Priority NHS Healthcare for Veterans
All war veterans can now receive priority access to NHS secondary care for any condition which is likely to be related to their service. Those entitled to priority treatment for conditions related to services are:
- All Army, Navy and Air Force personnel who served at least one day and are considered veterans for this purpose
- Reservists
- Former members of the Merchant Navy who took a direct part in legally-defined UK military operations.
Priority treatment ONLY applies to conditions which are related to veterans’ service.
Patients are under no obligation at any time to declare themselves a veteran. They may, however, wish to discuss this entitlement with their GP during a consultation for treatment of a condition related to service.
Veterans can also contact the Veterans-UK helpline on 0800 169 2277 should they have any queries.