Armed forces facing ‘lottery’ in access to healthcare and school places

Military personnel are facing a “lottery” in access to healthcare services for themselves and their families and getting their children into school.

The “unpredictability and mobility” of service life has made this worse, the chairman of the House of Commons Defence Committee has said.

Inconsistencies in the implementation of the Armed Forces Covenant, which supports the military community through a range of initiatives and grants, puts personnel at a disadvantage, a report from the committee found.

A “worrying number” of people felt that the covenant was “ineffective” or had been “disregarded” when they cited it, the report said.

Some reported they missed out on getting NHS treatment because they fell to the bottom of waiting lists when moved to a new place of duty, while others said they had difficulty finding school places for their children.

Committee chairman Tan Dhesi said the report finds that the covenant is “inconsistently implemented”.

He said: “We heard evidence of personnel being financially disadvantaged, unable to access necessary medical care, or unable to find an appropriate school for their children, due to their service.

“When the covenant works – it works well.

“Personnel and their families told us that they had successfully made use of the legal duty of the covenant to access services.

“But this is a lottery, made worse by the unpredictability and mobility of service life.

“When trying to access healthcare, each move can send service families to the bottom of waiting lists for treatment.”

He urged the Government to provide guidance and direction so the private and public sector are clear on what their responsibilities are to service personnel and their families.

The Labour Party committed in its manifesto to putting the covenant “fully into law”.

The Defence Committee called for the legal duty to give due regard to military service to be expanded to central governments and the devolved administrations.

It also pressed for policy development in Whitehall to take armed forces’ needs into account.

The Local Government Association (LGA) said councils are committed to meeting veterans’ needs and ensuring they have access to housing, health and community services.

But the LGA also stressed that councils need to be “adequately funded” in the upcoming spending review to provide resources, especially if they take on further duties.

Helen Maguire, the Liberal Democrats’ defence spokeswoman, urged the Government to follow through on its promise to back the Armed Forces Covenant.

The Lib Dem MP, who previously served in the Royal Military Police, said: “Our military personnel put their lives on the line for our country. So it’s utterly unacceptable that, by virtue of their sacrifice, they should find it harder to access healthcare and education.

“I know first hand how difficult it can be to battle the postcode lottery of public service provision for military personnel – and it can’t be allowed to continue. The Government must now follow through on its promise at the election to strengthen the Covenant and fully back our armed forces.”