Help for veterans is now available
New film showcases help in town
A new film has been made to showcase a specialist service in Hamilton that provides accessible and coordinated support for veterans and their families with life after the armed forces.
Veterans First Point (V1P) Lanarkshire seek to support veterans in all aspects of their lives, including welfare, housing, mental and physical well being.
The free to use service – which is part of the community-based focus of Health and Social Care in North and South Lanarkshire – is staffed by a specialist team of psychologists, psychological therapists and veteran peer support workers (PSWS).
As the new short film shows, the PSWS are all ex-servicemen or women and offer a first point of contact for anyone approaching the service, which is based in the Lanarkshire Association for Mental Health (LAMH) charity shop in Cadzow Street.
Dr Nicola Cogan, consultant clinical psychologist of NHS Lanarkshire and V1P explained: “The PSWS ensure that veterans see someone – from the very outset – who understands the military context and has first-hand experience of the issues involved in transition from military to civilian life.
“PSWS and clinical staff then work collaboratively, ensuring that veterans receive coordinated support, appropriate to their needs at the time.”
V1P Lanarkshire is a partnership between veterans, NHS Lanarkshire, the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) and LAMH. As well as accepting referrals from across health and social care, V1P also accepts selfreferrals.
Dr Cogan added: “People can contact us by email, phone or can just turn up to one of our access points. We will then arrange a registration appointment with one of our PSWS, where a full assessment of the veteran’s needs will be carried out and an individual plan created.”
Val de Souza, director of health and social care of South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership, said: “We’re aligning grassroots support with clinical expertise. This is an example of focusing on the strengths already within our communities and I would encourage anyone who feels they could benefit from V1P to get in touch.”
Sarah Blackmore, director of delivery and development at SAMH, said: “It’s great to be working with NHS Lanarkshire and both North and South Lanarkshire Councils on this fantastic new project. The mental well-being of our veterans is of huge importance, and I look forward to seeing the positive impact of V1P Lanarkshire.”
Hugh Cairns of LAMH said: “Lanarkshire Association for Mental Health is proud to be involved ensuring our veterans peer worker can readily associate with veterans and link them into vital psychological services and wider community support services relevant to their needs.”
The V1P service is open to anyone who has served in any of the armed forces (full-time or reserve). People can phone email Lanarkshirev1p@ lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk, call 0300 303 3051 or visit the base in Cadzow Street between noon and 3pm on Tuesdays.
You can watch the film on the Advertiser website or Facebook page.