UK troops 'neglected back home'
Tony Blair's government has been accused of letting down Britain's troops
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Sunday, 11, Mar 2007 07:46
UK soldiers suffering psychological trauma caused by their experiences serving overseas have to wait 18 months before receiving treatment on the NHS, it has been claimed.
The allegations, made by soldiers' mental welfare charity Combat Stress, appeared in several newspaper reports this morning citing examples of soldiers whose treatments have been neglected by Britain's health services.
Neglect of troops extends to abuse within the NHS, according to some of the claims. The Observer reported that one soldier spent a night at a Birmingham hospital lying in his own faeces because staff had failed to attend to his colostomy bag.
Defence secretary Des Browne told the BBC that an inquiry would be launched into the complaints.
"Where there are individual cases that fall short of the very high standards that I and others demand, then we need to address these and I will address them. They are unacceptable," he said.
Commenting on the 18-month wait, Robert Marsh of Combat Stress commented: "For the general population I think that's pretty unacceptable - let alone if, for example, you are a reservist and you have put your career on hold to serve your country."
"I think it's pretty scandalous that they have to wait so long," he added.
Two per cent of Britain's troops serving overseas since 2003 have received treatment on the NHS for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to the Ministry of Defence.