Our thanks to ABF The Soldiers’ Charity

King Edward VII’s Hospital is delighted to have been awarded a £22,380 grant from ABF The Soldiers’ Charity

Our beneficiaries (funded entirely from donated income) suffer from a range of health and disability issues and consistently identify chronic pain as a significant difficulty to leading full and meaningful lives following their military discharge. Chronic pain can cause immense distress and suffering. Individuals with chronic pain can often feel isolated and unsure of how to plan for the future.

The main objectives of King Edward VII’s Hospital’s Veteran PMP are to help veterans to develop a better understanding of their pain, improve mood, confidence and to increase meaningful activity, self-management and quality of life.

• The PMP helps veterans improve relationships at home and in the work community
• Employability (paid and unpaid) becomes more realistic
• Relationships and family life improve
• Reducing medication (where appropriate) is central to the PMP
• A reduction in the intensity of the pain over time is not uncommon

Lieutenant General (Ret’d) Sir Bill Rollo, Trustee at King Edward VII’s Hospital, said ‘The Hospital is proud to deliver the Pain Management Programme for veterans. Chronic pain affects every aspect of an individual’s life. The Programme can be life changing, not just for them, but for their family as well. We are immensely grateful to the ABFTSC for their financial support.’

Brigadier (Ret’d) Robin Bacon, Chief of Staff at ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, said: “Pain can be invasive and disruptive to the lives that veterans work so hard to lead independently when they return from service. That is why we are thrilled to support the Pain Management Programme because it will grant the opportunity for several veterans to find the relief they deserve.”

ABF The Soldiers’ Charity is the Army’s national charity, providing a lifetime of support to soldiers, veterans and their families when they are in need. The charity was formed in 1944 and is this year marking 75 years of service for the Army family. In the last year alone, it has supported 70,000 individuals in 68 countries across the globe and supported numerous charities and organisations to deliver specialist charities to the Army family at large.

“The practices and techniques combined with the knowledge learned during this Pain Management Programme, have given me back to myself, a husband to my wife, and a father to my children. It’s nice to be off medication, optimistic about the future and full of life again. I will always be grateful to the Team. Thank you from me and my family”.

We are extremely grateful to ABF The Soldiers’ Charity for their support.

King Edward VII’s Hospital is a registered charity. Registered charity number 208944