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.
Last updated : 22 Sep 2016We can work it out: powering up London's primary care workforce - Londonwide LMCs' Annual Conference 2016 (08 Dec 2015)
Back in October we recommended that you held Wednesday 20 April 2016 in your calendar. The reason? It’s the date of Londonwide LMCs’ annual conference. The free, must attend event...GP help wanted with audit of research requests (08 Dec 2015)
The BMA have requested help from GPs in developing standards for research requests. If you receive any requests from researchers between now and 29 January 2016 that you would...Londonwide LMCs' second workforce survey - Thank you (08 Dec 2015)
Thank you for making space in your hectic day to complete our recent short survey on practice workforce issues. This was a follow-up to the survey that many of you...Provider Development and our support to emerging federations (08 Dec 2015)
One of the priority work areas for Londonwide LMCs is on Provider Development and how we as an organisation support emerging federations wherever they are developing. We have teamed up...Speakers' Corner - The most fun a GP can have without coming to the attention of the GMC (08 Dec 2015)
This month Dr Paul O'Reilly explains the challenges of working with a homeless patient population and the rewards his work offers. Paul is a partner at the Dr Hickey Practice in Westminster...Patient Online – prepare now for next year’s contractual deadline (08 Dec 2015)
As you know, promoting the use of online appointment booking and online repeat prescription ordering are contractual requirements for Patient Online. These are routinely offered to patients in London. From...Mword - Issue 25 now available (02 Dec 2015)
Wednesday 2 December 2015Londonwide LMCs statement on 2015 spending review - Dr Michelle Drage, CEO (25 Nov 2015)
“Today’s announcement falls short of what is needed to address the challenges facing general practice in the Capital and beyond. “The Statement contains nothing new for...M Word - Issue 24 - November 2015 now available (20 Nov 2015)
20 November 2015 Following my message earlier this week, I want to update you further on events over the...M Word - Issue 23 - November 2015 now available (17 Nov 2015)
17 November 2015 This week will see the arrival of winter with its crisp blue skies and the hope of...Guidance
We provide expert guidance for practices in our guidance section, as well as an archive of other materials you may find useful.
GP Support
Contact our GP Support team if you need help or advice.
The team provide professional and pastoral support to GPs and practice teams on a broad range of issues.