LONG waits for treatment for war veterans suffering from mental health problems should be a thing of the past, a leading psychologist says.

Nine months after the launch of a pilot scheme in the North-East and North Yorkshire, former servicemen who need treatment are now being seen within days rather than weeks or months.

Psychologist Symon Day, who is in charge of launching the scheme at the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust, said: “We have been making good progress.”

Veterans of conflicts in places such as Iraq and Afghanistan have had to wait long periods before they are treated.

But after a big push to make NHS staff more aware of the kinds of problems many former servicemen and women experience after they are discharged, the situation has greatly improved.

Mr Day said: “I would expect a veteran to be seen by the service within a matter of days now.”

The psychologist, who comes from a family with strong military connections, said that about 110 mental health staff from the trust had attended one-day workshops to introduce them to the commonest mental health problems experienced by former servicemen.

They include depression, anxiety and a condition known as adjustment disorder, caused when people leave the highly structured military environment and make their own way without help.

In some cases, veterans self-medicate to cope with their problems and become dependent on alcohol, drugs, or both.

Mr Day said: “We have opened up our entire service to the veterans. Our people have now been trained right across the patch from Durham down to Whitby.”

The aim of the pilot is to improve access to service in the first year and to set up a mental health trauma service for veterans in the second year.

The trust is the only mental health trust in the North of England to be given extra funding to set up such a pilot.

There are only five other pilot schemes in the country.

The next step is to identify trust members who have a particular interest in treating the most severe problems experienced by former service people – post-traumatic stress disorder.

The trust also plans to work with veterans’ organisations such as the Royal British Legion and the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association to identify individuals who need help.