Government Review of Prosthetic Services for Veterans

BLESMA welcomes the announcement made by Health Minister Simon Burns MP on 3rd January regarding a review of prosthetic services for veterans to be undertaken by Dr Andrew Murrison MP. This is a significant milestone and is a direct result of concerns first raised some years ago and subsequently discussed with Simon Burns on 13 December, when BLESMA, supported by Help for Heroes and COBSEO, visited the Department of Health. While we recognise the excellent prosthetic support provided in service by the Defence Medical Services at Headley Court, our long experience in this area has led us to doubt that such provision can be as easily carried forward by the NHS as and when veterans enter civilian life - hence our campaign to bring such matters to the attention of Ministers. We welcome Dr Murrison’s involvement as someone who has knowledge of the service and of medical issues and we are ready to work closely with him. We are aware that steps are already being taken to improve transition of prosthetic support from the Defence Medical Services to the NHS. We note the review will be wide ranging and address such concerns as regional variation in provision, the future funding of high specification prosthetic equipment and the possible contribution of individual budgets in such arrangements. We do speak for the wider service charity community on these specialist issues and reflect the general concern that that the role of charitable provision can only be limited in areas such as expensive and lifelong requirements that prosthetic issues represent. BLESMA has always made clear its belief that is a fundamental responsibility of government to meet the realistic prosthetic needs of those who lose limbs in the service of our Country. This review also represents a significant opportunity to address issues that date back many years and to improve the support that should be a right for the many veterans of earlier conflicts and who deserve the level of care that this review seeks to identify.

 Jerome Church General Secretary

BLESMA - The Limbless Veterans