Resources for health professionals who care for veterans
Veterans and their families can face specific challenges and health concerns because of their experiences from serving in the defence force, including challenges with navigating the differences between the defence health care system and the civilian health care system when transitioning out of the armed services and into civilian life.
Veterans are people who have served in the Australian Defence Force (ADF), whether in a permanent or reserve capacity, regardless of deployment history. Census data from 2021 shows that more than half a million Australians have served in the ADF, with 84,865 current serving members and 496,276 former serving members.
In 2022, the PHN Cooperative made their submission to the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide. In many instances, the recommendations from this submission are also applicable to the families and children of veterans. As such, PHNs recognise the importance of also supporting families of ex-serving ADF personnel.
Primary healthcare professionals play a critical role in supporting the health and wellbeing of the more than half a million Australians who have served in the ADF. Read on to discover the initiatives and resources available to support you in providing ongoing care to veterans.
How veterans may differ from your other patients
Findings from the PHN submission note that because the military health system is separate from the civilian health care system, veterans may not have had the opportunity to build and maintain relationships with primary health care practitioners and general practitioners (GPs).
The submission noted that in general, veterans can feel ‘estranged’ when attempting to access civilian services. This, in addition to navigating an already complicated health care system, meant that veterans sometimes face additional difficulties in accessing primary healthcare services. Read on to see what initiatives and resources are available to support primary healthcare professionals who treat veterans and their families.
Veteran mental health and suicide prevention support
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data indicates that suicide risk increases for veterans after they transition to civilian life. This is significantly more pronounced for females, with risk more than double their ex-serving ADF male counterparts.
RACGP’s ‘check’ program creates continuing professional development (CPD) learning activities written by expert clinicians and reviewed by subject matter experts. The Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) and RACGP have co-created 2 ‘check’ activities for primary care professionals:
veterans' health (including mental health)
More veterans’ health support services
The Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) provides support and services for veterans and their families.
See DVA’s quick guides and tools webpage to learn more about:
what the DVA offers
how to refer into their services
item numbers for billing and claiming.
The Coordinated Veterans’ Care (CVC) Program provides proactive care coordination for eligible Veteran Card holders with chronic conditions and complex care needs. General practitioners (GPs) and participants work as a team to improve the participant’s health, wellbeing and reduce hospitalisations.
VETs HeLP is a free, CPD-accredited e-learning platform that cover key aspects of caring for veterans and their families. Through the platform, healthcare professionals can gain a better understanding of veterans’ experiences with:
the transition to civilian life
mental health and complex mental health concerns
chronic pain.
Veterans-specific HealthPathways are available for use during a primary care consultation
Brisbane South HealthPathways provides primary care assessment and management advice for clinicians. View the HealthPathways for: