PTSD Resolution, the UK charity providing free mental health treatment to Armed Forces veterans, reservists and their families, has been awarded Veteran Aware accreditation by the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA): the NHS-backed body responsible for ensuring the Armed Forces community receives equitable, high-quality healthcare.
The accreditation formally recognises PTSD Resolution as an NHS Veteran Aware organisation, one that actively identifies and supports veterans, operates in compliance with the Armed Forces Covenant, and maintains clear referral links to specialist services including Op COURAGE, the NHS Veterans’ Mental Health Service.
To achieve the accreditation, the charity met eight defined national standards covering clinical governance, staff training in veteran-specific needs, identification of veteran patients, and the establishment of robust pathways both into and out of specialist support.
Charles Highett, CEO of PTSD Resolution, said:
“This accreditation means a great deal to everyone at PTSD Resolution. It’s independent, NHS-backed confirmation that we’re not only doing the right things, but doing them to a recognised national standard.
“Our service is built on the principle that treatment must be accessible, acceptable, effective and economically efficient, and this accreditation speaks directly to all four. For veterans who might be uncertain about where to turn, we hope it sends a clear signal: this is a service that understands you, takes your needs seriously, and is fully integrated with the wider support system.”
The Veteran Aware award sits alongside PTSD Resolution’s existing accreditation by the Royal College of Psychiatrists to the Quality Network for Veterans Mental Health Services (QNVMHS); it is widely regarded as the most rigorous clinical quality standard in the UK veterans’ mental health sector.
Together, the two accreditations provide what the charity describes as a “double lock” of quality assurance, underpinned by independently verified outcomes: 82% of clients complete their treatment programme.
For veterans presenting with PTSD, the charity achieves a 74% reliable improvement rate and a 66% recovery rate as measured by the PCL-5 clinical scale. Among those also experiencing anxiety and depression, the reliable improvement rate reaches 79%. All of this is delivered at an average cost of £910 per therapy course.
Founded in 2009, PTSD Resolution has supported some 4,900 veterans, reservists and family members. In the previous financial year, the charity had 388 referrals; this year it has over 600 — largely due to closer collaboration with other charities and organisations supporting access to care, reflecting the strength of partnership working across the sector to reach more of those in need.
The charity is one of the very few organisations to accept referrals from veterans with co-occurring addiction issues, those based overseas, and family members, including children, living with the effects of trauma.
Highett added:
“We already work closely with NHS partners and Op COURAGE, and this accreditation formalises and strengthens those connections. Our aim has always been to be part of a joined-up system of care for veterans — not working in isolation from it. Veteran Aware recognition helps us do exactly that.”
