A partnership of 8 NHS mental health trusts has been re-awarded the national contract to provide acute mental health inpatient services for serving military personnel.
The Joining Forces Network first secured the contract in 2009. Over the past 3 years, the Network has provided inpatient care tailored to the specific needs of armed forces personnel serving worldwide.
The new contract includes a mental health ‘app’ developed to offer mental health information to personnel from the army, navy and air force, and will be rolled out shortly.
The 8 Trusts in the Network are: Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, NHS Grampian, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and South Staffordshire and Shropshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
Dr Paul Warren, consultant psychiatrist and clinical service director at Parklands Hospital, part of Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The re-awarding of this contract is a reflection of the high quality support that staff in the unit have been providing. We’re delighted to be able to continue offering this highly specialised service to armed forces personnel in the region, and returning from conflict zones worldwide.”
Surgeon Vice Admiral Raffaelli, surgeon general said: “The Armed Forces continues to work hard to ensure there is good awareness about mental health issues which may affect serving personnel and to ensure that the most appropriate care is available for those that do require treatment and we continue to make significant progress in these areas.
“The network of NHS Trusts means that our people get the best inpatient care available in an environment that is close to their homes or unit.”
