06 Support for Ex-Service Personnel

Agenda Item No: 6

Draft Final Report 1

Front cover image:

Contents

Chair‟s Introduction 5

Focus and Approach of the Scrutiny Review 7

Background and Context: National and Local Perspectives 8

Sources of Evidence 9

The Scrutiny Review‟s Key Findings and Conclusions 11

Summary of Recommendations 21

Appendix 1 Scrutiny Review Project Brief 23

Appendix 2 Map of military bases in the East Midlands 27

1. Support for Ex-Service Personnel Scrutiny Review - Chair’s Introduction

Northamptonshire County Council‟s Scrutiny Management Committee has chosen to look at the support provided to ex-service personnel in the county as one of its scrutiny topics for 2010/11. This scrutiny review was intended to consider how different public and voluntary organisations work together to support people in Northamptonshire after leaving the Armed Forces.

This topic was of particular interest to me as I have a family member serving with the Royal Air Force Nursing Service. Other councillors who have been recruited to join the working group have had their own personal and family connections with our Armed Forces.

We are all aware of the dedication and service that all members of the Armed Forces give to our country, most visibly in current action in Afghanistan and now in Libya. The regrettably familiar sight of those who have paid the ultimate price returning home via the town of Wootton Bassett is imprinted on our memories.

The current financial situation at home has led to proposed reductions within the Armed Forces, which will mean an increased flow of ex-service personnel returning to civilian life. Most will experience no difficulties making this transition; some may, and will benefit from outside support. The support provided to members of the Armed Forces is a recurring topic of national discussion. This focuses on the more specialised services, such as care for injured service personnel, which I consider to be second to none worldwide. The scrutiny review has sought to play its part by looking at how national initiatives and requirements are applied in Northamptonshire, and looking for opportunities to take action to improve mainstream public services.

I would like to thank Councillors Graham Lawman, Alan Pote, Ron Sawbridge, Judy Shephard and John McGhee for their interest in and input to the scrutiny review. We welcomed to the scrutiny review Colonel John Royle, the Chair of the Northamptonshire branch of the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association Forces Help, who has made an invaluable contribution. I would like to thank all those who provided information and assistance to the scrutiny review. My thanks would also be incomplete without thanking James Edmunds for his help in supporting the scrutiny review.

Councillor Marion Minney Chair, Support for Ex-Service Personnel Scrutiny Review

2. Focus and Approach of the Scrutiny Review

2.1 The needs and challenges experienced by ex-service personnel returning to civilian life, and how well they are supported by public and voluntary services in Northamptonshire, was selected as a potential topic for scrutiny by the Scrutiny Management Committee as part of its 2010/11 work programme. This stemmed from the renewed prominence of the Armed Forces in national life as a result of the military commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the accompanying debate about the duty of care to Armed Forces personnel referred to as the „military covenant‟.

2.2 The original project brief for the scrutiny review is included with this report (at Appendix 1). The timescale for the review was extended by the Scrutiny Management Committee whilst it was in progress in light of other commitments on the Overview & Scrutiny Function. The scrutiny review was carried out by a working group consisting of Councillors Marion Minney (Chair), Graham Lawman, Alan Pote, Ron Sawbridge, Judy Shephard and John McGhee. Colonel John Royle, the Chair of the Northamptonshire branch of the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association - Forces Help (SSAFA Forces Help), joined the working group as a co-opted member after giving evidence at one of its initial meetings.

2.3 The scrutiny review has divided the topic of support for ex-service personnel into the following themes, which represent priority areas identified by SSAFA Forces Help:

. Health . Employment, education and training . Engagement with the Criminal Justice System . Housing

2.4 In accordance with the project brief the scrutiny review has focussed on the support available for individuals immediately after leaving the Armed Forces, rather than on that for older veterans who may have served earlier in the 20th Century. It has also concentrated on ex-service personnel themselves, rather than broadening its focus to look directly at issues affecting families or other dependants. However, many of the issues raised during the scrutiny review do have an indirect effect on the wider „ex-service community‟ as a whole.

