Troops suffer treatment delays

Troops who suffered mental illness after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan are waiting for as long as 18 months for treatment.

Veterans are entitled to priority NHS treatment for "disabling conditions" that result from their service - but many are being put on lengthy waiting lists, a Sunday newspaper has claimed.

But the Ministry of Defence has played down the scale of the problem, saying it knew of very few cases where priority treatment had been denied to ex-service personnel.

An MoD spokesman said: "Priority is a matter for the clinical judgment of the doctor concerned.

"Where priority is denied it may be because another patient required more urgent treatment."

New Ministry of Defence figures reveal 2,123 servicemen and women have been treated for mental health conditions after returning from Iraq since 2003.

More than 320 troops who served in Iraq have been treated for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), while others have suffered from anxiety or depression.

Mental health charity Combat Stress, which runs three homes for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, reported a worrying increase in the number of Iraq veterans referred.

A Department of Health spokeswoman added: "It is important to ensure that soldiers who have suffered psychological trauma as a result of their experiences in the armed forces have access to the services they need.

"The MoD provides a range of services and the NHS also provides support and intervention, through both GPs and specialist services.

"This is appropriate as many servicemen express a strong preference for their health needs, both during and after active service, to be met within the military network."

© Independent Television News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.