Access a local GP

Your local GP should be your first point of contact for managing your physical and mental health as a veteran.

From:
Office for Veterans' Affairs
Published
9 September 2024
Health and Social Care:
Mental Health, Physical Health
England:
North East and Yorkshire, North West, Midlands, East of England, London, South West, South East
Northern Ireland:
North (Coleraine Area), South (Portadown Area), East (Holywood Area), West (Enniskillen Area)
Scotland:
The Southern Uplands, The Central Lowlands, Grampian Mountains, Northern Highlands, Hebrides and the Northern Isles
Wales:
Mid and West Wales, North Wales, South Wales Central, South Wales East, South Wales West

Talk to your GP

  1. Tell your GP you’ve served in the armed forces. It doesn’t matter how long you served or when you left the armed forces.

  2. Ask for the term ‘military veteran’ to be recorded in your patient record. This will help your GP to better understand any military-related health conditions you may have and ensure you are referred, where appropriate, to dedicated health and well-being services for veterans.

  3. Give your GP paperwork and medical records from you military medical centre. This helps to ensure your military health record transfers to you NHS record.

If you don’t have a GP

If you don’t have a GP, it’s important to register with one as soon as possible. They should be your first point of contact for managing your physical and mental health as a veteran. Don’t leave this until you urgently need to see a doctor. If you have a family, it’s important they register with a GP too.

If you live in England

If you live in England, your GP can refer you to Op RESTORE, The Veterans Physical Health and Wellbeing Service. This is an NHS service dedicated to providing specialist care and treatment to veterans who have physical health problems as a result of their time in the armed forces.

To access Op RESTORE, you must:

  • have at least 1 day of service in the UK armed forces
  • be living in England
  • be registered with a GP in England
  • have a physical illness or injury linked to your military service

Updates to this page

Published 9 September 2024
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