North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood has called on the Welsh Government to boost funding for Veterans’ mental health services in Wales following warnings that waiting lists for mental health therapists for the armed forces community could rise without additional investment.
Mr Isherwood made the plea in the Assembly Chamber yesterday during a question to the Cabinet Secretary for Local Government and Public Services regarding what the Welsh Government is doing to help veterans return to civilian life.
He said:
“As the Cabinet Secretary is aware, these are matters covered in the Cross Party Group on Armed Forces and Cadets' Report on the Armed Forces Covenant in Wales, and I know that the Group is looking forward to your formal response to that.
“One of the things it also covers is the call for core funding for third sector partners delivering peer-mentoring schemes. You'll be aware that the ‘Change Step’ peer mentoring and advice service ‘for military veterans and others with PTSD and a range of psychological problems, who want to make positive changes in their lives’, led by the charity CAIS, secured funding from Help for Heroes to embed a peer mentor into each Welsh Health Board. How do you therefore respond to the need highlighted by Veterans' NHS Wales for core funding to keep the peer mentors in post as part of their core team, to mirror the Scottish Veteran model?”
The Cabinet Secretary replied:
“I hope that we are supporting and providing sufficient funding to Veterans' NHS Wales. We are currently providing annual funding of £585,000, and you will be aware that the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services has recently announced additional funding of £100,000 per annum to increase the capacity for veterans with mental health needs. So, I hope that we are providing for the needs that are currently being identified.”
Mr Isherwood added: “Although the Welsh Government announced £100,000 additional funding for Veterans NHS Wales, this falls far short of the £1 million annual funding which Veterans NHS Wales told the Cross Party Group that it needs to meet the mental health needs of the Armed Forces Community in Wales, and although extra funding from Help for Heroes has enabled Veterans NHS Wales to employ therapists to bring waiting lists down, they expect waiting times to rise again without additional investment”.