Ministers have launched a three‑year NHS training programme for staff treating the Armed Forces community, backed by £1.8 million and rolling out across England from Monday 10 November 2025. The initiative aims to help clinicians identify patients with a forces background and deliver more personalised care pathways.
Delivery will be through regional education leads working with primary, community and secondary care teams. Under the National Training and Education Plan, these leads will provide standardised awareness training, advise commissioners on armed forces health needs assessments and support integrated care boards to improve access for families.
The announcement follows a milestone on Armed Forces accreditation. As of 26 June 2025, every NHS trust in England has achieved ‘Veteran Aware’ status under the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance. Accreditation requires services to identify patients with an armed forces background, train staff on specific needs and embed forces‑friendly practice, with periodic re‑accreditation.
The programme sits alongside the statutory Armed Forces Covenant Duty. The Armed Forces Act 2021, implemented via the Armed Forces (Covenant) Regulations 2022 and statutory guidance, places a legal obligation on NHS bodies, integrated care boards and trusts to have due regard to Covenant principles when exercising relevant healthcare functions.
Primary care remains a key entry point. The Royal College of General Practitioners reports that more than 3,700 practices are now Veteran Friendly accredited and 98% of Primary Care Networks have at least one accredited practice. Consistent identification is helped by the government’s harmonised question: “Have you previously served in the UK armed forces?”.
Training is expected to streamline referrals into existing services. Op COURAGE offers specialist mental health assessment and care for service leavers, reservists, veterans and eligible family members, with self‑referral and GP or charity referral routes. Op RESTORE coordinates consultant‑led pathways for service‑attributable physical injuries and works with Defence Medical Services and partner charities.
Providers should align local policies with the Covenant commitment that veterans may be considered for priority treatment for service‑related conditions, subject to clinical need. NHS guidance confirms this does not supersede clinical urgency but should be reflected in triage and scheduling policies.
Government statements describe the initiative as part of the Plan for Change. A written ministerial statement set out that education leads will also support integrated care boards in reducing unwarranted variation and informing health needs assessments for the Armed Forces community.
The roll‑out complements VALOUR, a £50 million programme announced in May 2025 to connect local housing, employment, welfare and health support for veterans through regional networks. As VALOUR centres go live, NHS teams trained under the new plan will have clearer routes into local support.
For patients and families, the immediate step is to share service history at registration or appointments and ask about tailored referral options where relevant. NHS pages set out routes into Op COURAGE and Op RESTORE, and accredited providers display ‘Veteran Aware’ information for signposting. The national training begins on 10 November 2025 and runs for three years.