CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE HTML>     <html class="no-js" lang="en-US">  <head> <title>NHS commissioning » Armed Forces healthcare commissioning</title> <meta name="title" property="og:title" content="NHS commissioning » Armed Forces healthcare commissioning"> <script type="text/javascript"> var addthis_config = { ui_tabindex:0 } </script> <meta charset="utf-8"> <meta http-equiv="cleartype" content="on"> <meta name="description" property="og:description" content="Responsibility for Armed Forces healthcare is split between the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the NHS. Defence Medical services (DMS) provide a range of services for regular serving personnel in the UK, those serving overseas and in some cases their families. From an NHS perspective, commissioning responsibilities are discharged through NHS England as a direct […]"> <meta name="author" content="NHS commissioning"> <meta property="og:image" content="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/wp-content/themes/nhsengland/static/img/nhs-england-logo-export.png"> <meta property="og:url" content="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/armed-forces/"> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="RSS2.0" href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/feed/" /> <meta name='robots' content='max-image-preview:large' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='wp-block-library-css' href='https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/wp-includes/css/dist/block-library/style.min.css?ver=6.7' type='text/css' media='all' /> <style id='co-authors-plus-coauthors-style-inline-css' type='text/css'> .wp-block-co-authors-plus-coauthors.is-layout-flow [class*=wp-block-co-authors-plus]{display:inline} </style> <style id='co-authors-plus-avatar-style-inline-css' type='text/css'> .wp-block-co-authors-plus-avatar :where(img){height:auto;max-width:100%;vertical-align:bottom}.wp-block-co-authors-plus-coauthors.is-layout-flow .wp-block-co-authors-plus-avatar :where(img){vertical-align:middle}.wp-block-co-authors-plus-avatar:is(.alignleft,.alignright){display:table}.wp-block-co-authors-plus-avatar.aligncenter{display:table;margin-inline:auto} </style> <style id='co-authors-plus-image-style-inline-css' type='text/css'> .wp-block-co-authors-plus-image{margin-bottom:0}.wp-block-co-authors-plus-image :where(img){height:auto;max-width:100%;vertical-align:bottom}.wp-block-co-authors-plus-coauthors.is-layout-flow .wp-block-co-authors-plus-image :where(img){vertical-align:middle}.wp-block-co-authors-plus-image:is(.alignfull,.alignwide) :where(img){width:100%}.wp-block-co-authors-plus-image:is(.alignleft,.alignright){display:table}.wp-block-co-authors-plus-image.aligncenter{display:table;margin-inline:auto} </style> <style id='classic-theme-styles-inline-css' type='text/css'> /*! This file is auto-generated */ .wp-block-button__link{color:#fff;background-color:#32373c;border-radius:9999px;box-shadow:none;text-decoration:none;padding:calc(.667em + 2px) calc(1.333em + 2px);font-size:1.125em}.wp-block-file__button{background:#32373c;color:#fff;text-decoration:none} </style> <style id='global-styles-inline-css' type='text/css'> :root{--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--square: 1;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--4-3: 4/3;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--3-4: 3/4;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--3-2: 3/2;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--2-3: 2/3;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--16-9: 16/9;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--9-16: 9/16;--wp--preset--color--black: #000000;--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray: #abb8c3;--wp--preset--color--white: #ffffff;--wp--preset--color--pale-pink: #f78da7;--wp--preset--color--vivid-red: #cf2e2e;--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange: #ff6900;--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber: #fcb900;--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan: #7bdcb5;--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan: #00d084;--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue: #8ed1fc;--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue: #0693e3;--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple: #9b51e0;--wp--preset--gradient--vivid-cyan-blue-to-vivid-purple: linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(6,147,227,1) 0%,rgb(155,81,224) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--light-green-cyan-to-vivid-green-cyan: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(122,220,180) 0%,rgb(0,208,130) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-amber-to-luminous-vivid-orange: linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(252,185,0,1) 0%,rgba(255,105,0,1) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-orange-to-vivid-red: linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(255,105,0,1) 0%,rgb(207,46,46) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(238,238,238) 0%,rgb(169,184,195) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--cool-to-warm-spectrum: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(74,234,220) 0%,rgb(151,120,209) 20%,rgb(207,42,186) 40%,rgb(238,44,130) 60%,rgb(251,105,98) 80%,rgb(254,248,76) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--blush-light-purple: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,206,236) 0%,rgb(152,150,240) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--blush-bordeaux: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(254,205,165) 