A “life-changing” service which supported the military community has been withdrawn from hospitals in Nottingham due to a shortage of funding. The Defence Medical Welfare Service (DMWS) said it was “sad” to leave Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH), which runs both the Queen’s Medical Centre and City Hospital.
The national charity, which relies on donations to carry out its work, employed an on-site welfare officer at the hospitals who would help support veterans and armed forces inpatients. This included help with mental health issues and putting them in touch with military organisations who could speed up patient’s discharge.
Last May, NUH board members were urged at a meeting to secure “sustainable funding” for the service. They heard the story of a 73-year-old Royal Navy veteran who was helped by welfare officer after being admitted to hospital with a respiratory problem.
The veteran was given further support after telling the service he was having problems sleeping and with his mental health. He said the recent loss of his spouse had triggered nightmares from his time serving in the Falklands War, having been on HMS Ardent when it was bombed and sunk.
“The impact of the DMWS welfare officer cannot be underestimated. The veteran is in a much stronger and better place both mentally and physically, with improvements noted in both their mental and physical health,” the board was told.
A spokesperson for the DMWS said: “We are sad to have had to withdraw the service as it has made excellent positive change for those in need. This is due to a shortage of funding. As a charity DMWS rely on charitable donations to deliver our services.
“We continue to work with the Trust to explore options for funding. If any local organisation would be interested in funding this life-changing service we would be thrilled to discuss the opportunity.” Gilbert George, director of corporate governance at NUH, said the welfare officer post became vacant last month when the individual moved on.
“Discussions are taking place between NUH and DMWS about how to fund the post going forward,” he said. “We continue to work with DMWS in supporting our Armed Forces patient community. NUH is a Veteran Aware Hospital with the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance, and holds an ERS (defence Employer Recognition Scheme) Gold Award – and we want to ensure that we continue to offer the highest possible service to those who have served – patients and staff and their families.”