Written question WQ83307
- Asked by
- Darren MillarConservative
- To be answered by
- Minister for Health and Social Services
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 9 days
Question
What additional support is the Welsh Government providing to Veterans NHS Wales to handle increased demand on services following the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan?
Answer
Answered by Deputy Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing
Following targeted Welsh Government, NHS and veterans’ stakeholder communications through social media, we are working closely with Veterans’ NHS Wales to monitor the number of referrals to the service on a weekly basis. These, along with weekly numbers from the CALL Mental Health Helpline, are being fed into the Office of Veterans’ Affairs work to understand and monitor the impact of the situation in Afghanistan on veterans' mental health and to determine any increase in demand for services.
From 2021-22 onwards, Welsh Government has invested an additional £235,000 annually into Veterans’ NHS Wales, an increase of 35% on previous funding. The recurrent budget for Veterans NHS Wales is £920,000 per annum. Officials are in regular contact with Veterans NHS Wales to highlight any potential increase in referrals which may occur as a result of the current situation in Afghanistan.
Veterans can access NICE-approved, evidence-based psychological therapies through the Veterans NHS Wales service. However, for crisis provision the additional Welsh Government investment in NHS community-based mental health support, alongside investment for the Traumatic Stress Wales improvement service, ensures that veterans have access to support across a range of settings.