2. Will the First Minister make a statement on the provision of bespoke mental health services for former armed services personnel? OAQ(5)0408(FM)

‘Taking Wales Forward’ confirms our commitment to ensuring veterans continue to receive healthcare that meets their needs. We will maintain the valuable national Veterans’ NHS Wales service, which provides access to evidence-based treatments for veterans with mental health problems.

First Minister, can I welcome what you’ve just said there about preserving the service. You are actually leading the way in the UK, and I commend you for that. But as we now review this service that has had a lot of initial success, I think we are perhaps too reliant on self-referral—that seems to be one of the things that has come through—at the moment. And I think one key objective should be to inform veterans at the resettlement stage, as they move into civilian life, of this service. That time of life can itself be very challenging, but, of course, they may then have information that could be very, very important to them a few months or years hence.

Yes, I take the point that the Member makes. We know that there are high levels of satisfaction with the service that is provided to veterans. It may be, of course—or I think we can do this—we can raise the issue with the Royal British Legion, and, indeed, the armed forces, to see what more could be done to inform veterans of the availability of the service, and, of course, to encourage them to seek help from the service, rather than hold back. But I will—well, the Minister will have heard what’s been said in the Chamber, and, if we can do more to improve communication, to ensure that people can benefit from the service that does have such high rates of satisfaction, then we will.

First Minister, I wonder if you know that I submitted a motion, as a Member’s legislative proposal, to bring about a ‘no soldier left behind’ Act. But the Business Committee decided not to support it at this time. But the fact is, there are just too many veterans coming to my surgery—

Can I just correct that? It is not timetabled. The decision taken by the Business Committee is not to be questioned on this floor, and it is not to be timetabled; priority has been given to another Member’s legislative proposal.

Okay, thank you, Llywydd, for your clarification. So, we do have an opportunity to bring it back, it seems. But too many veterans are struggling for healthcare, struggling for housing, and especially, as the colleague across the Chamber said, for mental health care. Local authorities don’t have to give veterans priority. Now, the reality is that we don’t leave soldiers behind on the battlefield, and we shouldn’t be leaving them behind when they come home. So, will your Government support a Bill, legislation, to make sure that what a lot of people are suffering at the minute no longer happens, and we make a difference and make a change to the lives of these people?

It depends what the Bill says. At the moment, all I know is that there’s a suggestion, and we have to see what the detail might be. It may be that a lot of the issues that the Member raises have already been covered by the service as it stands. We do make £585,000 available each year to fund the service. It does provide therapeutic interventions from dedicated veteran therapists in each local health board. It also has a referral pathway, to signpost veterans to other areas, in order for them to get help and support. I suppose the question would be, would a Bill add to that, and much of it would depend on what was in the Bill, before taking a proper view on whether a Bill would add to the service that’s available already.

First Minister, just over two years ago, a Welsh Government review of the Veterans’ NHS Wales service found that veterans were waiting up to 80 days for an initial assessment, and up to 140 days from assessment. The review also highlighted the fact that the service would face additional pressures, resulting from the UK defence and security review. In total, 15 recommendations were made as a result of the review. First Minister, can you update us on the progress that has been made by Welsh Government and the local health boards in implementing the recommendations, reducing waiting times for veterans and ensuring the service can respond to future demand?

Yes, that report was received in November 2014. It did show high satisfaction rates among veterans using the service. It did make a number of recommendations to improve service provision, and those recommendations have been accepted, and are being taken forward.