0%,rgb(254,45,45) 50%,rgb(107,0,62) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-dusk: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,203,112) 0%,rgb(199,81,192) 50%,rgb(65,88,208) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--pale-ocean: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,245,203) 0%,rgb(182,227,212) 50%,rgb(51,167,181) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--electric-grass: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(202,248,128) 0%,rgb(113,206,126) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--midnight: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(2,3,129) 0%,rgb(40,116,252) 100%);--wp--preset--font-size--small: 13px;--wp--preset--font-size--medium: 20px;--wp--preset--font-size--large: 36px;--wp--preset--font-size--x-large: 42px;--wp--preset--spacing--20: 0.44rem;--wp--preset--spacing--30: 0.67rem;--wp--preset--spacing--40: 1rem;--wp--preset--spacing--50: 1.5rem;--wp--preset--spacing--60: 2.25rem;--wp--preset--spacing--70: 3.38rem;--wp--preset--spacing--80: 5.06rem;--wp--preset--shadow--natural: 6px 6px 9px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);--wp--preset--shadow--deep: 12px 12px 50px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4);--wp--preset--shadow--sharp: 6px 6px 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);--wp--preset--shadow--outlined: 6px 6px 0px -3px rgba(255, 255, 255, 1), 6px 6px rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);--wp--preset--shadow--crisp: 6px 6px 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);}:where(.is-layout-flex){gap: 0.5em;}:where(.is-layout-grid){gap: 0.5em;}body .is-layout-flex{display: flex;}.is-layout-flex{flex-wrap: wrap;align-items: center;}.is-layout-flex > :is(*, div){margin: 0;}body .is-layout-grid{display: grid;}.is-layout-grid > :is(*, div){margin: 0;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-flex){gap: 2em;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-grid){gap: 2em;}:where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-flex){gap: 1.25em;}:where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-grid){gap: 1.25em;}.has-black-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--black) !important;}.has-cyan-bluish-gray-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-white-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--white) !important;}.has-pale-pink-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-pink) !important;}.has-vivid-red-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-red) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan) !important;}.has-vivid-green-cyan-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-pale-cyan-blue-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-purple-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple) !important;}.has-black-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--black) !important;}.has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-white-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--white) !important;}.has-pale-pink-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-pink) !important;}.has-vivid-red-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-red) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan) !important;}.has-vivid-green-cyan-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-pale-cyan-blue-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-purple-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple) !important;}.has-black-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--black) !important;}.has-cyan-bluish-gray-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-white-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--white) !important;}.has-pale-pink-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-pink) !important;}.has-vivid-red-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-red) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan) !important;}.has-vivid-green-cyan-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-pale-cyan-blue-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-purple-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-to-vivid-purple-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--vivid-cyan-blue-to-vivid-purple) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-to-vivid-green-cyan-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--light-green-cyan-to-vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-to-luminous-vivid-orange-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-amber-to-luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-to-vivid-red-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-orange-to-vivid-red) !important;}.has-very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-cool-to-warm-spectrum-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--cool-to-warm-spectrum) !important;}.has-blush-light-purple-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--blush-light-purple) !important;}.has-blush-bordeaux-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--blush-bordeaux) !important;}.has-luminous-dusk-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-dusk) !important;}.has-pale-ocean-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--pale-ocean) !important;}.has-electric-grass-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--electric-grass) !important;}.has-midnight-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--midnight) !important;}.has-small-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--small) !important;}.has-medium-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--medium) !important;}.has-large-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--large) !important;}.has-x-large-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--x-large) !important;} :where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-flex){gap: 