New Veterans Health Pathways

Each year, 5,000 to 6,000 Australian Service Personnel transition from the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to civilian life. Almost 48,000 South Australians have served or are serving in the ADF. Some are more at risk of adverse health outcomes - including those who transitioned voluntarily and those with occupational exposures, as well as those who were deployed locally or internationally.

Australian veterans now have a better chance of getting the care they need, no matter where they live in Australia, thanks to a new suite of pathways that aim to help ensure they receive consistent and high levels of care nationwide.

HealthPathways SA have recently launched a suite of Veterans Health Pathways:

• Veterans Health Assessment  
• Veteran referral and support
• Veteran Care Practice Management
• Defence and Veteran Family Support  
• Guide to DVA Compensation Claim Forms 

Following a national release by Townsville HealthPathways in collaboration with the Department of Veterans' Affairs, our local team partnered with the SA Health Veterans Health Policy Team to undertake the work - contributing to The Veteran Wellbeing Action Plan. 

"Veterans are a small subset of the population, but they tend to have high, and sometimes very specific health needs," HealthPathways Clinical Coordinator Marc Apolloni said.

The Veterans' Health suite of pathways was designed to help clinicians identify and diagnose the early signs of physical and mental health problems among former serving ADF members. The pathways address specific health needs of veterans with a Veterans' Health Assessment, and guidance on Veteran Referral and Support.

Under Assessment, clinicians can refer to key points about defence force and defence culture to help them improve rapport with veterans. The assessment guides GPs through a series of questions to understand the veteran's risk areas and needs and includes questions that screen for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Other guidance heps them identify veterans who may be at increased risk of adverse health outcomes, and health issues which may carry higher risk for veterans. The pathway prompts GPs to check on areas of increased risk, including sleep disruption, diabetes, sexually transmitted infections, hearing loss, musculoskeletal injuries, alcohol and drug abuse, and mental health issues. Referral options available to Australian veterans for specialists, allied health professionals and other local support and resources are also provided.

The Veteran Health pathway was piloted in eight HealthPathways sites across Australia before being rolled out nationally in July 2023. Since then, further veteran related pathways have been launched, building a suite that has been locally adaptable for South Australia. Clinicians and veteran organisations across the country have commended the pathways as being user friendly and informative.

Register for a free account today, visit southaustralia.communityhealthpathways.org   

HealthPathways SA is a partnership between SA Health, Adelaide PHN and Country SA PHN.