THE Scottish Government has announced plans for a Veterans Care Network to improve the lives of former servicemen and women.

The NHS-run initiative, which will start its work in April next year, aims to provide an understanding of the care needs of veterans, issues with accessing care and potential inequalities arising from where they stay.

It is hoped the network will run alongside the Scottish Government’s mental health strategy currently in place, Veterans Minister Graeme Dey said at Holyrood.

The project was part of a series of recommendations made by then veterans’ commissioner Eric Fraser in a 2018 report.

It said the network should “have oversight of delivering the Scottish Approach to Veterans’ Health and will consider the key issues raised in this report and others it deems relevant”.

The minister said: “I am pleased to announce today the national Veterans Care Network which will be developed by NHS National Services Scotland.

“This responds to a key recommendation by Eric Fraser, the first veterans’ commissioner, and I am grateful to him for his role in directing us to deliver a network which will, without doubt, improve the care of our veterans community in Scotland.

He continued: “The delivery of these objectives and others will led to greater parity in the level of care for veterans, no matter where they are located in Scotland.”

Scottish Conservative MSP Maurice Corry welcomed the news, pledging his party’s support for the network.

He said: “These men and women don’t need our pity, or any other outdated narrative.

“Rather, they need to be championed, promoted and supported in what they have to offer.

“The effort made by the Scottish Government and its partners in support of veterans in Scotland is evident and I welcome those strides.

“Today, I welcome the minister’s announcement of the Veterans Care Network being launched and acknowledge the input of our colleague Mike Rumbles for his efforts on this concept, which I know he has done a lot of work on – so I thank him for that.”

Rumbles, a LibDem MSP and former army veteran, stressed the need to ensure services were available for veterans across the country.

He said: “People who have risked their lives for this country and given years of service in our armed forces must be safe in the knowledge that they will return home to well resourced support services – both mental and physical – and that these services will be available to them regardless of which health board area they live in.”

Scottish Labour MSP Mark Griffin told the chamber they were committed to “working on a cross-party basis” to improve the lives of veterans, who he said “often need help when transitioning to civilian life, especially in finding housing and employment”.

He added: “Veterans are an asset to both Scotland’s workplaces and communities, and we must ensure that we’re harnessing that potential and supporting them in that transition to civilian life.”