Scotland:Veterans’ charity at centre of two mental health initiatives

Veterans’ charity at centre of two mental health initiatives
Sunday Herald - Glasgow,Scotland,UK
By Rachelle Money
Ex-services personnel to benefit from projects led by Combat Stress
SCOTLAND IS leading the way in its treatment of war veterans with the announcement of two projects that will help those who continue to suffer from mental health problems after they leave the armed forces.

An Edinburgh-based pilot scheme, aimed at providing a one-stop shop for veterans, will launch in the new year. Another community-based outreach project looks set to help ex-servicemen and women across the country from April.

The First Point scheme in the capital will be delivered by NHS Lothian's Traumatic Stress Centre (formerly known as the Rivers Centre) and will be funded by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the NHS. It will be run in conjunction with the charity Combat Stress, which runs the only Scottish-based treatment centre, in Ayrshire. A Combat Stress welfare officer will visit the project once a week and veteran mentors will also offer support to those using the service.
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Scotland Community schemes to help veterans with PTSD

Community schemes to help veterans with mental health problems
The Herald - Glasgow,Scotland,UK

The UK Government will today announce measures to help Armed Forces' veterans recover from mental health problems caused by their active service.

The move comes just weeks after a review of mental health among the military, which showed veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were suffering a mounting toll of post-traumatic stress, alcoholism and family breakdown.

Derek Twigg, the Veterans Minister, is due to announce six pilot community health schemes, one in Scotland, tailored specifically to help veterans. They will run for two years and, if successful, will be rolled out across the UK.

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