1.25em;}:where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-grid){gap: 1.25em;} :where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-flex){gap: 2em;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-grid){gap: 2em;} :root :where(.wp-block-pullquote){font-size: 1.5em;line-height: 1.6;} </style> <link rel='stylesheet' id='contact-form-7-css' href='https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/wp-content/plugins/contact-form-7/includes/css/styles.css?ver=5.9.8' type='text/css' media='all' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='jquery-ui-css' href='https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/wp-content/themes/nhsengland/static//lib/jquery-ui/themes/smoothness/jquery-ui.css?ver=6.7' type='text/css' media='screen' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='main-css' href='https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/wp-content/themes/nhsengland/static/main-1ce80937921c73ff41efd2f36eb817fdc2d34e1e.min.css?ver=6.7' type='text/css' media='screen' /> <link rel='stylesheet' id='print-css' href='https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/wp-content/themes/nhsengland/static/print-fe4e4682bcb96cc3674bd9e62072e3d81c0553ab.min.css?ver=6.7' type='text/css' media='print' /> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0"> <link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//fast.fonts.com"> <link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//www.google-analytics.com"> <link rel="shortcut icon" href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/wp-content/themes/nhsengland/static/img/favicon.ico" type="image/x-icon"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="180x180" href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/wp-content/themes/nhsengland/static/img/apple-touch-icon-180x180.png"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="152x152" href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/wp-content/themes/nhsengland/static/img/apple-touch-icon-152x152.png"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="120x120" href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/wp-content/themes/nhsengland/static/img/apple-touch-icon-120x120.png"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="76x76" href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/wp-content/themes/nhsengland/static/img/apple-touch-icon-76x76.png"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/wp-content/themes/nhsengland/static/img/apple-touch-icon.png"> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/wp-content/themes/nhsengland/static/lib/jquery.min.js?ver=6.7" id="jquery-js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/wp-content/themes/nhsengland/static/lib/modernizr.min.js?ver=6.7" id="modernizr-js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://cc.cdn.civiccomputing.com/8/cookieControl-8.x.min.js?ver=6.7" id="cookieControl-js"></script> <link rel="canonical" href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/armed-forces/" /> <style type="text/css"> .header.nhs-e { background: #005eb8; } .nhs-e.top-nav-container { background: #0072ce; } .nhs-e.navigation li > a:hover, .nhs-e.navigation li > a.open, .nhs-e.navigation li.current-menu-item > a, .nhs-e.navigation li.current-menu-parent > a, .nhs-e.navigation li.current_page_item > a, .nhs-e.navigation li.current-page-ancestor > a { background: #0072ce; } </style> </head> <body class="page-template-default page page-id-21612 page-parent group"> <div class="skip-link"> <a href="#main-content" tabindex="1">Skip to main content</a> </div> <div class="cookie-banner-container" style="display: none"> <div class="cookie-banner row"> <h1>Cookies on the NHS England website</h1> <div class="rich-text"> <p>We’ve put some small files called cookies on your device to make our site work.</p> <p>We’d also like to use analytics cookies. These send information about how our site is used to a service called Google Analytics. We use this information to improve our site.</p> <p>Let us know if this is OK. We’ll use a cookie to save your choice. You can <a id="nhsuk-cookie-banner__link" tabindex="1" href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/privacy-policy/">read more about our cookies</a> before you choose.</p> <p> </p> </div> <p> <button class="preferences">Change my preferences</button> <button class="ok">I'm OK with analytics cookies</button> </p> </div> </div> <div class="nhs-e top-nav-container group"> <div class="row group"> <nav class="secondary-navigation" role="navigation"> <ul id="menu-top-header-navigation" class="nav-menu"><li id="menu-item-49701" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-49701"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/">Home</a></li> <li id="menu-item-49702" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-49702"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/news/">News</a></li> <li id="menu-item-49703" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-49703"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/">Publications</a></li> <li id="menu-item-49704" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-49704"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/">Statistics</a></li> <li