HEALTH chiefs are marking Armed Forces Day on Saturday, June 28 with a new campaign.

Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Trust is encouraging former members of the armed forces in Halton to not only use NHS healthcare services but also find out if they could be entitled to priority treatment.

Linda Agnew, director of corporate development for bridgewater said: “We dedicated to supporting any former members of the armed forces so they can gain access to the healthcare services they need.

“We have already officially registered our commitment to local veterans by signing armed forces community covenants in St Helens and Warrington and we have set up an armed forces working group in the organisation which features staff from across the trust, many of whom are veterans.

“We want to emphasise to our local veterans that it does not matter how long you served for, where you served or how long ago you served, if you have an illness or condition relating to your time in the armed forces you may be able to access priority treatment.

“We also want to encourage anyone who has recently left the armed forces and returned to the North West area to find out about the local NHS community healthcare services on offer for them and their families.”

The trust offers priority healthcare treatment to any former members of the armed forces, including reservists, for any illness or condition relating to their time in service such as physiotherapy for a leg injury or audiology for hearing loss. Posters and leaflets will be distributed to local health centres, veterans’ charities and community venues.

A dedicated webpage has been set up at bridgewater.nhs.uk/veterans which includes information about how to access priority treatment as well as useful local health information and contact details.