A new survey by Help for Heroes has revealed the true cost of Covid-19 on wounded veterans, service personnel and their families with 40 per cent of those living with life changing injuries or health conditions saying they have experienced a delay in accessing NHS services or treatment during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The survey, which took place in May 2020, was completed by wounded veterans, service personnel and their families to enable the charity to understand how their support needs may change in the future. The survey also showed the impact this time has had on veterans’ and service personnel’s mental and physical health with a 50% increase in those saying they are not managing their mental health well compared to before the pandemic started and a 48% increase in those not managing their physical health.
The unavoidable delay to NHS services has been costly with nearly two-thirds of those affected (64%) saying the delay in accessing NHS treatment and services impacted negatively on their mental health and more than half (59%) said it negatively affected their physical health. Furthermore, 34% said they were concerned about being able to access the NHS once the pandemic eases.
To read the full results of the survey and how the charity has responded, click here: https://helpforheroes.org.uk/news/wounded-veterans-face-health-worries-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/
The charity has also produced a PDF with key statistics from the survey and a summary of how the charity is meeting the needs of those it supports.
