Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to respond to Question 5212 on Armed Forces: Health tabled by the hon. Member for East Londonderry on 5 December 2023; and if he will place a copy of his Answer in the library of the House.

Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

I responded on 11 December 2023 to advise that it would take time to collate the requested information. I have now received advice from my officials that the information is not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost. I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in this response.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many armed forces personnel who undertook regular fitness tests in 2022 were (a) found to be unfit and (b) had their service discontinued in the same year.

Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

It is taking time to collate the required information to answer the hon. Member's Questions. I will write to him when the information is available, and a copy of this letter will be placed in the Library of The House.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with the (a) First Sea Lord, (b) Chief of the General Staff and (c) Chief of the Air Staff on tackling gaps in transition services for people who are medically discharged from the armed forces.

Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) provides post-transition support services beyond six months for those medically discharged from the Armed Forces. The Career Transition Partnership (CTP) provides resettlement and career transition services to all Regular Armed Forces Service leavers as part of their resettlement process, helping to make the transition from military to civilian life as smooth and successful as possible. The Core Resettlement Programme is afforded to all medically discharged Service leavers irrespective of time served.

A bespoke service called CTP Assist is provided for the most vulnerable leavers, and delivers an individualised, needs-based service to those Service personnel who face the greatest barriers to employment because of their medical condition. This comprehensive employment support is made available to all those subject to medical discharge to maximise their successful transition to civilian life. Employment support is available through the CTP two years prior to discharge and for two years afterwards.

Welfare support from the Veterans Welfare Service (VWS) is also available to all Regular and Reserve Service personnel and their families via the Defence Transition Referral Protocol. All those who are medically discharged are contacted by VWS, on behalf of MOD, to provide contact details should they experience need after discharge and want to re-engage with VWS at a subsequent point in time. VWS supports service leavers, veterans, and their families by providing ongoing support, guidance and information with issues that will endure beyond discharge. VWS clients are supported according to their needs and preferences, with support remaining in place for as long as required.

As the Minister responsible for Defence People and Families, I regularly meet with The First Sea Lord, Chief of the General Staff and Chief of the Air Staff to discuss topics that fall within my portfolio and tackle prevalent issues.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending post-service transition support services for people medically discharged from the armed forces from six months to two years.

Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) provides post-transition support services beyond six months for those medically discharged from the Armed Forces. The Career Transition Partnership (CTP) provides resettlement and career transition services to all Regular Armed Forces Service leavers as part of their resettlement process, helping to make the transition from military to civilian life as smooth and successful as possible. The Core Resettlement Programme is afforded to all medically discharged Service leavers irrespective of time served.

A bespoke service called CTP Assist is provided for the most vulnerable leavers, and delivers an individualised, needs-based service to those Service personnel who face the greatest barriers to employment because of their medical condition. This comprehensive employment support is made available to all those subject to medical discharge to maximise their successful transition to civilian life. Employment support is available through the CTP two years prior to discharge and for two years afterwards.

Welfare support from the Veterans Welfare Service (VWS) is also available to all Regular and Reserve Service personnel and their families via the Defence Transition Referral Protocol. All those who are medically discharged are contacted by VWS, on behalf of MOD, to provide contact details should they experience need after discharge and want to re-engage with VWS at a subsequent point in time. VWS supports service leavers, veterans, and their families by providing ongoing support, guidance and information with issues that will endure beyond discharge. VWS clients are supported according to their needs and preferences, with support remaining in place for as long as required.

As the Minister responsible for Defence People and Families, I regularly meet with The First Sea Lord, Chief of the General Staff and Chief of the Air Staff to discuss topics that fall within my portfolio and tackle prevalent issues.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of service personnel have received (a) trauma treatment and (b) orthopedic from a private healthcare provider via the NHS fast-track pathway as of 24 November 2023.

Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

Further to the answer I gave on 16 November 2023 to Question 1407 to the hon. Member for Wrexham (Ms Atherton), the number of regular service personnel in England who have received intervention under the Fast Track Surgery Contract, which is currently provided by SPIRE Healthcare, is set out by financial year in the table below:

The figures provided include the predicted requirement for the current financial year, should referral criteria and surgical intervention types remain unchanged.

The Department does not hold data on the proportion of service personnel who have received treatment under the Fast Track Surgery Contract.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending health and safety legislation to cover armed forces personnel serving overseas.

Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

Given the nature of defence operations, our personnel are often asked to work in challenging environments around the world. For this reason, it would not be practical to apply health and safety legislation that has been developed to provide safe working environments within the UK, when overseas. I would like to provide reassurance that the Ministry of Defence (MOD) does seek to comply with local health and safety standards and where these local standards fall below those expected within UK, the MOD applies UK standards so far as it is reasonably practicable.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether armed forces personnel are entitled to use local NHS care at their home residence whilst off duty; and whether his Department has issued guidance to armed forces personnel on what steps to take if care is refused by local NHS services.

Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Defence Medical Services (DMS) provide an occupationally focused primary healthcare service for Armed Forces personnel. Secondary healthcare is provided by the NHS: the DMS has influence on NHS commissioning policy and delivery, to ensure that specific Defence requirements are met.

Armed Forces personnel can, by exception, access urgent NHS primary care near their home residence while off-duty, as a temporary registered patient, if they are unfit to travel to a DMS facility to make sure they get the healthcare support they need.

Personnel should contact their registered DMS medical facility in the first instance to discuss their care needs, and to inform of the intention to access NHS services. Their DMS GP will continue to be their main registered GP and it is important that personnel return to using DMS services as soon as possible.

Personnel can also access NHS out of hours services such as going to A&E in a medical emergency, using the 111 service or going to an urgent care service such as a walk-in centre or minor injuries unit.

Armed Forces personnel should contact their DMS medical facility, as their care co-ordinator, about any declined access to UK healthcare services to which they are entitled.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what support his Department provides to military personnel to ensure their health and fitness remains at a high level when they are not deployed in the UK and off-duty.

Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence is committed to the health and wellbeing of our Armed Forces. All Armed Forces Personnel are supported by dedicated medical services including mental health support and Defence Recovery Programmes.

The Defence People Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2022-27 promotes the importance of health and wellbeing across Defence, adopting a holistic approach to mental health, physical health, and social health. It directs a coordinated approach to promote, prevent, detect and treat poor health and wellbeing early to enable optimal recovery. It ensures that all our people will be in a state of positive physical, mental and social health and wellbeing throughout their career.

It is the responsibility of every individual within the Armed Forces to maintain a level of fitness adequate for the demands of their daily task, whether home-based or deployed. Unit commanders ensure that personnel maintain fitness and are responsible for the provision of regular opportunities to take exercise. All Service personnel have access to free gymnasium facilities, accessible both on and off duty, which cater for a range of physical training activities and sports. Gymnasiums on military bases are staffed by professionally qualified Physical Training Instructors. Armed Forces personnel are required to undertake regular fitness tests.

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Found: In recognition of this the MVV Team has developed an Armed Forces Health Passport, which is available

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