3. Background and Context

The National Perspective

3.1 The size of the British Armed Forces currently stands at 177,600 personnel, divided between 101,840 in the Army; 35,460 in the Royal Navy; and 40,300 in the Royal Air Force.

3.2 According to the latest UK Armed Forces Quarterly Manning Report the intake into the Regular Armed Forces in the 12 months to 31 December 2010 was 14,470. The outflow of trained personnel during the same period was 13,380. This represents a small increase (of 400 people or 3.1 per cent) compared with the outflow for the preceding 12 months. The scrutiny review has been advised that average age of soldiers leaving the Army is currently 26 years old, which contrasts with the perception that individuals stay in the Armed Forces for the long term. 3.3 The Strategic Defence and Security Review presented by the government in October 2010 proposes a reduction in the size of the Armed Forces over the next 5 years of 17,000 personnel (7,000 from the Army and 5,000 each from the Royal Navy and RAF).

The Northamptonshire Perspective

3.4 The scrutiny review has not been able to obtain information that would enable it to identify the number of recent ex-service personnel living in Northamptonshire. However, it anticipates that the number would be limited, given that Northamptonshire is not one of the parts of the country that would customarily be identified as a „military area‟ and that the Armed Forces only have a comparatively small presence in the county.

3.5 There are no major military facilities within Northamptonshire and, as a result, no regular military units based in the county (a map of the military bases in the region is included with this report at Appendix 2). There are two Territorial Army units based in Northamptonshire: 118 Recovery Company, Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers based at Northampton and Corby and a platoon of the Third Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment at Northampton. 14 soldiers from 118 Recovery Company were the most recent local Territorial Army personnel to undertake frontline service. (The need for Territorial Army and other reserve personnel to make a more rapid transition from frontline service back to civilian life was remarked upon by councillors during evidence-gathering. The scrutiny review has been advised that Territorial Army personnel from Northamptonshire should have a period of „decompression training‟ on an individual basis following active service, but it considers that this particular aspect of its topic should still be highlighted).

3.6 The fact that there are no regular units based in Northamptonshire means that individuals leaving the Armed Forces are not discharged locally. The size of the military presence in the county is also reflected in other ways: a recent Department for Education report The Educational Performance of Children of Service Personnel indicates that in 2009 there were no children with parent(s) who are regular service personnel in Northamptonshire schools at Key Stages 2 or 4. This compares with a total of just under 37,000 pupils identified as service children in 2009 (representing 0.5 per cent of all pupils in England).

4. Sources of Evidence

4.1 The scrutiny review has been informed by evidence-gathering meetings with the following people:

Sharon Firmin Northamptonshire Local Medical Committee Manager Sergeant Chris Mounteney Soldiers Off The Streets Charity Family Welfare Officer for 118 Recovery Company, Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers Lucy Nickson Head of Planning & Delivery - Performance & Operations Directorate, NHS East Midlands Major William O‟Driscoll Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland Area Secretary, Royal Anglian Regiment Association Colonel John Royle National Trustee and Chair of the Northamptonshire branch of the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association - Forces Help Peter Siddons Governor, HMP Wellingborough

4.2 The scrutiny review has been informed by further written comments and information received from the following people:

Ian Hanton Service Manager- Housing Related Support, Health & Adult Social Services, Northamptonshire County Council David Holmes Acting Commissioning Manager, Supporting People Team, Northamptonshire County Council David Moore Customer Service Centre Manager, Northamptonshire County Council 9

Group Captain Carol Smith Ministry of Defence Andrew Wilson Justice Crime Manager, Northamptonshire Police Representatives of Housing services at Corby Borough Council, Daventry District Council, East Northamptonshire Council, Kettering Borough Council and Northampton Borough Council.

