Veterans who have suffered injuries or mental health challenges
are set to receive innovative and cutting-edge treatments thanks
to a new £5 million fund, the Chancellor is expected to announce
next week.
At Wednesday’s Budget and Spending Review, will unveil the new UK-wide
Veterans’ Health Innovation Fund – which will be used to help
develop ground-breaking treatments to help veterans with physical
injuries, and those with hard-to-treat mental health injuries
such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Between 2001 and March 2021 there were more than 300 UK service
personnel whose injuries included a traumatic or surgical
amputation as a result of sustained injuries in Afghanistan.
One in ten serving military personnel were also seen by medics
for a mental health-related reason last year, while the number of
veterans entering psychological therapies on the NHS increased by
around 45 percent between 2014 and 2020.
The Veterans’ Health Innovation Fund will provide grants for
research into cutting-edge surgery techniques and treatments for
amputees and veterans with blast injuries, new treatments for
mental health challenges, and new technology to help injured
veterans rebuild their lives and participate in work, education
and sport. It will also fund research and treatment options for
veterans with mild traumatic brain injury.
Grants could fund research into new surgery techniques such
as Direct Skeletal Fixation, which enables artificial limbs to be
permanently fixed to bones, removing the need to use traditional
socket-based technology.
The Fund will also aim to support drug-assisted therapy trials,
currently underway in the US and Israel, which have shown
promising results in treating patients suffering with PTSD, and
could also help with restoring patients’ function after brain
injuries.
Chancellor of the Exchequer said:
“We hugely value the sacrifices made by so many brave men and
women in our Armed Forces.
“Supporting injured veterans and those with mental health needs
is a crucial part of repaying the huge debt we all owe them.
“This new Fund will help ensure veterans get the support they
deserve with the very best ground-breaking research and
treatments.”
The fund will be distributed by the Office for Veterans’ Affairs
(OVA) as part of the Government’s commitment to support veterans.
In addition to the new £5 million Veterans’ Health Innovation
Fund, the Government has provided £10 million for veterans with
mental health needs in both the 2021 and 2020 budgets. These
funds are distributed through the AFCFT.
In September 2021, the Prime Minister also announced that Armed
Forces charities would receive £5 million in additional funding
to support veterans, including those who may be struggling
following recent events in Afghanistan.
