Agenda item

Report ACH21-020

The Consultant in Public Health advised that it had been agreed, as part of the JSNA process, that a chapter relating to the health and wellbeing needs of veterans be developed and published. Some preliminary scoping work in terms of data availability was undertaken in 2019, and highlighted a small amount of data specific to Bromley available from the Census. However, data for Bromley was not routinely available, which presented a problem in identification of all veterans in the Borough.

It had therefore been decided to explore the possibility of conducting a GP Survey to assess the situation in Bromley, in terms of health needs and medical care for veterans. This information could then be used together with the information currently available for a section on veterans in the JSNA. NHS England had recently asked GPs to sign up to become “veteran friendly” practices, and it was hoped that some GPs in the Borough would be interested in doing so.

The question to be included in a survey to all GP practices in Bromley had been developed, and these were agreed by the Board in late November of 2019. The GP Practice Survey was then promoted to GP Practice colleagues with an ask that they all complete the survey by the end of March 2020. However due to the pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic, the survey was paused. The GP Practice Survey was then promoted again in November 2020, with 11 (out of 47) GP Practices responding. Due to the increasing work for GP Practices in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the low response rate received so far, it was proposed that this work be paused again – with the survey re-visited with GP Practices in Bromley at a later point in 2021.

A Member enquired as to the definition of a ‘veteran’. The Consultant in Public Health said that her understanding was that a veteran was someone, of any age, who had worked within the Armed Forces and then left the service. There was still a responsibility on society to look after these individuals as they had served their country. Another Member highlighted that the report stated that a veteran was ‘any one of any agewho has formally served for at least one day in the Armed Forces’.

Councillor Botting advised Board Members that he had been working with Councillor Fortune, Armed Forces Champion on the Armed Forces Covenant. This focussed on helping members of the Armed Forces community to have the same access to government and commercial services and products as any other citizen – such as housing, education,and health services. Historically, work undertaken had not identified many veterans living within the Borough, as there were no military establishments. However, it was noted that there were a number of Cadet groups, who had veterans helping out that had worked in the Armed Forces. It was suggested that most would not consider themselves as ‘veterans of need’, as they knew where to access services if required, and did not need the assistance that the Covenant provided.

The Chairman advised that the main motive for looking at this area had been Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome, which it transpired affected more veterans within the Borough that had been anticipated and was the reason a survey was required.

Following a brief discussion, Members agreed that that GP Practice Survey should be postponed until later in the year.

RESOLVED that:

1)  The update on progress towards the planning for a veterans JSNA Chapter be noted; and

2)  The postponement of the GP Practice Survey be approved.