4.3 The following documents have also informed the review:

. Future Profile and Welfare Needs of the Ex-Service Community report for the Royal British Legion (2006) . Ministry of Defence - Leaving the Services National Audit Office report (2007) . Ministry of Defence - Leaving the Services House of Commons Public Accounts Committee report (2008) . The Experience of Homeless Ex-Service Personnel in London Centre for Housing Policy, University of York (2008). . Meeting the Healthcare needs of Armed Forces Personnel, their Families and Veterans Department of Health Guide (2008) . Meeting the Healthcare Needs of Veterans: A Guide for General Practitioners Royal College of General Practitioners, Royal British Legion and Combat Stress (2010) . NHS East Midlands Local Medical Committee e-newsletter (November 2010) . Editions of Veterans World magazine, published by the Ministry of Defence . UK Armed Forces Quarterly Manning Report (January 2011) . Housing Act 1996 (Amended 2002) . Information and advice available online from the Career Transition Partnership; the Regular Forces Employment Association; Questonline; SSAFA Forces Help; the Royal British Legion; the Army Benevolent Fund; the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund; the Remount charity; the Services Cotswold Centre; the Single Persons Accommodation Centre for the Ex Services (SPACES); the Citizens Advice Bureau. . Press and journal articles

5. Key Findings and Conclusions

5.1 This section of the report aims to summarise key points that have arisen from evidence-gathering for the scrutiny review and the resulting final recommendations. It is set out under the following headings:

. Health . Employment, education and training . Engagement with the Criminal Justice System . Housing . Working Together

5.2 These represent the key themes discussed in paragraph 5.1 above. „Working Together‟ is an additional theme that emerged strongly during the scrutiny review. The range of statutory organisations and community groups carrying out good work that was seen led the scrutiny review to move on from considering the need for services to be created to look at how effectively services that are already in existence are joined-up.

Health

5.3 Support for the physical and mental health needs of serving members of the Armed Forces and veterans has been a key part of the recent national debate about the military covenant. The scrutiny review has considered examples of national initiatives intended to enhance the support available to ex-service personnel and has taken evidence about the effect of this national action at a local level.

5.4 The current government have set specific priorities concerning the health needs of veterans including effective transition of the seriously injured to NHS care and providing extra mental health support. This follows on from similar areas for improvement identified under the previous government.

5.5 The government have required that „armed forces networks‟ are established in Strategic Health Authority areas to ensure that national policy is understood and implemented by the different organisations concerned. The scrutiny review noted that an East Midlands Armed Forces Forum has been in operation since June 2010. The membership of the Forum includes representatives from primary care trusts, acute hospitals, mental health trusts, the Armed Forces and voluntary and community sector organisations: greater GP involvement is being sought. The government expect that work to deliver priorities relating to veterans‟ health care will continue during the period of transition for the

NHS associated with the organisational changes set out in the Health & Social Care Bill 2011.

5.6 The scrutiny review has also looked at the support provided to ex-service personnel at the point of contact with health services. In 2008, the existing war pensioners‟ entitlement to priority treatment in the NHS was extended to include all veterans. This entitles all veterans with health conditions that may be related to their military service to be given priority treatment. The NHS Operating Framework for 2010/11, which sets out priorities for health service delivery, requires NHS trusts to make the following provisions relating to ex-service personnel:

. ensure that commissioning plans provide for a smooth transition into NHS care for the increasing numbers of returning personnel who have been injured in the course of duty; . ensure that their dependants are not disadvantaged by their circumstances (e.g. if they move location); and . provide priority treatment, including appropriate mental health treatment, for veterans with conditions related to their service, subject to the clinical needs of others.

5.7 The Chief Medical Officer wrote to NHS trusts at the start of 2010 reinforcing that Armed Forces veterans should be given priority access to acute (“secondary”) care for any conditions related to their service, subject to the clinical needs of all patients. GPs were asked, when making referrals relating to a veteran for diagnosis or treatment, where they are aware of the patient's veteran status to record that status as part of the referral unless requested not to do so by the patient. GPs should also note in the referral when they consider priority treatment is appropriate because the condition concerned was likely to relate to military service.

