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Priority health care for soldiers Priority health care for soldiers
(about 2 hours later)
Injured soldiers are to be given fast-track treatment on the NHS when they return home from action, the government is set to announce.Injured soldiers are to be given fast-track treatment on the NHS when they return home from action, the government is set to announce.
Six special units will also be set up across the UK to provide therapy to soldiers suffering post-traumatic stress disorder, it will say.Six special units will also be set up across the UK to provide therapy to soldiers suffering post-traumatic stress disorder, it will say.
The units will be in Staffordshire, Shropshire, London, Cardiff, Newcastle, Scotland and St Austell in Cornwall.The units will be in Staffordshire, Shropshire, London, Cardiff, Newcastle, Scotland and St Austell in Cornwall.
The move is a joint initiative between the Department of Health and the MoD.The move is a joint initiative between the Department of Health and the MoD.
Priority treatment is already given to the 170,000 war pensioners in the UK, but will now be extended to all 4.8m servicemen and women who were once in the forces. The government will also change the current rules for former soldiers who suffer from service-related injuries to speed up their access to care.
Priority NHS treatment specifically for injuries linked to their military service is already given to the 170,000 war pensioners in the UK, but will now be extended to all 4.8m men and women who were once in the forces.
'Gratitude''Gratitude'
The access to care will be based on level of need.The access to care will be based on level of need.
Health Secretary Alan Johnson said: "Our servicemen and women do an outstanding job. We owe them a debt of gratitude."Health Secretary Alan Johnson said: "Our servicemen and women do an outstanding job. We owe them a debt of gratitude."
The community health pilots will be staffed by qualified mental health care professionals with an understanding of the military ethos and expertise in veterans' mental health Derek Twigg
The mental health units will specialise in treating psychological injuries sustained in Iraq and Afghanistan.The mental health units will specialise in treating psychological injuries sustained in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Approximately 7% of all troops deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq have been diagnosed with mental health disorders.Approximately 7% of all troops deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq have been diagnosed with mental health disorders.
Defence Minister Derek Twigg said: "The community health pilots will be staffed by qualified mental health care professionals with an understanding of the military ethos and expertise in veterans' mental health."Defence Minister Derek Twigg said: "The community health pilots will be staffed by qualified mental health care professionals with an understanding of the military ethos and expertise in veterans' mental health."
The move to prioritise military personnel comes after soldiers and their families complained that they were having trouble accessing quality care upon return from battle in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Calls for a return to specialised military hospitals were rejected by the government, which argued that better care and expertise were available within the NHS.
Seven of the eight military hospitals around the UK have closed since a Conservative government review in the early 1990s and the last in Haslar, Hampshire, will shut in 2009.
The government says military hospitals cannot match NHS "top-quality treatment", although it has announced the creation of dedicated military wards in Birmingham that offer soldiers a chance to recuperate alongside colleagues.