A veteran is someone who has served in the armed forces for at least one day, and there are around 4.5m veterans in the UK.
When servicemen and women leave the armed forces, their healthcare is the responsibility of the NHS. All veterans are entitled to priority access to NHS hospital care for any condition, as long as it' related to their service, whether or not they receive a war pension.
All people leaving the armed forces are given a summary of their medical records, which they are advised to give to their GP when they register.
Veterans are encouraged to tell their GP about their veteran status in order to benefit from priority treatment.
A minority of people leaving the armed forces need access to mental health services; others might require it later in civilian life.