Advice on military veterans with concerns over Mefloquine
Individuals who may have taken Mefloquine prescribed by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) are now being offered support from the MoD’s Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for Mefloquine, launched on 5 September 2016. This signposts veterans to appropriate advice through existing resources and patient pathways. A summary of the signposting algorithm is attached, which provides advice to individuals seeking information, those with health concerns, those who wish to make a complaint or those pursuing a legal claim.
Veterans will be encouraged to register their status with their NHS GP (Read Code XaX3) should they not previously have done so, to enable a pathway to existing resources in the NHS should they have concerns about their health. If a veteran attends your practice with a history that they have (or may have) used Mefloquine in the past, this letter serves 3 uses:
- Information for you on what advice your patient has already been given.
- Information on how to obtain copies of their military medical records should your records not hold a sufficient summary to assess the patient’s concerns.
- Some guidance on what options may be available to you in addition to your routine management.
The information that your patient has been given is included in the leaflet attached and includes the contact details for obtaining a copy of their military medical records. Since much of the focus has been the on mental health issues surrounding the use of Mefloquine, a link is provided to the Veterans and Reservists Mental Health Programme (VRMHP). If your records confirm that your patient took Mefloquine while in the military (or you have reason to believe this is the case) and they have mental health issues that you would wish to refer for further assessment or treatment, the VRMHP can provide an assessment and , if appropriate, enable further follow-up and treatment through local NHS resources.
You may find that you can provide information, reassurance or treatment within your routine patient pathways and may choose to support the veteran locally. Further information and education on veterans’ health is available on the free to access e-Learning for Health.
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