Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what help is available (a) nationally and (b) in Gloucestershire for soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorders; and if he will make a statement.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to looking after the mental health of our Armed Forces, and our medical services are configured to provide community-based healthcare in line with national best practice. In the UK, we have 16 military Departments of Community Mental Health (DCMHs), which are located to be convenient for major centres of military population, and which support the provision of healthcare that is available through Service primary care facilities. Service personnel based in Gloucestershire who require treatment at a DCMH would be most likely to attend the facilities at Brize Norton in Oxfordshire or Tidworth in Wiltshire.

The DCMH mental health teams comprise psychiatrists and mental health nurses, with access to clinical psychologists and mental health social workers. A wide range of psychiatric and psychological treatments are available, including medication, psychological therapies, and environmental adjustment where appropriate. In-patient care, when necessary, is provided in dedicated psychiatric units through a central contract with an in-patient psychiatric care provider.