Mark Hendrick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2014-04-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what funds from the defence budget are allocated for mental healthcare for veterans returning from Afghanistan.

Anna Soubry

Mental healthcare and support is provided for all serving Armed Forces personnel, both regulars and reserve, and resources are not specifically designated for a particular operation. Because of the many ways in which mental healthcare is provided and funded, it is not possible to provide a cost figure that covers all the numerous care streams, which may include treatment by GPs in primary care facilities, out-patient treatment in military Departments of Community Mental Health, and in-patient care in specialist NHS units.

Responsibility for the delivery of healthcare to ex-Service personnel rests with the NHS and Devolved Administrations. As part of the Government’s 2011 mental health strategy, No Health Without Mental Health, over £7million in additional funding has been made available over four years to help ensure that ex-Service personnel with mental health problems also get the very best care.