A local health service is “expanding its remit” to offer specific health and wellbeing support to armed forces personnel and their carers.

County NHS partnership One Gloucestershire has appointed a new social prescribing link worker - which help to improve wellbeing by connecting people to practical and emotional support - to work specifically with armed forces personnel, veterans and their families and carers.

The social prescribing service works to help patients whose needs lie outside of medical treatment, providing opportunities ranging from the arts and physical activity to volunteering and mutual aid.

The new link worker will focus on the specific needs of forces personel and ensure all prescribers are trained to provide support in the future.

Cllr Andrew Gravells, armed forces champion for Gloucestershire County Council, said: “I’m delighted that we are able to introduce this new social prescribing link worker dedicated to supporting the armed forces community.

“Having heard through my work on the armed forces covenant that it was working successfully elsewhere in the south west, I was keen to introduce it in Gloucestershire and it’s wonderful to see this vision become a reality thanks to our partnership working.”