Call to improve armed forces' mental healthcare provision

  The BMA has continued to press for greater provision of mental healthcare for military personnel, during the latest reading of the Armed Forces Bill. The bill, which was debated during its report stage in Lords on Wednesday, saw discussion over two amendments drafted by the BMA and tabled by Labour Party defence spokesperson Lord Touhig. They included providing a lump sum payment to service personnel upon diagnosis of a mental health condition resulting from service, and a legal obligation on the Government to ensure parity of esteem between mental and physical health. Lord Touhig said that he backed the BMA’s belief that there needed to be better compensation available to armed forces personnel struggling with mental illness as a result of their military service. He said: ‘In my discussions with the BMA, it has persuaded me that the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme does not reflect that mental health is not diagnosed immediately. ‘Again, it would help if the Government considered looking at the commencement point of mental illness, not simply the point of diagnosis, and awarding compensation on that basis. ‘I share the BMA’s view that mental health should be further up the tariff table, in the sense of more compensation being awarded for mental illnesses.’   Commitment Despite ruling that any legal changes to the existing military covenant were unnecessary, peers reaffirmed ministers’ commitment to meeting the mental hea...
Source: BMA News - Category: UK Health Source Type: news