5.8 The scrutiny review was interested to see how these requirements were being implemented in practice in Northamptonshire. Evidence from the Northamptonshire Local Medical Committee (LMC) indicated a number of challenges. Feedback from local GPs that the LMC was able to obtain in the time available suggested that GPs were aware of the requirements relating to prioritising and referring patients who have served in the Armed Forces but some were not fully informed about how to apply them. The amount of information relating to service delivery priorities circulated to GPs, particularly given prospective changes to the NHS, was also highlighted. Other responses raised questions about the ease with which GPs could contact mental health service providers and about the adequacy of medical records provided to GPs by the Armed Forces. 12

5.9 The scrutiny review acknowledges that health services are currently going through a period of transition and the implications of this for current and future service delivery. It also recognises that work at a national level to improve healthcare for veterans is an ongoing process: as demonstrated by action such as the launch in February 2011 of a new 24 hour helpline for ex-service personnel to discuss mental health issues and to get access to support in their local area, or current work by the Ministry of Defence and the Department of Health to develop direct transfer of service-leavers full medical records from the Armed Forces to GPs.

5.10 However, the scrutiny review considers that it is important to maintain sufficient local focus on support for ex-service personnel even during this period of change. It proposes that it would be worthwhile for current arrangements to be reinforced to local GPs, using existing guidance material and possibly in conjunction with the ex-service welfare organisations. Similarly, other evidence received by the scrutiny review leads it to question whether there is scope to improve admissions forms and systems to assist practitioners to record whether an individual has served in the Armed Forces. In the longer term, it is anticipated that the passing of the Health & Social Care Bill will give the County Council a new statutory role relating to the planning and delivery of health services. The scrutiny review proposes that it should work to ensure appropriate provision for ex-service personnel through this role.

5.11 The scrutiny review therefore recommends:

R1) That the Cabinet agrees to work through the planned Health & Well-Being Board to ensure that the future development and delivery of health services in Northamptonshire makes appropriate provision for the needs of ex-service personnel living in the county.

R2) That the Northamptonshire Local Medical Committee agrees to consider taking action to raise awareness amongst GPs of guidance relating to the treatment of ex-service personnel.

R3) That NHS Trusts in Northamptonshire agree to consider opportunities to revise existing referral and admissions systems to assist recording when individuals have served in the Armed Forces.

Employment, Education and Training

5.12 The scrutiny review has gained an understanding of the support provided by the Armed Forces to personnel returning to civilian life. All service leavers irrespective of rank should receive resettlement advice and information within their own unit. Personnel who have served for over four years are eligible to

receive additional support programmes delivered through the Career Transition Partnership, which is a partnering agreement between the Ministry of Defence and a career development and outplacement company, Right Management. The highest level of support programme- which is open to individuals with six or more years of service or who have received a medical discharge- includes individual resettlement preparation and advice from a career consultant before discharge and for two years afterwards and access to vocational and management training opportunities. The Regular Forces Employment Association, another part of the Career Transition Partnership, operates a job matching and notification service for ex-service personnel as well as maintaining an on-line database of vacancies.

5.13 Evidence obtained by the scrutiny review did leave councillors with some questions about how consistently this system applied in practice. The demands on units created by a near continuous cycle of pre-deployment training, frontline deployment and post-deployment „decompression training‟ were highlighted. The scrutiny review also heard that serving personnel themselves could be reluctant to take up resettlement support opportunities that were available, because of a concern about losing face in front of their colleagues by doing so or because they wished to make a break from the Armed Forces after completing their service. Both of these factors were raised more in connection with the Army rather than the other two services, and councillors were concerned that there should be the same access to pre-discharge support as in the Royal Navy and RAF. This is noteworthy given that the scrutiny review was advised that individuals receiving help from SSAFA Forces Help or the Royal British Legion were most likely to have served in the Army, in a frontline unit such as an infantry regiment rather than in a technical corps or service that involved the use of skills that were more directly transferable to civilian life. The scrutiny review considered that this could be exacerbated by the proposed reductions in the size of the Armed Forces referred to in paragraph 3.3 above.

5.14 The scope of this scrutiny review does not extend to a detailed investigation of the effectiveness of resettlement provision in the Armed Forces. Rather, it is about identifying possible opportunities for the County Council, and other local public service providers, to support the employment prospects of ex-service personnel in Northamptonshire.

