Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made on the roll-out of the Cortisone programme to ensure that those medically discharged from the Armed Forces (a) receive their medical history documents within one month of leaving the military and (b) can register with a civilian GP to continue to receive treatment.

Under Programme Cortisone, a Primary Medical Care Solution is being developed that will link Ministry of Defence (MOD) systems with national NHS systems across the UK. This will seamlessly transfer an individual's electronic healthcare record from their civilian GP to the MOD, when they join the Armed Forces, and back to a nominated civilian GP practice when they leave.

This will greatly improve current systems, allowing individuals' electronic registration with a civilian GP practice up to 3 months before leaving. This early ability to register and seamless transfer of patient information will better enable continuity of care, minimising the risk to the patient.

The Primary Medical Care Solution is currently expected to go live in early 2023, followed by an 18-month rollout to all Defence Medical Services practices.