id="menu-item-50424" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-50424"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/blogs/">Blogs</a></li> <li id="menu-item-49706" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-49706"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/events/">Events</a></li> <li id="menu-item-49707" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-49707"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/contact-us/">Contact us</a></li> </ul> </nav> </div> </div> <header class="nhs-e header group" role="banner"> <div class="row group"> <div class="nhs-e logo"> <a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/"> <img src="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/wp-content/themes/nhsengland/static/img/nhs-england-white.svg" alt="NHS commissioning" /> </a> </div> <div class="nhs-e header-search"> <form role="search" id="search-form" class="search-form" method="get" action="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning"> <label class="hide" for="s" id="search-label">Search</label> <input type="search" name="s" aria-labelledby="search-label" class="search-input"> <label class="hide" for="search" id="search-button">Search</label> <input type="submit" id="search" aria-labelledby="search-button" value="Search" class="button"> </form> </div> </div> <div class="nhs-e nav-container group"> <button type="button" href="#" class="nav-toggle" id="js-nav-toggle"> <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 18 18"><path class="menu-icon" fill="#ffffff" d="M.1 3.6C0 2.7 0 1.7.1.7.1.3.5 0 1 0h16.1c.5 0 .9.3.9.7.1 1 .1 1.9 0 2.9 0 .4-.4.7-.9.7H1c-.5 0-.9-.3-.9-.7zm.9 7.6c-.5 0-.9-.3-.9-.7-.1-1-.1-2 0-2.9 0-.4.4-.7.9-.7h16.1c.5 0 .9.3.9.7.1 1 .1 1.9 0 2.9 0 .4-.4.7-.9.7H1zM1 18c-.5 0-.9-.3-.9-.7-.1-1-.1-1.9 0-2.9 0-.4.4-.7.9-.7h16.1c.5 0 .9.3.9.7.1 1 .1 1.9 0 2.9 0 .4-.4.7-.9.7H1z"/></svg> <span>Menu</span> </button> <nav class="nhs-e navigation group" role="navigation"> <ul id="menu-top-nav" class="nav-menu"><li id="menu-item-60" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-60"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/about/">About us</a></li> <li id="menu-item-48046" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-48046"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork" title="NHS England – our work">Our work</a></li> <li id="menu-item-49719" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-home menu-item-49719"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/">Commissioning</a></li> <li id="menu-item-49720" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-49720"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/participation/">Get involved</a></li> <li id="menu-item-55052" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-55052"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/">Coronavirus</a></li> </ul> </nav> </div> </header> <main class="main group" role="main"> <div id="chat" class="intelecomchat"> </div> <div class="row"> <aside class="subnav group normal_nav desktop-only" role="complementary"><div class="sub-nav"><nav class="nav-collapse"><ul> <li class="top"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning">NHS commissioning</a></li><li class="parent"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/armed-forces/">Armed Forces healthcare commissioning</a></li><li class="children-nav"><ul><li class="page_item page-item-55167"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/armed-forces/the-armed-forces-forward-view/">The Armed Forces Forward View</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-55170"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/armed-forces/nationally-commissioned-services/">Nationally commissioned services</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-55172"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/armed-forces/what-icbs-can-do-to-support-the-armed-forces-community/">What ICBs can do to support the Armed Forces community</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-55183"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/armed-forces/armed-forces-family-life/">Armed Forces family life</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-55185"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/armed-forces/integrated-personal-commissioning-for-veterans-ipc4v/">Integrated Personal Commissioning for Veterans (IPC4V)</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-55187"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/armed-forces/involving-the-armed-forces-community-in-the-commissioning-of-health-services/">Involving the Armed Forces community in the commissioning of health services</a></li> </ul></li><li class="page_item page-item-51600"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/what-is-commissioning/">What is commissioning?</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-51602"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/who-commissions-nhs-services/">Who commissions NHS services?