Have you served in the armed forces?
Rye Medical Practice is committed to ensuring that veterans get the right support from the NHS and is a Veteran Friendly accredited practice.
When you leave the UK Armed Forces, it’s important to register with an NHS GP practice and to let the practice know that you’ve served. This means your GP can better understand your health, particularly any problems relating to your time in Service.
If you have recently left the Forces, it’s important to give your GP practice the paperwork that your military medical centre gave you, including any medical records. This will help to make sure that your military health record integrates into your NHS health record. Without this, your GP may not be able to access your military health record in a timely manner which will make it difficult to ensure that any on-going care and treatment is continued.
We will add a code to your record. This means that our clinical system can highlight to us that you have served. This will help us to get things right the first time, prevent you from having to repeat your story to professionals, to share relevant information with you and enable us to make sure that we are working within the Armed Forces Covenant – including making sure that referrals made in relation to the impact of your service are prioritised (subject to clinical need).
It’s important to ‘Say You Served’. It doesn’t matter how long you served for, or when you left the Armed Forces – let us know. Please also let us know if you are the immediate family member of a veteran, particularly if you have a care responsibility for them or if you have been widowed. Getting you the right support begins with us knowing the important context for your family.
Specialist NHS Physical and Mental Health Support for Veterans
Op COURAGE: The Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Service is designed to help serving personnel due to leave the military, reservists, veterans and their families. You can self-refer, but you must be registered with a GP to be eligible.
Op RESTORE: The Veterans Physical Health and Wellbeing Service. Designed for all veterans, service leavers, non-mobilised reservists, and their family members and carers to access a range of specialist healthcare and support to provide care and treatment for many different problems.
Chavasse Clinic – Brighton University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust. It is one of only two clinics of its kind in the country offering a bespoke service for service-related musculoskeletal injuries . Your GP can refer you to this clinic.
Local support
The links provided here are general and not exhaustive.
Please download our Veteran’s Welcome Pack, which is full of local information to support you to settle in the area and to find services, groups and information relevant to Veterans.
Our Social Prescribing team is on hand to help you in accessing the considerable support available in our communities. All members of the Social Prescribing team are Armed Forces Service Champions.
Veterans’ Gateway – A directory of national and regional services. This link has been pre-filtered to show results for the South East.
Veterans’ Growth – Situated between Westfield and Sedlescombe, providing horticultural therapy for veterans, as well as their family members and carers. Set in a calm rural environment, you can learn about gardening and a range of outdoor activities, including growing food and flowers, woodland work, green woodworking and foraging. Sessions offer a supportive space to build skills, confidence and social connection while reconnecting with nature.
East Sussex Veterans Hub – Based at 45 Robertson Street, Hastings, the Hub can help with physical and mental health, homelessness, and generally aims to improve veterans’ quality of life.
Rye and District Royal British Legion – Providing financial, social, and emotional support for those who have served or who are serving and their dependants.
Bexhill and District Veterans Association – Meets at 13:00, first Thursday of the month at The Town Square Social Club, 4 London Road, Bexhill, TN39 3JU. Armed Forces Veterans and their partners are welcome to join.
Robertsbridge Aviation Society – Exhibits covering civil and military aviation, past and present – predominantly WW2. The museum is non-profit, run by volunteers and always welcomes new members.
Albatross RAFA Club (Bexhill) – An Award winning RAFA club with regular events at 15 Marina, Bexhill on Sea, TN40 1JS
If your service/ group/ charity would like to be featured on this page, or if you have information that we can help share with Veterans, please get in contact.