5.15 The scrutiny review has noted that the vast majority of service leavers do not need help to succeed in civilian life, but may need information about opportunities in order to enable them to use their own personal resources to help themselves. In the context of resettlement and future employment it has been highlighted that prospective service-leavers could benefit from greater knowledge of the employment market in Northamptonshire and what skills and

experience local employers were seeking. The scrutiny review therefore questions whether work by the County Council and its partners to support local economic development could include more promotional activity directed at service-leavers. This would take into account the fact that some personnel leave the Armed Forces with specialist technical skills that may be directly applicable to the business areas that are seen as Northamptonshire‟s strength. However, it would also tie in with the general principle behind initiatives such as the government‟s proposed Troops for Teachers programme that capabilities taught in the Armed Forces are very valuable when transferred to civilian life.

5.16 The scrutiny review therefore recommends:

R4) That the Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership agrees to consider the potential to carry out promotional activity specifically targeted at people leaving the Armed Forces, to help to inform them about local employers and their requirements and local education and training opportunities.

Engagement with the Criminal Justice System

5.17 Recent national debate about the welfare of ex-service personnel has seen concerns raised about the number of veterans involved in the criminal justice system. This is a disputed area. Research by NAPO, the trade union for probation and family court officers, in September 2009 suggested that there were 8,500 veterans in prison, representing approximately 10 per cent of the prison population, whereas a study by the Ministry of Defence in January 2010 found only 2,200 people in prison in England and Wales who had served in the Armed Forces.

5.18 In this context, the scrutiny review has sought to identify whether any specific provision for ex-service personnel is made by the Prison Service in Northamptonshire, and by Northamptonshire Police, and the extent of any demand on this. The scrutiny review has been advised that at the end of 2010 there were 30-40 inmates in Wellingborough Prison who were known to have served in the Armed Forces. However, it was noted that many of HMP Wellingborough‟s inmates came from London as local offenders were more likely to be sent to HMP Woodhill in Milton Keynes. The scrutiny review was impressed by the general educational and work arrangements at HMP Wellingborough and saw examples of specific information for inmates who had served in the Armed Forces. The scrutiny review also noted in-reach work in prisons carried out by SSAFA Forces Help.

5.19 The scrutiny review has not been able to obtain information about the numbers of people taken into custody by Northamptonshire Police who have served in the Armed Forces. This is due to the fact that previous military service was not 15

data that was directly recorded. A small number of relevant cases could be identified through Northamptonshire Police‟s custody system but as this was based on information recorded about an individual‟s current occupation it was not likely to represent a complete picture of the position in the county.

5.20 During the course of its evidence-gathering work the scrutiny review became aware of a pilot scheme operated by Kent Police with SSAFA Forces Help in 2010 designed to assist in identifying veterans in the criminal justice system. This involves all people leaving custody being asked whether they are a serving or former member of the Armed Forces and, if so, whether they would like information about assistance available from service welfare organisations.

5.21 The scrutiny review has considered the potential for a similar approach to be applied in Northamptonshire. It recognises that any move in this direction would need to be based on a judgement of the likely benefits in comparison to the costs involved. On this note, the scrutiny review has been advised that the existing booking-in process used by Northamptonshire Police is already quite extensive and aims to address all risk factors. NHS psychiatric nurses are also available to assist with mental health assessments and referrals. Nevertheless, the scrutiny review encourages Northamptonshire Police to consider the final results of the Kent Police pilot scheme and, based on this, the potential benefit of introducing a more systematic approach to identifying ex-service personnel taken into custody and advising them of support available locally. In the meantime, councillors have also highlighted the benefit of ensuring that information already produced by the local ex-service welfare organisations is available in police stations in the county.

5.22 On this basis the scrutiny review recommends:

R5) That Northamptonshire Police agrees to consider the introduction of a process to check whether individuals taken into custody have previously served in the Armed Forces, so that they can be advised of organisations providing support.

R6) That the Scrutiny Management Committee Chair writes to Northamptonshire Police to encourage it to ensure that information leaflets about support provided locally by ex-service welfare organisations are available in Northamptonshire Police stations.