</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-51636"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/commissioned-services/">Commissioned services</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-51616"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/regulation/">Commissioning Oversight</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-51618"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/how-commissioning-is-changing/">How commissioning is changing</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-50638"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/primary-care/">Primary care</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-35395"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/spec-services/">Specialised services</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-47903"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/continence/">Continence</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-47926"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/orthotic-services/">Orthotic services</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-47674"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/nut-hyd/">Nutrition and hydration</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-28704"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/cpag/">Clinical Priorities Advisory Group (CPAG)</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-45981"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/comm-carers/">Commissioning for carers</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-28701"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/rdag/">Rare Diseases Advisory Group (RDAG)</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-24307"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/policies/">Commissioning policies</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-21076"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/health-just/">Health and justice</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-33722"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/ccs/">Critical care services</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-51528"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/sexual-assault-and-abuse/">Sexual assault and abuse</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-26665"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/pub-hlth-res/">Public health commissioning</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-48153"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/ccg-engagement/">CCG engagement</a></li> </ul></nav> </div></aside> <div class="page-content" id="main-content"> <nav class="breadcrumbs"> <ul> <li><a href="/">Home</a></li><li><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning">NHS commissioning</a></li><li>Armed Forces healthcare commissioning</li> </ul> </nav> <header> <h1>Armed Forces healthcare commissioning</h1> </header> <article class="rich-text"> <p>Responsibility for Armed Forces healthcare is split between the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the NHS. Defence Medical services (DMS) provide a range of services for regular serving personnel in the UK, those serving overseas and in some cases their families.</p> <p>From an NHS perspective, commissioning responsibilities are discharged through NHS England as a direct commissioner of services for serving personnel and families registered with a DMS practice, and through integrated care boards ICBs) for veterans and families registered with an NHS GP. In addition, NHS England commissions some bespoke services for veterans.</p> <p>In early 2021 NHS England published ‘<a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/healthcare-for-the-armed-forces-community-a-forward-view/">Healthcare for the armed forces community: a forward view</a>’. This document sets out NHS England’s nine commitments to improve healthcare services for this community and a series of key considerations for integrated care boards (ICBs) that support the commitments of and compliments the NHS Long Term Plan.</p> <p>A <a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/partnership-agreement-between-ministry-of-defence-and-nhs-england-for-the-commissioning-of-health-services-for-the-armed-forces/">partnership agreement</a> is in place between NHS England, the MOD and DMS to support the joint working that delivers on the statutory guidance of the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/armed-forces-covenant-duty-statutory-guidance">Armed Forces Covenant</a>. A revised agreement was signed in November 2022.</p> <p>Our work complements the MOD’s <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/defence-people-mental-health-and-wellbeing-strategy">Defence people mental health and wellbeing strategy 2017-2022</a>, which details the support for serving personnel across five broad themes in their careers: join well; train well; live well; work well; and leave well. It also supports the implementation of the Government’s <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/strategy-for-our-veterans">Strategy for our veterans</a>, with the aim that ‘all veterans enjoy a state of positive physical and mental health and wellbeing, enabling them to contribute to wider aspects of society’.</p> <p>Service charities play a vital role in our work, supporting the delivery of care and support, driving research to better understand the needs of this population, and providing advocacy for the Armed Forces community. This contribution is particularly effective when working in partnership with health and social care, recognising the positive impact this has on the health and wellbeing outcomes of this patient group. Recognising the importance of this collaborative working, the dedicated services we commission for the Armed Forces community include Armed Forces charities in their delivery. In addition, NHS England also provides funding to a number of Armed Forces charities to deliver dedicated support, such as social prescribing and peer support.