Our mental health services are configured to provide community-based mental health care in line with national best practice, providing assessment and treatment in line with the guidelines and standards set by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence and the national service frameworks. We do this primarily through our 15 military Departments of Community Mental Health (DCMH) (plus satellite centres overseas), which provide out-patient mental health care. One of these centres is located at Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire.
In-patient care, when necessary, is provided in psychiatric units belonging to the Priory Group, through a central contract with MOD. The Priory Group has arranged a subcontract with Affinity Healthcare at Middleton St George Hospital, Darlington for patients in the North East.
Any mobilised serviceman or woman injured on operational deployment is entitled to, and will receive the same level of medical treatment and support, irrespective of whether he or she is a member of the regular or reserve forces.
Once they are demobilised, it is a long established tradition that reserve forces’ medical welfare becomes the responsibility of their own local NHS primary care trust, and the majority of veterans’ physical and mental health needs are met by these provisions. However, the MOD recognises that it has expertise to offer in certain specific circumstances, and in November 2006 launched the Reserves Mental Health Programme.
The RMHP is open to any current or former member of the UK Volunteer and Regular Reserves who has been demobilised since 1 January 2003 following an overseas operational deployment as a reservist, and who believes that the deployment may have adversely affected their mental health. Under the RMHP, we liaise with the individual’s GP and offer a mental health assessment at the Reserve Training and Mobilisation Centre in Chilwell, Nottinghamshire. If the individual is diagnosed to have an operational-related mental health condition, we then offer out-patient treatment at one of the DCMHs (e.g. Catterick Garrison). If more acute cases present, the Defence Medical Services will assist in obtaining access to NHS in-patient treatment.