Op COURAGE: The Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Service provides specialist care and support for:

• Those due to leave the Armed Forces
• Reservists
• Those who’ve already left.

It is developed by veterans, for veterans. Op COURAGE is available across England and since 2017, has helped nearly 30,000 people.

Who can access Op COURAGE?

The Op COURAGE Integrated Veterans Mental Health Service can support anyone who has served in the UK Armed Forces community regardless of length of time served, rank or reason for leaving. We cover the areas of Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Cornwall and The Isles Of Scilly, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, and Somerset.

What services do we offer

The service can provide comprehensive assessments and offer access to local support. Depending on each individual’s circumstances, we may signpost veterans to other local services including non-statutory services to ensure that there is a holistic package in place throughout the pathway - supporting and complimenting care delivered by the Op COURAGE Integrated team. These services might include:

• housing support
• debt management
• employment support
• social inclusion
• welfare support

Op COURAGE Integrated Veterans Mental Health Services have established links, including:

• Crisis / home treatment teams • Liaison psychiatry • Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services
• Adult community mental health teams • Inpatient services
• Substance misuse services
• Gambling services
• Sexual assault referral centres (SARCs)
• Personal health budgets (PHBs) including PHBs for wheelchairs
• Services for veterans in the Criminal Justice System (CJS)
• Veterans Trauma Network (VTN) and physical healthcare services

How to contact us:

If you meet the criteria for either a veteran or a serving personnel member you can refer yourself directly by either:

• calling: 0300 034 9986 Monday - Friday 9am-5pm.
• emailing: [email protected]

You can also contact your GP or health professional to refer you too.

Please be aware that due to the change in service, the Gateway referral team at Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust will no longer handle referrals for Op COURAGE in the South West of England.

For general enquiries - [email protected] or call 0300 034 9986.

Visit www.awp.nhs.uk/our-services/community-services/veterans for more information.