SCOTS soldiers wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq are to get medical treatment in the country's first dedicated rehabilitation centre for serving troops.
The £1m-a-year facility will house up to 20 soldiers at a time, allowing them to recover from injuries as near as possible to their families rather than receiving treatment in Birmingham or Surrey.
The so-called "Pathfinder" centre will be the fir
st facility of its kind in the UK and is due to open in Edinburgh by the end of the summer, funded by the Help for Heroes charity and Ministry of Defence.
The availability of treatment for wounded British soldiers has been hugely controversial, and yesterday Johnson Beharry, who was awarded a Victoria Cross for his bravery in Iraq, described the situation as "disgraceful".
The MoD will this week officially announce the opening of the facility, hoping to counter repeated claims that it is letting down soldiers injured while fighting for their country.
The treatment centre will be based at the Erskine Edinburgh Home, a military charity which has provided accommodation for veterans since 1916.
There will be five dedicated members of staff plus gym facilities, medical equipment and basics such as food and laundry.
The centre will forge strong links with the NHS and social services so that they can provide severely injured soldiers such as amputees with the specialised treatment they need to live as normal a life as possible.
And psychologists and psychiatrists will also be on hand to help soldiers suffering from mental health problems. Other experts will advise soldiers who are unable to return to military life on how best to get civilian jobs.
Colonel Martin Gibson, the Erskine chief executive who served with the Royal Scots for 30-years, said: "It is very exciting that this is going to be in Scotland. The MOD will be working with the NHS to ensure that the appropriate facilities are available. Soldiers will be taught to readapt to normality and will be given support and encouragement to take that step."
He added: "There is a gap in the MOD's duty of care in looking after those men and women who are injured on operations or during service.
"The Ministry of Defence and the Army are taking this forward because it is an important gap to address before you go back to your regiment or go home. We will give them housing advice, assistance with education, training and general preparation to live as normal a life as possible."
The most recent figures show that at least 100 British soldiers have suffered amputations and other debilitating injuries in the past year in Afghanistan as a result of the Taliban's roadside bombing campaign. The number of troops losing limbs or eyes, suffering serious burns or permanent brain damage has increased dramatically since August 2007 when the Taliban intensified their efforts.
Following the closure of most specialist military hospitals, almost all seriously injured soldiers are evacuated from conflict zones to Selly Oak military hospital in Birmingham. Selly Oak has been criticised for its mixed wards and some soldiers have complained about waking up next to drug addicts. Typically, they are then transferred to Headley Court in Surrey, where the MOD runs an intensive rehabilitation unit.
The new Edinburgh clinic aims to be a place where soldiers can convalesce and continue their treatment after they have undergone therapy at Headley Court. If the pilot scheme is successful, similar centres will be rolled out elsewhere in the UK.
The move has been welcomed by veterans' charities and distinguished former soldiers, who have long been arguing that the Government should do more to look after their serving soldiers.
"About time too," said Colonel Bob Stewart, the soldier who led British forces in action in the Balkans. "There have been real problems in the services when families have had to travel long distances to see their loved ones.
"It has been highly unsatisfactory. When people are recovering, they need their families with them. So this is a huge improvement for Scottish soldiers."
Robert Marsh, a director of Combat Stress, the ex-services mental welfare charity that runs a centre for veterans at Hollybush house near Ayr, said: "This is fantastic news. Recently there has been a lot more recognition of what our servicemen and women have been doing over the last six years or so in Iraq and Afghanistan."
Yesterday, Beharry, the Army's most decorated serving soldier, said the Government was relying too much on military charities to cover its own deficiencies when it came to treating war veterans. Speaking in an interview in which he spoke of the mental anguish he still suffers as a result of his service, Beharry said it was disgraceful that ex-servicemen and women had to rely on the NHS.
The full article contains 804 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
