Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Pathway – National Framework

7. Hub Model

The national digital Hub, and the regional “spokes”, will broadly adhere to the following criteria:

The National Digital Hub will:

• Be commissioned by the Scottish Government to provide a consistent point of access to veteran-specific mental health and wellbeing services and resources;
• Co-ordinate and direct referrals to appropriate regional Spokes;
• Provide an online resource that will act as a single point of entry, with key information on the national and local services and support available for veterans and other stakeholders;
• Develop a feedback loop to ensure that lived experience, data and evaluation can inform service improvements;
• Set minimum data requirements, key performance indicators (KPIs) and information governance expectations, and;
• Provide assurance oversight, as well as commissioning national scale functions where appropriate.

The Regional Spokes will:

• Co-ordinate a consistent network of regional statutory and third sector organisations, aligned to national standards;
• Continually improve whole systems collaboration;
• Provide access to veteran-specific mental health and wellbeing services, with links and referral to local services where appropriate;
• Operate consistent referral criteria and triage to appropriate local services, including veteran-specific clinical support whenever needed;
• Create an effective pathway which ensures that veterans can access evidence-led and evidence-based, services that are specific to veterans. Where possible, these services will delivered locally, so each veteran receives the most appropriate type of support within their community;
• Promote wellbeing and the importance of good mental health;
• Enable veterans to “wait well” by providing support and evidence-based digital interventions and information;
• Encourage partnership working across all local service providers;
• Promote the Veterans Mental Health Pathway to improve awareness of the services available;
• Encourage partnership working across all local service providers;
• Monitor access and equity of support options, including waiting times and variation. This data will be reported to the national Hub;
• Guide veterans to chaplaincy support and pastoral care, and;
• Facilitate access to support for substance use.

Aligned local services will:

• Deliver social prescribing, including physical, arts, befriending, and community activities;
• Ensure veteran-sensitive practice, including minimising re-traumatisation and avoiding the need for a veteran to re-tell their story multiple times;
• Collect agreed outcome and experience measures and participate in quality improvement;
• Deliver practical support, including everyday functional help to stabilise circumstances and promote recovery. (e.g., housing, income maximisation, transport);
• Deliver peer support (including enhanced peer support). This will include structured, trained, veteran-led support across the Pathway, with a defined role profile and progression framework, and;
• In cases where clinical support is needed, facilitate access to appropriate evidence-based interventions, including veteran specific clinical services for complex trauma when mainstream services are not sufficient

The implementation of this approach will be bolstered by robust Quality Improvement (QI) methodology, ensuring that the delivery of care meets agreed defined standards and specifications.

There is a recognition that this model will need to continuously evolve to meet veterans’ needs.