AFC0069

Written evidence submitted by Mr Jack Pollard.

I was discharged from the Army for PTSD. After 23 years sevice this put an end to my promising careerand the chance to commission to be an officer. I was treated for PTSD by the Defence medical services prior to my discharge. When I entered civilian life I was refered to the NHS for treatment by a psyciatric nures under the supervision of a psycaritrist. I worked as a tree surgon for the first 2 years until I felt ready to re-enter mainstream employment. This job provided me with the space I needed to to assess my situation and prepare myself mentally. During this period there were some ups and downs mental health wise but after a year I was discharged from mental health services.

When I felt confident enough, I started a job in the civil service and was employed as a through life support manager for out equipment projects. Again there were good times and rough times and sought assistance from Help for Heroes and recived restbite at tedworth house in Tidworth. This was a break for me and for my family from me, as I was quite difficuly to live with. I used a well being coatch from another charity to try and keep me stable. Unfortunattly due to undermanning in my area and an incresing workload, I suffered a burn out and full mental collapse. I sought help from various charitys but felt that I may need to request NHS assistance. I was off work for 6 months and after a suicide attempt I reffered myself to mental health servises for assistance. I was seen withing 8 weeks where an assesment was carried out. This involved dragging up all the trauma I had experiensed in Afghanistan. Unfortunatly as the therapist was leaving the proffesion, I saw a different therapist and had the same assesment again and then a 3rd time. It took me 3 years to get the cognative therapy that I needed through the NHS and I was only allowed 12 sessions maximum. When the sessions ended I had made good progress in tackling a lot of the issues I had but there were still some significant things that still needed to be addressed.

If I wanted more than the 12 sessions, then I would need to start the process all over again. I needed help now and not in another 3 years time so I have been paying for my therapy ever since as I have no faith in the NHS mental health services. As an ex soldier who was injured by my service I did not experience any priority of focused help. I have many friends that share my experience and in the last 12 years 10 have committed suicide due to untreated trauma. When I was dicharged there was no further contact from the MoD or the government and was left to fend myself. The armed forcse’s covernant does not seem to have affected me at all, both duting my service or after my dicsharge.

It seems to me that it was a gimmick that had no real substance.

20th February 2025