A CAMPAIGN has been launched to improve the way ex-servicemen and women are looked after.

Britain has failed to live up to its duty of care to people who have served in the Armed Forces, according according to the Royal British Legion (RBL).

It wants to highlight its Military Covenant, which it describes as a mutual bond between the nation and its Armed Forces, to ease the plight of wounded service personnel and bereaved service families.

The aim of the campaign is to secure a just compensation scheme recognising the sacrifices made by those serving the nation. The RBL wants greater commitment to support the physical and mental health of service personnel and their relatives and more support for bereaved service families.

Paul McClintock, 33, of Consett, County Durham, fell and injured his back while on exercise in 1996.

Despite seeing Army doctors, a severe spinal condition was not recognised for two years and he is now in a wheelchair and unable to walk more than 25 metres.

He said: "I have never heard a single word from the Army and I had to go through the British Legion to get anything out of them.

"The Army seems to have said 'You are not our problem anymore'. That is not the way it should be."

Speaking at the launch, Frances Done, director general of the RBL, demanded more help for former servicemen

She said: "The issues have reached a critical stage. They require the immediate attention of Parliament and must be seriously addressed by all parties in the next general election.

"Thousands of our servicemen and women are putting their lives on the line for us at this moment. They do not hesitate to fulfil their duty and neither should we."

The RBL says the Covenant does not have the force of law, but has been enshrined through convention, custom and contemporary application, and represents 'the nation's moral commitment to its armed forces'.

Armed Forces Minister Bob Ainsworth said: "I welcome the Royal British Legion's campaign to generate debate about the covenant between the nation and the armed forces.

"I will look in detail at the Royal British Legion's concerns and respond in full as soon as possible."