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Op Courage: The Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Service

Op COURAGE is an NHS mental health specialist service designed to help serving personnel due to leave the military, reservists, armed forces veterans and their families.

Op COURAGE can help you and your family with a range of support and treatment, including:

  • supporting you with intensive emergency care and treatment if you’re in a crisis.
  • helping you transition from military to civilian life by providing mental health care with Defence Medical Services (DMS).
  • supporting armed forces families affected by mental health problems, including helping you access local services.
  • helping you recognise and treat early signs of mental health problems as well as more advanced mental health conditions and psychological trauma.
  • helping you to access other NHS mental health services if you need them, such as finding an NHS psychological therapies service (IAPT) and eating disorder services.
  • helping you get in touch with charities and local organisations who can support your wider health and wellbeing needs, such as housing, relationships, finances, employment, drug and alcohol misuse and social support.

Everyone at Op COURAGE is either from the armed forces community or is experienced in working with serving personnel, reservists, veterans and their families.

To receive help and support from Op COURAGE, you must:

  • be a resident in England and have served in the UK armed forces for a full day.
  • be registered with a GP practice in England or be willing and eligible to register with a GP.
  • provide your military service number.

Referrals can be made via your GP, through a third-party organisation or can be a self-referral.