Supporting & Serving Military Veterans in Northern Ireland

Abstract: In 2015, Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT) commissioned Dr Cherie Armour of Ulster University to conduct a
large-scale study into the health and wellbeing of Northern Irish veterans, over the course of four years. The Northern Ireland Veterans’ Health and Wellbeing Study (NIVHWS) comprises two projects: the first received funding in August 2015 and commenced in December 2015. The second received funding in November 2015 and commenced in August 2016. The conception of the NIVHWS was a direct response to a significant gap in information about the support needs of the veteran population living in NI. The development of the study was informed by a series of focus groups with veterans in the region, in addition to consultation with the NI Veterans Support Committee (NIVSC). In summary, the NIVHWS seeks to identify the current and future health and wellbeing needs of the veteran population in NI, outline the system of support currently available to NI veterans, and identify ways in which this may be optimised. Further details of the various aims of the NIVHWS can be found in the full report corresponding to this executive summary