Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust and Combat Stress, the ex-services mental health welfare society, are joining forces to help veterans overcome their difficulties when they return from conflict.

The traumatic experiences of war can leave some members of the armed forces suffering from severe mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder. Adjusting to civilian life can be very difficult, as they find themselves recalling life-threatening situations, experiencing flashbacks, night terrors, mood swings, panic attacks or specific phobias.

Combat Stress is a charity that provides help to people who have been in the services, offering courses of therapy, guidance and other forms of emotional and social support. As part of the charity’s current drive to find permanent venues for its crucial work across the country, it has teamed up with Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust to establish a base for veterans who are already registered with the charity, or want to register with the charity in the Oxford region.

Graham Poulter, South Central Regional Community Psychiatric Nurse with Combat Stress, explained:

“We are excited to have found a venue for the veterans, so they can now get support from both fellow veterans and from our clinical and welfare practitioners, and our NHS colleagues. We want the group to nurture the development of self-support in the veteran community within Oxford, as well as being a place that they know they can come to on a monthly basis, for face-to-face and one-to-one support, if required. In the short term, there will be a chance for veterans to access both Combat Stress and NHS practitioners for support and signposting to other organisations. But we aim to bring other agencies on board as this develops hopefully.”

Martina Mueller, Clinical Psychologist with Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust added:

“Our Trust is delighted to be able to collaborate with Combat Stress on this project. In my role as a psychologist, I work with people who have been exposed to severe trauma, helping them cope with conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder. In the last ten years, I have seen a substantial increase in referrals from veterans. This has been because of greater awareness of the treatments that are available to those from the armed services and also as a result of the rising numbers of those coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan. Our Trust has worked very well alongside Combat Stress, providing support for these veterans, and we now look forward to working even closer, developing innovative approaches to the devastating psychological conditions these veterans can have.”

The first drop-in session took place on 23 January. Further sessions are scheduled to take place on the last Monday of each month.

If you would like to find out more about these sessions, go to www.combatstress.org.uk or contact Neil Cottrell, Welfare Desk Officer at Combat Stress’ South Central Welfare Desk at Tyrwhitt House, on 01372 587085.