Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what guidance is provided to the armed forces to ensure that service records are provided in a timely manner to civilian NHS organisations.

On leaving the Armed Forces, individuals are issued with a discharge letter and an intermediate summary of their in-service care, including relevant referral letters and results. Individuals are advised to pass this information to their new NHS GP. This information also explains how the NHS GP can obtain their patient's full military medical records if required.

As a fail-safe, and provided the patient has given consent, the same information is automatically sent to their NHS GP upon registration. The NHS GP will also be informed about the patient's status as a veteran.