Transition, intervention and liaison mental health service for armed forces personnel approaching discharge and veterans
Brief
On 1 April 2017, NHS England is launching the transition, intervention and liaison (TIL) mental health service for armed forces personnel approaching discharge and veterans.
Provided across England, the service will seek to increase the access and treatment to appropriate and timely mental health services for armed forces serving personnel approaching discharge and veterans with mental health difficulties. There are three elements to the service:
1. Service for those in transition, leaving the armed forces 2. Service for veterans with complex presentation 3. General service for veterans.
Appointed service providers will support delivery of The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health through partnership working with local public, private and voluntary sector organisations, recognising the contributions of each to improving mental health wellbeing.
Improved mental health services The new service builds on the success of existing NHS England veterans’ mental health services with a key difference being that for the first time, armed forces personnel approaching discharge will also benefit from receiving NHS care and treatment.
Informed by the views of veterans and their families, the TIL mental health service will provide local care and treatment in a range of locations and settings and via different methods, such as Skype. Furthermore, patients will be involved in the development of holistic care packages that seek to achieve positive outcomes relating to mental health, employment, reduction in alcohol consumption, housing and socialising. As part of this, the service will work closely with the wider NHS, relevant local authority and third sector organisations to ensure the appropriate support is in place for patients and their families.
For those patients using existing NHS England veterans’ mental health services, transition plans are being implemented to facilitate the ongoing provision of high quality care.
Further information Further information on the new service and appointed providers will be issued towards the end of March. If you have any queries in the meantime, please email
england.south-armedforces@nhs.net.