Support for Scottish Veterans

Local MSP, Gordon Macdonald, recently pledged his support for Scottish veterans with mental health conditions at the Scottish Parliament. The MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands met with employees from veterans’ mental health charity Combat Stress to hear more about their work to support veterans living in Scotland rebuild their lives.

Combat Stress is the UK’s leading mental health charity for veterans and provides free specialist clinical treatment to ex-servicemen and women across the UK with mental health problems. They provide a range of free services including short-stay clinical treatment, a specialist PTSD Intensive Treatment Programme, Occupational Therapy, Community support and a free 24-hour Helpline (0800 138 1619).

Gordon Macdonald MSP said, “Our veterans are an asset to Scotland and the work Combat Stress does to support veterans in Edinburgh Pentlands and across the country is invaluable. It is vital that all veterans have access to the specialist support that they need for conditions such as PTSD, depression and anxiety. We all owe a significant debt to those who have served in our armed forces, and we must work together to ensure that they have access to the support they need and deserve.”

Andy Smith, Combat Stress’s Regional Operations Manager, said, “With recent research showing that Scottish veterans face a greater risk of deprivation than the general public, it is vital that we encourage all ex-service personnel to access the support they need. The Scottish Government’s support for veterans, including the Scottish Veterans Fund, is welcome – the 71% increase in referrals that we experienced over the past five years illustrates the rising demand for our work.”