Advertisements

FORMER ARMY MEDIC JOINS CAMPAIGN TO HELP THOUSANDS OF VETERANS RECEIVE VITAL COMPENSATION AND SUPPORT FOR LONG TERM CHRONIC PAIN

Help for Heroes Clinical Advisor and Registered Nurse Duane Fletcher is asking people across the region to join the campaign to help remove unfair barriers to financial support for veterans. These include those who are amputees and suffering from chronic pain.  

Duane Fletcher, known as Fletch to his colleagues and the veterans he supports, is a clinical advisor for Help for Heroes, working with veterans across the North West.  Help for Heroes is rallying the public to sign its open petition with the aim of receiving 100,000 signatures, which if successful would require the issue to be considered for debate in Parliament. 

To sign the petition please visit here. 

Fletch is an orthopaedic nurse by background with 40 years’ experience, including in the army, and sees first-hand on a daily basis the impact that chronic pain has on the veterans he works with. 

He said: “Chronic pain is a problem for the majority of veterans that I’m working with at the moment, and the number affected is growing. It can happen as a result of an injury, an illness, as well as general wear and tear linked to the intense physical demands of being in the armed forces. Sometimes investigations and examinations are unable to get to the bottom of what the cause is, but for those people suffering it is very real.”

Help for Heroes believes the Ministry of Defence is currently out of step with medical guidance and that too many veterans are having to fight the system to get the compensation and financial support they deserve – often while battling physical or mental illness and injuries from service.   

Chronic pain is recognised by the World Health Organisation as pain that persists for more than three months. In 2022, 78% of veterans with long-term health conditions who sought support from Help for Heroes struggled with long-term pain.  

Chronic pain affects around 15.5 million people in England (34% of adults), and can lead to depression and feelings of hopelessness, as well as impacting employability or exacerbating isolation, loneliness, and poor mental health. However, for veterans who suffer from chronic pain, it can hinder common day to day activities such as sitting, standing, and queuing at the shops with moderate levels of pain being shown to negatively impact sleep patterns.

 Fletch added: “Experiencing chronic pain all day and every day, has a big effect on someone’s quality of life, apart from the obvious levels of discomfort. Some also experience additional spikes in pain on a day-to-day basis, which is excruciating. Many of the people I work with can’t enjoy the same quality of normal life as others and become isolated in their own homes. They literally struggle to get out of their homes, which then starts to impact their mental health. 

“Most of the people I support are on high levels of medication to try and cope, which unfortunately doesn’t get rid of the pain completely. In addition, the side-effects of the medication mean that they can’t work, which is another blow to their self-esteem and mental health.”

If the Help for Heroes campaign is successful, veterans would receive the compensation and financial support they deserve. It would prevent the exclusion of those living with chronic pain due to their service and end multiple assessments for amputees who often must re-prove their entitlement every two years to qualify for benefits. 

Fletch said, “If we could get the MoD to recognise that chronic pain is real and an issue for many of our veterans, I think that would help. If someone has an arm or leg missing, it’s clear to see, and our veterans experiencing chronic pain need people to believe them when they talk about what is happening to them. 

“The extra compensation would also open other options for them in terms of treatment, for example paying for additional daily support, medication or prescriptions that would help them, extra physiotherapy or sessions with a chiropractor.”  

Help for Heroes offers a range of services to help veterans, supporting them to overcome physical, mental health and welfare challenges. It champions the Armed Forces community and helps them live well after service so they feel valued, supported, and recognised. 

Help for Heroes has supported more than 30,000 ex-Armed Forces and their families and is the only military charity with a dedicated Clinical team providing physical healthcare. 

Please click here for more information: https://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/about-us/news/chronic-pain-petition/