Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Pathway – National Framework - summary

Vision and Purpose

Our vision is to ensure that every veteran in Scotland can access timely, effective and compassionate mental health and wellbeing support. This commitment is grounded in the core values of veterans-informed care, community, and camaraderie. This is set out in the national Framework which is the principles for high quality care and treatment, and the Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Pathway which is the operational components for implementation.

Our aspiration is that, by improving accessibility to mental health and wellbeing services for all veterans, they will receive the most appropriate type of support for their needs. We know that serving in the military is a unique experience, and although many veterans cope well, some may experience mental health issues that require a bespoke approach to treatment. This is because their life experiences, injuries, transitions, and trauma are very different to those of the general population. This Framework recognises the distinct circumstances around military life and the particular mental health needs of veterans.

The approach outlined in the Framework is intended to address and reduce barriers to accessing the right help that veterans themselves have identified. These can include such things as stigma, transport difficulties, and lack of clear veteran specific information. These barriers can also look different across different areas of Scotland.

We need to mitigate these obstacles in order to foster greater trust and encourage earlier engagement with mental health and wellbeing support. In turn, this will ultimately improve outcomes and quality of life for our veterans by providing an equitable and effective integrated services.

The Framework sets out what we will put in place to ensure that we can best support the mental health and wellbeing of veterans. It will inform the Pathway which is how services, both statutory and third sector, will mobilise to ensure that veterans' mental health and wellbeing needs can be met. Both the Framework and the Pathway are aligned to the Vision, Outcomes, Priorities and Principles of Scotland’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy^[1].

They also reflect the five principles from the Health and Social Care Service Renewal Framework (SRF)^[2]: prevention, people-centred care, community delivery, population planning, and digital innovation. These principles aim to ensure that care is proactive, designed around individuals, where possible delivered close to home, informed by population needs, and supported by technology.

The principles of the SRF are well suited to the needs of this particular population group as the Framework and Pathway is underpinned by a focus on early intervention, developing a community approach through third sector provision and peer support, and providing access to treatments that are built round individual needs through a digital front door. For example, prevention means shifting the focus from crisis intervention to early help, while the people principle ensures the care offered reflects individual needs and experiences. As acknowledged above, we know that the needs and experiences of our veterans are unique. A focus on community delivery will strengthen local support networks, and digital innovation has the potential to provide veterans with secure, user-friendly platforms for self-help and referrals.