Housing and Homelessness

5.23 The scrutiny review has seen that the local housing authorities and „arms- length‟ providers in Northamptonshire aim to meet the needs of ex-service personnel within their standard housing allocation procedures without the need 16

for additional arrangements. This reflects limited local demand from ex-service personnel as a distinct client group, as with other thematic areas considered by the scrutiny review. On the other hand, the fact that providers do not apply a local connections criteria or include previous residency or family links in the definition of a local connection avoids a possible way in which someone leaving the Armed Forces and looking to live in Northamptonshire could be put at a disadvantage. The ex-service welfare organisations can assist people in getting accommodation where necessary, for example the Royal British Legion would act as a rent guarantor.

5.24 In contrast to this positive picture, the scrutiny review also recognised how the problem of homelessness could affect those ex-service personnel who experienced difficulties adjusting to civilian life. Research by York University in 2008 on the experience of homeless ex-service personnel in London found that many of the causes of homelessness amongst ex-service personnel are similar to those amongst other homeless people. However, the research concluded that a military background could have quite a significant influence on how ex-service personnel experienced homelessness. Individuals with a military background who considered themselves better equipped to survive street life, and/or who were reluctant to seek help because of the perceived shame of their situation were more susceptible to repeated or sustained homelessness, particular if these factors were combined with other difficulties, such as alcohol abuse.

5.25 In this context the scrutiny review has been made aware of the work of the Soldiers off the Streets charity in Northampton, led by Sergeant Chris Mounteney (the family welfare officer for 118 Recovery Company, Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers). The scrutiny review was advised that he had started the charity to show that there was a need for it; both in terms of experience of meeting homeless people in Northampton who had served in the Armed Forces and in light of uncertainty about whether SSAFA Forces Help or Royal British Legion caseworkers could do outreach work on the streets. Soldiers off the Streets works in conjunction with SSAFA Forces Help and the Royal British Legion towards the objective of rebuilding the life and skills of ex-service personnel in difficulties.

5.26 Sergeant Mounteney has raised with the scrutiny review the need for other organisations to take on the voluntary work begun by Soldiers off the Streets for it to continue in the long term. The scrutiny review recognises local housing authorities‟ existing responsibilities for preventing and alleviating homelessness apply to ex-service personnel as much as to any other individuals. The range of work by different ex-service welfare organisations operating in Northamptonshire will also contribute to addressing this issue. However, the

scrutiny review also hopes that the experience gained by Soldiers off the Streets can be put to good use by the public and voluntary bodies working in this field in the county.

5.27 The scrutiny review therefore recommends:

R7) That the Scrutiny Management Committee Chair writes to SSAFA Forces Help, the Royal British Legion and housing authorities in Northamptonshire encouraging them to look at ways of learning from and building on the work of the Soldiers off the Streets charity.

Working Together

5.28 The scrutiny review has been impressed by the range of different organisations working in the local community to support the interests‟ of ex-service personnel. These include branches of major national organisations such as SSAFA Forces Help and the Royal British Legion, which are able to employ trained caseworkers and provide direct advice and assistance; regimental and service benevolent associations; and charities formed to support ex-service personnel with specific difficulties (for example Soldiers off the Streets in relation to homelessness) or with connections to particular areas (there are charitable trusts in Burton Latimer and Corby that provided financial assistance to former members of the Armed Forces and their dependents).

5.29 The scrutiny review has considered how County Council services complement the work of these organisations and possible opportunities to improve existing arrangements. The scrutiny review has identified that the County Council does not make specific provision in the delivery of direct services for ex-service personnel as a distinct client group, but would aim to meet their needs within standard services. As an example, the Supporting People function was identified as the most likely service area within Health & Adult Social Services to engage with ex-service personnel, given its role in commissioning services dealing with housing-related issues. Even there, dealings with clients who had served in the Armed Forces were at an anecdotal rather than a statistically significant level. This level of demand reflects Northamptonshire‟s comparatively limited military connections, as discussed in section 3 above.

5.30 The scrutiny review therefore turned its attention to the question of what the County Council- as an organisation responsible for empowering the local community- does to help direct members of the public to sources of support for ex-service personnel provided by other organisations working in the field.

