How do I get veterans' mental health support through Op COURAGE?

Op COURAGE: The Veterans' Mental Health and Wellbeing Service is the NHS's single front door to mental health care for veterans, reservists and their families in England. It brought together three earlier services in 2021 — the transition, intervention and liaison service, the complex treatment service and the high intensity service — so there is now one number to ring whatever level of help you need.

How to refer yourself

• Phone 0800 952 1029 — 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm at weekends. Self-referral is the fastest route and no GP letter is needed.
• Or ask your GP. Tell them you are a veteran; some practices have veteran-friendly GP champions with specialist training. You can also find your local team through the NHS service search for veterans' mental health.
• Bring proof of service if you have it — a Veteran ID card or MOD Form 90 discharge document — but you will not be turned away at the point of access for not having one.
• In Scotland, ask for Veterans First Point; Wales and Northern Ireland run their own parallel services.

Op COURAGE treats depression, anxiety, PTSD, complex PTSD, alcohol and substance dependency and suicidal thoughts, using trauma-focused therapies including EMDR, cognitive processing therapy and narrative exposure therapy, alongside peer support and group programmes with other veterans. It also supports partners and children, and liaises with employers, housing and addiction services. Where a physical service injury complicates the picture, it works with the NHS Veterans Trauma Network.

If you are in crisis, or waiting for an assessment

Initial assessment is usually within four weeks of referral, with treatment starting in eight to twelve weeks; crisis presentations are prioritised. If the wait in your area is longer, ask your GP about NHS Talking Therapies in the meantime, and note that Combat Stress also accepts self-referrals. For urgent help:

• 999 if you are in immediate danger, or go to your nearest A&E.
• Combat Stress Veterans' Mental Health Helpline — 0800 138 1619, 24 hours a day.
• NHS 111, then press option 2 for mental health.
• Samaritans — 116 123, free and confidential, 24/7.
• Text HELLO to 85258 — the veterans' crisis text line, also 24/7.