the Veterans In-Service Injury Network help me?

The Veterans In-Service Injury Network can help you by:

• providing recommendations for your care tailored to your specific physical needs
• supporting healthcare staff involved in your care to understand military life, and the barriers and challenges that you may face when accessing healthcare services
• supporting healthcare staff involved in your care to support you and your family to access additional help from the MOD, charities and local organisations

The recommendations will fall into three categories:

Wait well: it may be that you are already receiving the most appropriate health care for your physical health need. If this is the case, the recommendations will reflect that there is no clinical change to your NHS care - however, they will highlight ways to access additional help for you and your family.

Treat well: it may be that there are potential treatment options that could improve or resolve your physical health need. If this is the case, the recommendations will provide advice to your GP, practice nurse, physiotherapist or occupational therapist about possible referrals, and highlight additional help for you and your family.

Live well: it may be that the review highlights that there are no new treatment options currently available for your physical health need. If this is the case, the recommendations will provide advice to your GP, practice nurse, physiotherapist or occupational therapist about possible services to support patients with life-long conditions, and highlight additional help for you and your family.

Although the healthcare professional who undertakes your referrals will be able to use the Armed Forces Covenant to support the prioritisation of your referral, the recommendations will use existing NHS services and you may have to wait a while before seeing someone.

Please be aware that the NHS service we recommend may or may not be local to you.

Am I eligible?

You are eligible if you are a UK veteran with:

• A physical health condition, illness or injury that was most likely sustained during military service, which remains a concern despite treatment.
• A physical health condition that was most likely the result of military service and has developed far earlier than expected.

A veteran is anyone, who has served for one full day in His Majesty’s Armed Forces, either Regular or Reserve, Royal Fleet Auxiliary, and Merchant Naval Seafarers, who have served in support of His Majesty’s Armed Forces on operational deployments.

A veteran does not have to have been deployed or seen combat. You may have been injured on an operational deployment but you may have also been injured on a training exercise, during a physical training session or at any point in your career.

How can I access the Veterans In-Service Injury Network?

Please discuss a referral to the Veterans In-Service Injury Network with your:

• GP
• or practice nurse
• or physiotherapist
• or occupational therapist