5.31 The scrutiny review has been advised that the County Council‟s Customer Contact Centre does not have any specific arrangements for dealing with

contact from former members of the Armed Forces. Callers are not asked for their personal history so military service would not be noted unless it was directly related to their call. Calls with a specific ex-service aspect are rare. If a service connection does arise then callers are advised of veterans‟ organisations as appropriate. From SSAFA Forces Help‟s perspective existing arrangements for the County Council to refer individuals to them generally worked well: the people referred to it represented the kind of cases that it would anticipate seeing.

5.32 The national direction in relation to access to support services for ex-service personnel is towards a „one-stop‟ approach. The Armed Forces Community Welfare Pathway initiative is a scheme being piloted in six parts of Britain to use local authority contact centres as gateways to sources of advice for the Armed Forces community. Pilots included the use of volunteers with military experience themselves to work with those seeking advice.

5.33 Taking these factors into account, the scrutiny review still considers there may be scope to improve the County Council‟s capacity to inform ex-service personnel about potential sources of support available to them. Taken together, the ex-service welfare organisations in the county can provide a wide-ranging network of support. However, many of the individual organisations within this network have quite a specific remit, for example, helping people who have served in a particular regiment. In order to be able to „sign post‟ to them effectively, relevant County Council services must be aware of these different remits. The scrutiny review considers that this could be accomplished without an unjustifiable level of activity by the compilation, in conjunction with ex-service welfare organisations, of a straightforward breakdown of different organisations operating in the county. If provided to councillors, this information may also help them to carry out their role in advising and assisting constituents. Ultimately this action could assist in ensuring that available community resources are used to the fullest effect. This is essential in the current economic climate and also reflects principles expressed by the current government as the „Big Society‟ and by Northamptonshire County Council as „helping people to help themselves‟.

5.34 The scrutiny review therefore recommends:

R8) That the Cabinet agrees to put in place arrangements to ensure that County Council staff in customer-facing roles and County Councillors have access to information about the different ex-service welfare organisations operating in the county, and their respective remits, so that they are able to direct eligible members of the public to them effectively.

Following-up the Scrutiny Review

5.35 It is important for the Overview & Scrutiny Function to follow-up individual scrutiny reviews by monitoring how recommendations agreed by the Cabinet have been implemented and the impact they have had.

5.36 All scrutiny review reports are public documents and accessible by anyone with an interest in the topic concerned. In this case, though, the scrutiny review proposes that its report should specifically be circulated to particular individuals / organisations that may have an interest in issues that have arisen during evidence-gathering but that this scrutiny review has not been in a position to pursue further.

5.37 The scrutiny review therefore recommends:

R9) That the Scrutiny Management Committee agrees that action taken in response to the recommendations of the Support for Ex Service Personnel Scrutiny Review be reviewed 12 months after the presentation of the final report to the bodies concerned.

R10) That the Scrutiny Management Committee agrees to send copies of the Support for Ex-Service Personnel Scrutiny Review report to the Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare & Veterans; the Members of Parliament for Northamptonshire; the district / borough councils in the county; and the Royal Anglian Regiment.

6. Summary of Recommendations

The Scrutiny Management Committee is asked to agree the following recommendations:

R2) That the Northamptonshire Local Medical Committee agrees to consider taking action to raise awareness amongst GPs of guidance relating to the treatment of ex-service personnel.

R3) That NHS Trusts in Northamptonshire agrees to consider opportunities to revise existing referral and admissions systems to assist recording when individuals have served in the Armed Forces.

Appendix 1 Support for Ex Service Personnel Scrutiny Review Project Brief

Scrutiny Project Brief Title of work Support for Ex-Service Personnel Scrutiny Review

Scrutiny Committee Scrutiny Management Committee

Purpose The purpose of the scrutiny review is to understand the needs and challenges experienced by ex-service personnel returning to civilian life after leaving the armed forces and how well they are supported by public and voluntary services in Northamptonshire.

The scrutiny review will, if appropriate, make recommendations intended to improve the effectiveness of local services.

