Armed Forces face ‘lottery' in access to NHS and schools
Military personnel are facing a 'lottery' in access to healthcare services for themselves and their families and also in 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 the Armed Forces Covenant, which supports the military community through 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.
Tan Dhesi, the committee chairman, 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.
Responding to the report, Cllr David Fothergill, chairman of the Local Government Association's Community Wellbeing Board, said: 'Councils are committed to supporting the Armed Forces communities through the covenant, meeting veterans' needs, ensuring they have access to housing, health and community services.
'It is positive this report recognises the role of councils and the need to co-design any changes to legislation with local authorities. It is important councils are consulted on any changes.
'We also support the call for more guidance on delivering covenant duties, and for the duty to give due regard to military service to be expanded to other government departments.
'However, councils need to be adequately funded in the Spending Review so they can provide the resources to help support our veterans, in particular should councils be given additional duties.'
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