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'Ex Forces Mental Health'.
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Surgeon General's Department |
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7th Floor Zone E |
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Ministry Of Defence |
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Main Building, Whitehall |
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LONDON SW1A 2HB |
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Mr Charles Brindley
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Your Reference
Our Reference 13-05-2009-112014-009
Date 8 Jun 09
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Dear Mr Brindley,
We have received your further Freedom of Information request, further to ours of the 8th June, regarding mental healthcare for service personnel and veterans. Your request states:
Could you give me a breakdown by year and individual operational area [i.e. numbers discharged with a mental health disorder and the numbers of those who had deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq];
Secondly, how many of those discharged have been seen at MAP (Dr Ian Palmer) for a full assessment to be sent to the individuals GP;
Thirdly, how many of those who have been on Herric and Telic are now waiting to be seen by Combat Stress?
To answer your first question, Defence Analytical Services & Advice (DASA) have compiled information on Service personnel medically discharged with a principal condition of mental and behavioural disorders that have been identified as previously deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. Deployment data prior to 1 April 2007 is incomplete and dates of deployment are not recorded. Therefore DASA can only reliably provide information on Service personnel medically discharged from Service that have previously deployed to Iraq and/or Afghanistan from 1 April 2007.
The table below presents the number of Service personnel medically discharged with a principal disability of mental and behavioural disorders during the period 1 April 2007 - 31 December 2008. In addition numbers are presented for those that have been identified as previously deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. Medical discharge data for 2009 are being validated and thus are not currently available for release. Mental and behavioural disorder figures have been compiled using the International Classification of Diseases & Related Health Problems version 10 (ICD 10 codes F00-F99).
Table 1: Service personnel medically discharged with a principal condition of mental and behavioural disorders, 1 April 2007 - 31 December 08, numbers1
It is important to note that previous deployment cannot be attributed to any principal disability leading to medical discharge. Although Medical Boards recommend medical discharges they do not attribute the principal disability leading to the board to Service. A Medical Board could take place many months or even years after an event or injury and it is not clinically possible in some cases to link an earlier injury to a later problem which may lead to a discharge. Decisions on attributability to Service are made by the Service Personnel and Veterans' Agency.
We are confused as to your second and third questions, since we answered them in our previous response of 8th June. To repeat what was stated before:
To date, approximately 3,500 veterans have attended the MAP having been referred by their General Practitioners or Service Medical Officers.
“Combat Stress” is an independent charity, and you will need to contact them to obtain an answer to your third question.
Yours sincerely
Surgeon General's Department Secretariat
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