GP practices wanting to increase their understanding of and improve care for patients who have served in the armed forces can find out more about the ‘Veteran friendly GP practice accreditation’ scheme through a new Q&A session.
The veteran friendly GP practice accreditation is a programme run by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and NHS England to recognise and support practices in delivering the best possible care and treatment for patients who have served in the armed forces.
Almost 2,000 GP practices in England are already accredited and receiving support which includes free online training, coding guidance and advice on referrals. As part of a drive to see 40% of all practices registered with the scheme, Arden & GEM arranged a question and answer (Q&A) session with GPs and patients.
The session was chaired by Dr Jo Ferguson, a military veteran and retired GP, and included:
- Dr Jonathan Leach, a GP from Davenal House Surgery in Bromsgrove and military veteran
- Mr Peter Jones, an RAF veteran and civil servant
- Dr Emily Brookes, an Army and RAF veteran, and clinical veteran champion for the RCGP.
In the session, participants discussed how the accreditation scheme works, its benefits for both patients and practices, and how practices can apply.
A full recording of the session can be viewed below.
The Q&A podcast is available here.
You can find out more about the scheme through viewing the presentation here or by visiting the RCGP webpage.