ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author provides an account of the service delivered by the Veterans and Reserves Mental Health Programme (VRMHP) and the people who have used the service. In using case examples from the programme, the author has created composite case histories from many different stories in order to make anonymous the individuals and also to illustrate common attributes of veterans and reserves who present to the programme. The author shares his reflections from the work within VRMHP, drawing on experience of work in the psycho-trauma field and military service, and considers implications for healthcare practice in the care and treatment of ex-service personnel. Veterans and reserves can ask to be seen by the national VRMHP if they have concerns about their mental health in relation to operational experiences since 1982. The programme is a national advisory service which receives referrals from NHS GPs, and sometimes from other NHS mental health services and service charities.
