Royal Navy veteran says Combat Stress 'saved my life'

Royal Navy veteran Paul Smith, who fought in the Falklands War as a 17-year-old, credits Combat Stress with helping him get well after 30 years suffering from PTSD.

It comes after the leading mental health charity for military veterans says it will not be able to take any new cases in England and Wales, because of a funding crisis.

Combat Stress said its income has fallen from £16m to £10m in the current financial year partly due to cuts in NHS funding support.

The charity had been receiving around 2,000 referrals for treatment a year.

The NHS said new specialist services for ex-soldiers have helped more than 10,000 people to date.

25 January 2020