Shipmates, email received by our Secretary S/M Christine Tuck:
Dear Christine,
Please forgive my long delay in responding to you for the RNA Portland & District. Thank you so much for the warm and receptive welcome to your committee, and membership. It was an enormous pleasure meeting so many members and having the opportunity to speak to you about my work with Help & Care Dorset Self-Management Service.
I have attached some recent information that I think will interest your members, particularly thinking about the Office of Veterans Affairs and the work of the Royal College of General Practitioners in making GP surgeries ‘veteran friendly’ – and maybe if enough of the veterans in the area keep asking the question why surgeries are not ‘veteran friendly’ something might change. Op COURAGE is an NHS mental health specialist service designed to help serving personnel due to leave the military, reservists, armed forces veterans and their families.
I have written to two of your shipmates whom I met at the meeting, with specific questions about social care and pensions advice and hopefully, provided some advice and guidance for them. I am including the links to the Veterans Gateway, the Veterans Discount Card, and the Veterans Railcard for dissemination to your members. Forgive any duplication of effort.
Veterans Gateway: https://www.veteransgateway.org.uk
This can be accessed on a laptop and mobile phones – it’s an information service and the providers are accredited.
Veterans Discount Card: https://www.defencediscountservice.co.uk/
This may be of some use or interest – Defence Discount Service provides discounts both online and on the high street for members of the Armed Forces, Veterans and Armed Forces Community. Defence Discount Service is home of the Defence Privilege Card, the vetted discount card that can be used in stores, restaurants, and venues to obtain armed forces discounts. This discount card allows Veterans and the Armed Forces Community to have a card that can allow them to receive military discounts.
Veterans Railcard: https://www.veterans-railcard.co.uk/
1/3 off rail travel for Veterans. Roger that!
Veterans World : https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/veterans-world
(Superseded by Veterans Today Blog: https://veteranstoday.blog.gov.uk)
My best wishes and stay safe.
Lizzie Kingsbury
Armed Forces Community Social Prescribing Link Worker
Help & Care
A49 Aerodrome Studios,
2-8 Airfield Way,
Christchurch, Dorset
BH23 3TS
www.helpandcare.org.uk
@AFCLW_Dorset
The-Armed-Forces-Covenant
6 month strategy for our Veterans - Aug 2022
University of Chester Veterans evaluation report - PDF (2)
House of Commons - Support for UK Veterans June 2022
RCGP 220307 press release - signs of conflict can be invisible v3