St Catherine's Surgery
First + Second Floor, Wing 4, St Catherine's Health Centre, Church Road, Birkenhead, Wirral, CH42 0LQ
Telephone: 0151 643 6700
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Military Veterans
As an accredited Veteran Friendly GP Practice St. Catherine’s Surgery are proud to support our Armed Forces community.
We aim to support our veterans by:
- Taking opportunities to ask patients ‘Have you served?’ to better identify our veteran community.
- Having a clinical lead for veteran health – Dr Caroline Prior
- Specialist training has been undertaken to meet the commitments of the armed forces covenant
- Sign-posting our veteran patients to access dedicated health services.
If you are a veteran patient, please let us know that you have served so that we can make sure that we understand your health needs. You are a veteran if you have actively served in the armed forces for at least one day. Reservists who are not currently mobilised are also given the status of veteran until they return to actively serving.
For information on how the NHS aims to help military veterans click here: NHS- Priority treatment for veterans
For more information on the duty of care owed to service personnel, read the information provided on this leaflet by click this link: the_armed_forces_covenant
Local Support Services
Wirral Armed Forces and Veterans Breakfast Club
Meets the last Sunday of the month at 9:30am at Daisy’s Dinner in Upton Veterans Breakfast Club
Joining Forces Veterans Project
Run by Age UK click here: Joining Forces
Dementia Together hold a Memory and Veterans Café every Thursday 10am – 12 noon at The Heart of Egremont, Guildford Street, Wallasey CH44 0BP, phone 0151 639 4441 for details. **
**Please note due to the COVID19 Pandemic and lockdown restrictions, the Veteran Café morning and breakfast club may be suspended. Please contact the relevant charities via the links provided to discuss this further with them.
The Poppy Factory
Unemployed veterans who receive health treatment on the Wirral can now get help moving back into employment via a new service launched by The Poppy Factory, based at The Stein Centre at St Catherine’s Hospital in Birkenhead. Ex-Forces men and women can access one to one support with career planning, training opportunities, CV writing and job application advice. Veterans wishing to get employment support can refer themselves to Andrew Pickersgill, contact details below:
Mobile: 07387415429 | Email: a.pickersgill@nhs.net or andrewp@poppyfactory.org
Poppy Factory Head Office: 020 8940 220
The Poppy Factory has provided us with the below posters, containing further information about employment support they provide for veterans on the Wirral:
The Poppy Factory Employment Support Poster
The Poppy Factory Wirral Flyer 2021
National Veteran Services
Veterans UK
Provide free support for veterans and their families, including a helpline, Veterans Welfare Service and injury/bereavement compensation scheme payments. Help and support for service personnel, veterans and their families.
Veterans UK helpline – 0808 1914 218
Defence Medical Welfare Service (DMWS)
For serving personnel, veterans and armed forces families.
Defence Medical Welfare Service (DMWS) provides practical and emotional support to military personnel, veterans, their families and other entitled civilians when they’re in hospital, rehabilitation or recovery centres.
The Defence Medical Welfare Service website
Help for Heroes
For wounded, injured and sick serving personnel and veterans, and their families.
The Help for Heroes charity provides physical, psychological, financial and welfare support to wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans, and their families. Contact Help for Heroes through their website to see how they can support you.
Royal British Legion
For serving personnel, veterans and armed forces families.
The Royal British Legion gives advice and support on wellbeing on their website and through their community branches. For additional advice and support, the Royal British Legion also have an online chat and helpline that is open 8am to 8pm, 7 days a week.
The Royal British Legion Website
Helpline: 08088028080
Service Families Federations
For serving personnel and their families.
The 3 Service Families Federation offer independent and confidential advice on a range of issues for all service families.
Website for Royal Air Force Families
SSAFA
For serving personnel, veterans and armed forces families.
SSAFA provides lifelong emotional and practical support. To get support, call their helpline or use their online chat Monday to Friday, 9 to 5.30pm.
Helpline: 0800 260 6767
STOLL
For veterans who struggle to live independently.
Provides housing and support services to help veterans live independently.
Togetherall
For serving personnel, reservists, veterans and armed forces families.
Togetherall is a mental health support service that provides anonymous, round-the-clock online support, with trained counsellors available at all times. There’s a supportive community and lots of free resources that all armed forces personnel, reservists, veterans and their families can use at any time.
Veterans Gateway
For veterans and their families.
Veterans Gateway provides wellbeing support and advice on their website and with their 24/7 Live Chat, text messaging and helpline.
Helpline: 08088021212
Text chat: 81212
The Veterans Gateway live chat
Walking with the Wounded
For veterans and their families.
Walking with the Wounded offers support services for a range of issues, such as mental health, employment, criminal justice and addiction. Their website offers information on how to be referred to their services
Walking with the Wounded website
Armed forces charities for people with specific healthcare conditions
Mental Health
Operation Courage
The first call for help takes courage. If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health or wellbeing, expert help is available from Op COURAGE: The Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Service.
Op Courage – Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance (veteranaware.nhs.uk)
Phone number: 03003 733 332
Email OpCourageNORTH@cntw.nhs.uk
Op NOVA
This non-clinical service builds on existing provision to improve the identification and support of veterans pre and post prison custody. Working together with NHS services and health and justice services, as well as charities and other organisations, Op NOVA provides a single point of contact for veterans, who, following an assessment, will have a comprehensive support plan developed for them that is overseen by a care and support co-ordinator.
Freephone 0800 917 7299
Email: opnova@forcesemployment.org.uk
Veterans in Mind
Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust provide mental health services for military veterans in Cheshire and Merseyside (excluding Liverpool). The service support veterans by delivering specialist high quality care with a focus on improving psychological wellbeing, increasing social networks and long- term recovery. We work in partnership with Britain’s leading mental health charity, Combat Stress to deliver this service, ensuring effective clinical treatment and welfare support to veterans who suffer from ongoing psychological issues, resulting from their time as a serving Armed Forces member.
Military Veterans Services | Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS FT (gmmh.nhs.uk)
Phone number:0151 908 0019
Veterans in Mind – Trifold Leaflet
Blesma
For veterans who have experienced life-changing limb loss, lost the use of a limb, or lost sight during service, as well as their families.
Blesma, The Limbless Veterans, offers advice and support through their local support officers. Blesma also provides financial assistance to help with the additional costs of disability.
Blesma phone number: 020 8590 1124
Blind Veterans
For veterans who have experienced sight loss and their families.
Blind Veterans offers community groups, rehabilitation and support with care as well as advice on their website.
Phone number: 0800 389 7979
Women’s armed forces charities
Salute Her UK
For women veterans who are survivors of military sexual trauma and their families.
Salute Her UK provides a support service which offers mental health therapy and interventions for women survivors of military sexual trauma in a single sex environment.
LGBT+ armed forces charities
Fighting with pride
For LGBT+ serving personnel, veterans and their families.
Fighting with Pride advise on how to get help and provide information for LGBT+ members of the armed forces community.