</p> <h2>The Armed Forces Covenant</h2> <p>The Armed Forces Covenant reflects the moral obligation that exists between the Armed Forces and society.</p> <p>The Covenant commits that: the Armed Forces community should not face disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public and commercial services; and special consideration is appropriate in some cases, especially those who have given the most such as the injured or bereaved.</p> <p>The Armed Forces Covenant is reflected in the NHS Constitution. For further information about the Armed Forces Covenant visit <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/armed-forces-covenant-supporting-information">Armed Forces Covenant: guidance and support – GOV.UK</a></p> <p>The Armed Forces Bill, which received Royal Assent in December 2021, sees the Armed Forces Covenant enshrined in law, creating a duty for certain public bodies, health, education and housing to have ‘due regard’ to the unique obligations of and sacrifices made by the Armed Forces principle that it is desirable to remove the disadvantages arising from being a member of the Armed Forces community; and principle that special provision may be justified.</p> <h3>The Armed Forces community includes:</h3> <ul> <li><strong>Regular personnel</strong> – any current serving members of the Royal Navy, Army or Royal Air Force.</li> <li><strong>Volunteer and regular reservists</strong> – Royal Naval Reserve, Royal Marine Reserve, Territorial Army, Royal Auxiliary Air Force, Royal Fleet Reserve, Army Reserve Air Force Reserve, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and Merchant Navy (where individuals served on a civilian vessel whilst supporting the Armed Forces).</li> <li><strong>Veterans</strong> – anyone who has served for at least a day in the Armed Forces as either a regular or a reservist, or Merchant Mariners who have seen duty on legally defined military operations.</li> <li><strong>Families of regular personnel, reservist and veterans</strong> – spouses, civil partners and children, and where appropriate can include parents, unmarried partners and other family members.</li> <li><strong>Bereaved</strong> – the family members of Service personnel and veterans who have died, whether that death is connected to their Service or not.</li> </ul> </article> <div class="comment-area"> </div> </div> <aside class="subnav group normal_nav mobile-only" role="complementary"><div class="sub-nav"><nav class="nav-collapse"><ul> <li class="top"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning">NHS commissioning</a></li><li class="parent"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/armed-forces/">Armed Forces healthcare commissioning</a></li><li class="children-nav"><ul><li class="page_item page-item-55167"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/armed-forces/the-armed-forces-forward-view/">The Armed Forces Forward View</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-55170"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/armed-forces/nationally-commissioned-services/">Nationally commissioned services</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-55172"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/armed-forces/what-icbs-can-do-to-support-the-armed-forces-community/">What ICBs can do to support the Armed Forces community</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-55183"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/armed-forces/armed-forces-family-life/">Armed Forces family life</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-55185"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/armed-forces/integrated-personal-commissioning-for-veterans-ipc4v/">Integrated Personal Commissioning for Veterans (IPC4V)</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-55187"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/armed-forces/involving-the-armed-forces-community-in-the-commissioning-of-health-services/">Involving the Armed Forces community in the commissioning of health services</a></li> </ul></li><li class="page_item page-item-51600"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/what-is-commissioning/">What is commissioning?</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-51602"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/who-commissions-nhs-services/">Who commissions NHS services?</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-51636"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/commissioned-services/">Commissioned services</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-51616"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/regulation/">Commissioning Oversight</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-51618"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/how-commissioning-is-changing/">How commissioning is changing</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-50638"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/primary-care/">Primary care</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-35395"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/spec-services/">Specialised services</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-47903"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/continence/">Continence</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-47926"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/orthotic-services/">Orthotic services</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-47674"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/nut-hyd/">Nutrition and