Blesma and Anglia Ruskin University research draws attention to the unique challenges faced by families of injured Service personnel
26 November 2014
A policy shift towards family-centred care for injured veterans has been called for in a report by Anglia Ruskin University’s Veterans and Families Institute (VFI), commissioned by military charity Blesma, The Limbless Veterans.
The report, ‘Traumatic Limb Loss and the Needs of the Family’ recommends more quality research to “inform the debate and raise the profile of family needs as we strive to provide the best possible care for our injured Service personnel”.
Policy-makers are called upon to consider the importance of family support on rehabilitation and recovery for those injured in conflict. The report says the needs of those family members providing care also need to be taken into account.
The lack of existing research into the effects of limb loss on the families of Service personnel has been highlighted in the report, which reviewed all material published since the establishment of Blesma as a national charity in 1932. No articles were found that directly focussed on the needs of the families and their coping strategies.
Lead author Matt Fossey, a director of the VFI, said: “The VFI at Anglia Ruskin University is working collaboratively with Service charities to help them provide the most up-to-date and well-evidenced interventions possible. As this important piece of research shows, after 100 years of devastating conflicts, we still have a long way to go to understand the needs of the families of our injured personnel.
“More needs to be done to ensure interventions are provided to those families and that they have a robust evidence base.”
Barry Le Grys, Chief Executive at Blesma, says: “We here at Blesma aim for this valuable piece of work to be a catalyst, for the Government and Service charities to collaboratively improve understanding of the family needs surrounding those severely injured in the service of their country.”
Since 2001, 353 military personnel in the UK have lost limbs during service.
Blesma, The Limbless Veterans is the national charity for all limbless service men and women, their widows and dependants. It was formed in the years following the First World War and became a national charity in 1932.
To read the report, please go here.
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Notes to Editor
Hi-res images can be downloaded from the links below:
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About Blesma, The Limbless Veterans
Blesma, The Limbless Veterans is the national charity for all limbless serving and ex-service men and women, their widows and dependants. It is a membership organisation which helps wounded service men and women rebuild their lives by providing rehabilitation activities and welfare support. Their membership includes those who have lost the use of a limb, an eye or the sight of an eye.
Blesma was formed in the years following the First World War and became a national charity in 1932. Blesma today has over 4000 Members and widows. The membership consists of men and women who have served during the Second World War and the many subsequent conflicts and peacekeeping operations since, including the Falklands, Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan.
About the authors
Matt Fossey and Professor Jamie Hacker Hughes are directors of the Veterans and Families Institute. Professor Hacker Hughes has a rich background in psychology and working with the military including becoming the MoD’s first Defence Consultant Advisor in Psychology in 2008. Matt has worked with the Department of Health and mental health charity Mind before working on a number of veteran-related projects at the Centre for Mental Health think-tank.
About the Veterans and Families Institute
The Veterans and Families Institute (VFI) is a new institute of Anglia Ruskin University’s Faculty of Health, Social Care and Education and was officially launched in April 2014. We are carrying out ground breaking research in the areas of mental health and social care of military veterans and their families.
The VFI was conceived to:
- Undertake world-class research
- Influence national policy
- Create an environment of enquiry and innovation
- Develop a network of likeminded academics and institutions
Follow us on Twitter @Blesma
For further information on Blesma, The Limbless Veterans, contact
Bryony Stevens, Media and Communications Assistant
T: 020 8590 1124
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