News Release issued by
the COI News Distribution Service on 13 September 2011
New free support
service launched for veterans, serving personnel and their families
UK servicemen and women, veterans and their families will, from
today, have access to specialised help from the award-winning
online support network - Big White Wall.
This is a further commitment from the Department of Health and
the Ministry of Defence – in a partnership with Help for Heroes -
to support the mental health needs of the Armed Forces community.
The website, www.bigwhitewall.com, is a
pioneering online wellbeing service, staffed by professional
counsellors, that has already helped many other people. The
Government has committed £250,000 to fund a one-year pilot of the
Big White Wall online support network specifically for serving
personnel, veterans and their families. This is supported by a
commitment of £100,000 from Help for Heroes for the first year
with additional funding after this.
Serving personnel, veterans and their families can access the
24/7 service for free. Amongst other services, Big White Wall
users can chat anonymously to others who may have gone through
similar experiences, with a team of specially trained counsellors
always online to offer support.
Health Minister Simon Burns said:
“We are determined to do what is best for our Armed Forces, their
families and veterans. Even though the vast majority of Service
personnel make the transition to civilian life successfully, a
small number suffer problems as a result of their service. We have
a duty to look after them and their families.
“The Big White Wall will be an innovative way for them to access
help anonymously and reinforces the Government’s commitment to
support the health needs of those who have given so much for this
country and the families that support them.”
The Department of Health has also launched an e-learning package
it has funded for GPs so they can better identify and support
veterans and their families.
The course was developed by the Royal College for General
Practitioners (RCGP) as part of plans to improve veterans’ mental
health services. It will raise awareness with GPs of the need to
ensure that those seriously injured when discharged from the Armed
Forces continue to receive the best possible care. It will also
ensure that GPs are able to offer the right support to families of
those currently serving or who are veterans.
Health Minister Simon Burns said:
“The e-learning course for GPs will ensure that GPs are able to
offer the best possible service to veterans and their families,
giving them the best treatment and experience possible.”
The Department of Health has been working closely with the NHS,
service charities, the Ministry of Defence and others to deliver
the recommendations made by Dr Andrew Murrison MP in his report,
‘Fighting Fit – a mental health plan for servicemen and veterans’.
Today’s announcement builds on the 24-hour mental health helpline
with Combat Stress and Rethink (0800 138 1619) launched in March
and continuing work in increasing the mental health capability for
veterans within the NHS in England. As part of the Government’s
new mental health strategy, No Health Without Mental Health, over
£7 million in additional funding has been made available over the
next four years to help ensure that veterans with mental health
problems get the very best care.
In May 2011 the Government published the first tri-service Armed
Forces Covenant which outlines the moral obligation that exists
between the nation, the Government and the Armed Forces.
Andrew Robathan, Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and
Veterans, said:
"When mental health problems arise, early detection and
access to clinical and support services make a big difference. The
provision of the Big White Wall is yet another tool that will
provide further support for those in need.
"Stigma is just one of the many concerns and barriers
that prevent our Servicemen from asking for help. The provision of
an online social resource that removes some of the natural
obstacles makes good sense - particularly for today's
socially-networked generation."
Dr Andrew Murrison MP said:
“It is great that our Armed Forces community, including their
families, now have access to this online early intervention
service – giving them another place to turn to for support.”
Jenny Hyatt, CEO and Founder of Big White Wall said:
“We are absolutely delighted to be working with the Government
and Help for Heroes to provide safe anonymous support to the men
and women of our Armed Forces, veterans and their families who
would otherwise suffer in silence.”
Bryn Parry, CEO and co-founder, Help for Heroes said:
"Mental wellbeing is a difficult subject for many to
discuss. With the increase of tours and the level of mental stress
experienced it is vital that we have the correct services in place
to give our boys and girls the best help available for their
mental wounds, as well as their physical. We are delighted to be
supporting Big White Wall with their safe, supported and anonymous
community and hope it will encourage more service personnel to
reach out when they are feeling troubled."
Earlier this year the Government unveiled a new 24-hour freephone
helpline number, 0800 138 1619, to help veterans and their
families access expert advice from people trained and experienced
in dealing with ex-Service men and women and their often complex
mental health needs.
The helpline is supported by a range of psychological therapies
that veterans and serving personnel experiencing mental health
problems can request to help them improve their mental health and
wellbeing. The £250,000 for Big White Wall forms part of a £7
million pound investment over four years to improve health in the
serving and veteran populations. The funding includes the
e-learning package for GPs.
- ENDS-
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. For more information, please contact the Department of Health
press office on 020 7210 5221.
2. The Big White Wall (www.bigwhitewall.com)
service for veterans, serving personnel and their families is
being officially launched on Wednesday 14 September and will be
evaluated after 12 months.
3. The Big White Wall project is
being funded in partnership with Help for Heroes.
4. The
e-learning package is being funded by DH but developed and
marketed by the RCGP: keeping it consistent with the format of
other RCGP e-courses will ensure that GPs find it both appealing
and user-friendly.
5. The e-learning package will form part of
the suite of online training products accessible to all GPs who
are members of the RCGP.
6. The e-learning package will help
GPs to gain a good baseline of knowledge of some of the specific
healthcare needs of a group which has traditionally been hard for
them to reach
7. GPs who complete the course will be more
likely to be able to identify a veteran and address their needs in
a way which is appropriate to them.
8. The 24-hour helpline
service enables veterans and their families to access expert
advice and support 24 hours a day. Callers have access via the
freephone number 0800 138 1619. This is being run by leading
mental health helpline charity Rethink, under the direction of
Combat Stress. It is a 12 month pilot and will be evaluated after
this time.
9. For serving personnel, TRIM (Trauma Risk
Management) is now widely used in operational environments. It is
a peer-led support system making it easier to identify those at
risk, and to reduce the stigma sometimes attached to mental health
problems. TRIM-trained personnel lead discussions about traumatic
events and encourage their colleagues to talk about their
experiences.
10. MoD deploys uniformed Field Mental Health
Teams (FMHT) to provide professional care and treatment on the
frontline.
11. Away from the frontline, MoD provides
community-based out-patient mental health care through our
military Departments of Community Mental Health (DCMH), and
in-patient care, for the relatively small numbers who need it, is
provided regionally in specialised psychiatric units under a
contract with a partnership of eight NHS Trusts.
12. MoD
complements NHS services by providing a Medical Assessment
Programme for all veterans with operational service since 1982 and
by funding some treatment provided by the mental health charity
Combat Stress for mental health conditions caused by
service.
13. www.bigwhitewall.com works
in partnership with the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust
to offer a range of services for improving mental health and
wellbeing.
Contacts:
Department of Health
Phone: 020 7210 5221
NDS.DH@coi.gsi.gov.uk