hydration</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-28704"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/cpag/">Clinical Priorities Advisory Group (CPAG)</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-45981"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/comm-carers/">Commissioning for carers</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-28701"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/rdag/">Rare Diseases Advisory Group (RDAG)</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-24307"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/policies/">Commissioning policies</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-21076"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/health-just/">Health and justice</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-33722"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/ccs/">Critical care services</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-51528"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/sexual-assault-and-abuse/">Sexual assault and abuse</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-26665"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/pub-hlth-res/">Public health commissioning</a></li> <li class="page_item page-item-48153"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/ccg-engagement/">CCG engagement</a></li> </ul></nav> </div></aside> </div> </main> <footer class="footer group" role="contentinfo"> <div class="row"> <div class="footer-links"> <nav class="footer-navigation"> <ul id="menu-footer-links" class="menu"><li id="menu-item-28" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-28"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/terms-and-conditions/">Terms and conditions</a></li> <li id="menu-item-54" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-54"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/privacy-policy/">Privacy and cookies</a></li> <li id="menu-item-56" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-56"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/comment-policy/">Social media and comment moderation</a></li> <li id="menu-item-57" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-57"><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/accessibility/">Accessibility</a></li> <li id="menu-item-49328" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-49328"><a href="https://www.engage.england.nhs.uk/survey/website-satisfaction-survey/consultation/subpage.2016-06-20.7559111318/view">Website satisfaction survey</a></li> <li id="menu-item-49717" class="menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-49717"><a href="https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/">Open Government Licence v3.0</a></li> </ul> </nav> <div class="social-networks"> <ul> <li> <a href="https://twitter.com/NHSEngland" title="Follow us on Twitter" target="_blank"> <span class="hide">Follow us on Twitter</span> </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/nhsengland" title="Visit us on LinkedIn" target="_blank"> <span class="hide">Visit us on LinkedIn</span> </a> </li> <li> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/TheNHSEngland" title="Watch videos on YouTube" target="_blank"> <span class="hide">Watch videos on YouTube</span> </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nhsengland" title="View photos on Flickr" target="_blank"> <span class="hide">View photos on Flickr</span> </a> </li> <li> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/NHSCBoard" title="All RSS" target="_blank"> <span class="hide">All RSS</span> </a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> <div class="footer-logo"> <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/" title="NHS website"> <img src="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/wp-content/themes/nhsengland/static/img/nhs-uk-logo.svg" alt="NHS website"> </a> </div> </div> <div id="__ba_panel"></div> </footer> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/wp-includes/js/dist/hooks.min.js?ver=4d63a3d491d11ffd8ac6" id="wp-hooks-js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/wp-includes/js/dist/i18n.min.js?ver=5e580eb46a90c2b997e6" id="wp-i18n-js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" id="wp-i18n-js-after"> /* <![CDATA[ */ wp.i18n.setLocaleData( { 'text direction\u0004ltr': [ 'ltr' ] } ); /* ]]> */ </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/wp-content/plugins/contact-form-7/includes/swv/js/index.js?ver=5.9.8" id="swv-js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" id="contact-form-7-js-extra"> /* <![CDATA[ */ var wpcf7 = {"api":{"root":"https:\/\/www.england.nhs.uk\/commissioning\/wp-json\/","namespace":"contact-form-7\/v1"}}; /* ]]> */ </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/wp-content/plugins/contact-form-7/includes/js/index.js?ver=5.9.8" id="contact-form-7-js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" id="main-js-extra"> /* <![CDATA[ */ var cookieControlSettings = {"apiKey":"90adfdad163e4c52a4794c7aa4ea95a84732ae3f","product":"PRO_MULTISITE"}; /* ]]> */ </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/wp-content/themes/nhsengland/static/main-b952ae9fc371b7f02c44521aacc475379c82b1ca.min.js?ver=6.7" id="main-js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/wp-content/plugins/page-links-to/dist/new-tab.js?ver=3.3.7" id="page-links-to-js"></script> <script> // nhs england markExternalLinks(); showDownloadableFileIcons(); // Browsealoud var _baTheme=0, _baUseCookies=true, _baHideOnLoad=true; </script> </body> </html>