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Health and wellbeing

Healthcare Services in Scotland

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all serving Armed Forces personnel, veterans and their families living in Scotland are able to access the best possible care and support, including safe, effective and patient-centred healthcare.
Health services are provided by NHS Grampian for Moray postcodes and NHS Highland for Highland postcodes

Serving

  • unit medical and welfare staff are responsible for your health and wellbeing. On leaving the Armed Forces you should register with a GP and provide your F MED 133 (Medical History on Release from HM Forces) to your chosen practice.
  • You should ensure that you register as a GP and ask for the code 13Ji to be annotated on your record.
  • It is also useful to have a copy of your military medical records.

Reserves

  • Defence Medical Services (DMS) will be responsible for your health and wellbeing during training and mobilisation, and the NHS at other times.

Merchant Navy Seafarer Veterans and families

  • the NHS is responsible for your healthcare and you should register with a local GP and dentist; make sure you tell them that you are a member of the Armed Forces community.
  • Prescriptions are currently free in Scotland
  • You should ask for the code 13WW to be annotated on your records if you are a current service family
  • The code 13WV if they are the family of a former service person

 

Find your GP Highland Find your GP Moray

Find your Dentist Highland Find your Dentist Moray

 

Each NHS area has an Armed Forces and Veterans Champion to ensure no disadvantage in treatment is experienced as a result of service. If moving to an new area, you should be entitled to continuity of care and be transferred at an equivalent level on medical waiting lists.

A question about military service is asked on GP registration forms; please complete this so healthcare staff are aware priority treatment may be appropriate in certain circumstances. If you registered sometime ago you may wish to ask your GP to update their records to include this information.

Information for the Armed Forces and veterans is available from the Scottish Government and NHS Inform and explains priority treatment for health problems that are a result of service.

For further advice contact Army Families Federation, Navy Families Federation , RAF Families Federation, SAIL or your NHS Armed Forces Champion.