The autumn programme of recovery course Veterans Moving Forwards starts next month. The course has been co-produced with veterans and is offered by Gloucestershire Health and Wellbeing College.
Starting Monday 4 September, this peer-led six-week course is open to anyone aged 18 and over who has served in the armed forces and is registered with a Gloucestershire GP.
The course works closely with other NHS and community services, Help for Heroes, the Gloucestershire Veterans Hub, Op Courage and other local and national charities, to build clear personalisation of care pathways for veterans.
The course, developed by veterans for veterans, with staff trained by Help for Heroes, is an informal educational provision, which looks at improving wellbeing and mental health. It is designed to help individuals explore their feelings and discover what recovery means to them. From there, they learn techniques to help them manage their recovery journey.
It provides self-management tools and techniques for developing individual aims and goals, understanding the military mindset, learning to prioritise, plan and make good decisions and better ways of overcoming obstacles. It also teaches techniques to promote mental and physical health.
The in-person course starts on Monday 4 September and runs until 9 October, every Monday from 10am to 3pm, at St Paul’s Medical Centre, in Cheltenham.
Erin Murray, Peer Facilitator and Staff Governor for the Gloucestershire Health and Wellbeing College, said: “Individuals will be signposted to the Veterans Moving Forward course through social prescribers, link workers, GPs and community and volunteer services, and be able to self-refer.
“The Gloucestershire Health and Wellbeing College will triage all referrals. There will be 10 places available and we will have a waiting list for those wishing to join our next course.”
To discover more about Veterans Moving Forwards and register your place, call 0300 421 1623, or email ghwc@ghc.nhs.uk.
