A new support forum for women veterans has been launched by Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT).
The idea was developed by clinical nurse specialist Vicki Bailey, who works in NSFT’s Veterans Integrated Service, after she launched a co-production group with 14 women veterans across the East of England.
Vicki reached out via social media to gauge interest in the formation of the group and said the response was overwhelmingly positive: “People saw the posts and then shared them with others, I even had one person get in touch whose friend in Canada had told her about the group,” she said.
Supported by the NHS mental health support service for veterans, Op Courage, a specialised online forum was then created which will be open to female veterans in Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridge and Peterborough, Essex, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. The first of these will run on Monday, 2 June, 10am – 11am.
Lack of research
Vicki first identified a gap in research around support for female veterans when she was completing a master’s degree in military health and family studies at Anglia Ruskin University in 2019.
She said: “There wasn’t any research around the barriers female veterans face when accessing mental health services and that ignited a passion to offer something bespoke. I developed the co-production group, where we started to plan what we could do.
“The aim is to provide an online social space and network for female veterans to build on relationships with other female veterans, the chance for a coffee and a catch up.
“We encourage those of any rank or length of service to come join our group.”
Alongside the forum, there will also be the opportunity for other services to give talks on support and specific areas of interest.
‘A safe space’
RAF veteran Mandy Small, pictured above during her service days, was one of the first people to get involved, having previously been supported by Op Courage.
She said: “It’s important for everyone whether male or female to have a safe space, somewhere that they feel comfortable enough to be able to open up.
“I hope these new drop-ins will encourage more people who are struggling to come forward, so they realise they are not alone going through their issues.”
Mandy added that it was particularly crucial for those women who have experienced sexual abuse and harassment: “So many people are still living with the trauma of this, and they have only just been given a voice.
“Women-only groups are so important as people don’t always feel confident enough to discuss this in front of men.”
Service users’ input
Chief patient experience officer and deputy chief executive at NSFT, Cath Byford, praised the project and the co-production involved. She said: “Our service users are the best people to ask about how to provide support and improve services, so it is excellent that our women veterans have had so much input into this work.
“Working together with the wider NHS system and local community is an excellent way to improve care for the benefit of the people who use our services.”
The launch of the forum is just the first stage of the project, with the development of a weekly stabilisation group for women veterans also in the pipeline. These sessions are due to take place in Autumn 2025 and will aim to teach techniques tailored to what the women feel they would benefit from. This may include PTSD, anxiety and moral injury.
For more information and to register for the support group, please email [email protected].