Origin This topic was included in the long list of topics for scrutiny in the Scrutiny Management Committee‟s work programme for 2009/10. During the year it was subsequently identified as a suitable topic for a trial scrutiny review by the Shadow County Scrutiny Board.

Progress with the development of the Shadow County Scrutiny Board did not reach the point where it was able to pursue this scrutiny review during 2009/10. The Scrutiny Management Committee therefore agreed that a scrutiny review of this topic should be included in its 2010/11 work programme.

Relevant priority . Developing local communities outcomes . Using business intelligence to segment customers and predict demand . Integrated and shared services Timetable Duration of the review: The Working Group phase of the scrutiny review will run from August to December 2010

Corporate Director’s view The Assistant Chief Executive Policy & Partnerships has highlighted the importance of recommendations resulting from the review being fully costed and realistically deliverable given the current financial position.

Overview & Scrutiny James Edmunds (Overview & Scrutiny Team Leader) Team lead Resources Required Scrutiny officer . Organisation and support for working group meetings and evidence-gathering processes;

. Desk-top research in support of the scrutiny review; . Provision of support to the working group in understanding and challenging evidence presented; . Preparation of the draft scrutiny report. Service officers . Engagement with and provision of evidence to scrutiny councillors at working group meetings or outside, as necessary. How will the work be The review will be carried out by a working group reporting to the carried out? Scrutiny Management Committee, with the following members: . Councillor Marion Minney (Chair) . Councillor Graham Lawman . Councillor John McGhee . Councillor Alan Pote . Councillor Ron Sawbridge . Councillor Judy Shephard . Co-opted Member: Colonel John Royle (Chair of the Northamptonshire branch of SSAFA Forces Help).

The timetable for the review will be as follows:

August 2010 Development of project brief Confirm Working Group membership

August - December 2010 Confirmation of project brief (by the Scrutiny Management Committee on 29 September 2010)

Evidence-gathering / analysis stage, which will seek input via face-to-face meetings and written evidence from relevant sources, potentially including: . Armed forces charities: for example Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association Forces Help; ABF - The Soldiers‟ Charity; Royal British Legion . Representatives of the armed forces connected with the county . Relevant NCC corporate directorates . Other local authorities in Northamptonshire . Central government departments . Health service-providers

. Education, employment and training providers . Criminal justice sector / police / community safety organisations . Voluntary and community sector organisations . Local authorities and/or other organisations in other areas recognised for good practice.

January 2011: development and agreement of draft report 26 January 2011: presentation of final draft report to the Scrutiny Management Committee for agreement. 15 February 2011: presentation of recommendations to the Cabinet and/or other bodies, as appropriate.

Appendix 2 Military Bases in the East Midlands

EAST MIDLANDS

Yorkshire And The Humber Yorkshire And The Humber

RAF Donna Nook North West ▲ ▲ Theddlethorpe Range

■ RAF Scampton Lincoln Dukeries Trg Area ▲ RAF Waddington ▲▲ Beckingham Trg Ctr RAF Digby ▲ RAF Wainfleet ▲ ▲ RAF Coningsby RAF Syerston ▲ Fulbeck Trg Area ▲ ▲ RAF College Cranwell ▲RAF Barkston Heath Chilwell Station ▲ ▲ Prince William Of Glos Bks RAF Holbeach Nottingham ▲

Def Animal Ctr Garats Hay Bks ▲ ▲ ■ RAF Cottesmore

St George's Bks ▲ ▲ RAF Wittering Leicester

West Midlands East of England Yardley Chase Trg Area ▲

LEGEND

Selected UK Urban Areas Core Sites RAF Croughton ▲ ▲ AIR ▲ CENTRE South West South East ▲ DE DTE ▲ LAND Retained Sites ■ AIR

DEDTE: Defence Estates Defence Training Estate

Source: East Midlands Regional Armed Forces Forum Newsletter June 2010 27

This information can be made Overview & Scrutiny Team available in other languages and Northamptonshire County Council formats upon request, including Democratic Services large print, Braille, audio cassette County Hall and floppy disk. Please contact Northampton 01604 237811. NN1 1AT

01604 236053 www.northamptonshire.gov.uk

Published 03/2011