We are a Veteran friendly practice.
This means that, as part of the health commitments of the Armed Forces Covenant, we have a dedicated Clinician, Dr. Hannah Harring, who has specialist knowledge of military related health conditions and veteran specific health services.
This is important in helping ex-forces to get the best care and treatment. If you are ex-forces, please let your GP know to help ensure you are getting the best possible care.
A veteran is someone who has served in the British Armed Forces (Regular or Reserve) for at least one day. Veterans also include any member of the Merchant Marine who has served in a war zone. This includes crew from convoys in World War 2 and more recently in the Falklands conflict and Gulf Wars.
About 18,000 service people move back into civilian life every year and whilst most of these individuals have similar levels of health to the general population, around 2,000 leave on medical grounds. The top reasons for medical discharge are for issues relating to back, knees, mental health, and hearing.
Being accredited means that a practice can better identify and treat veterans, refer them, where appropriate, to dedicated NHS services (such as the Veterans’ Mental Health Transition, Intervention and Liaison service (TILS), the Veterans’ Mental Health Complex Treatment Service (CTS) and the Veterans Trauma Network) and capture better epidemiological data to improve future health provision. It also means that the NHS is better able to meet the health commitments of the Armed Forces Covenant, whereby the Armed Forces community, including veterans, should face no disadvantage in accessing health services and should receive priority care for military attributable conditions, subject to clinical need.
If you are a veteran, please let us know!
Hannah’s Statement:
I am the veterans lead for Alresford practice.
I joined the British Army on a gap year commission and had such a wonderful time I decided to join as a regular.
I went through RMA Sandhurst in 2000 and became a Royal Artillery Officer.
I served with an Air defence Regiment out of Woolwich before moving to the Junior soldier training depot at Pirbright where I trained new recruits. I then went on a special duties tour doing HUMINT work in Iraq before deciding I wanted to go to medical school and switch across to be an Army Medic.
I completed 3 operational tours, the last of which was TELIC 6. In total I served 10 yrs so I feel I have a good understanding of what veterans needs might be within the civilian world.
Please do come and let us know if you served so we can put it on your records and help you get the care that you deserve.