Sue Farrant and Nick Clegg at the Liberal Democrat Conference in Bournemouth
Dr Sue Farrant, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for West Dorset, today called for more psychiatric services to be provided to front line troops. Sue Farrant served in the Army herself after leaving school and is an active campaigner for better conditions for servicemen and women and their families.
Sue told the Liberal Democrat Party Conference in Bournemouth this week that troops serving on the front line may begin to suffer from mental illness, most often related to combat stress. “Sadly,” she said, “Due to a shortage of psychiatric medical care in conflict zones, their illness might well go undiagnosed and untreated until it reaches a critical level. By that time the damage is done and we have failed in our duty of care”.
Liberal Democrats voted unanimously to reaffirm and restore the military covenant. Measures agreed included increasing the basic pay of lower ranks and NCOs to be brought in line with the police, improvements to accommodation and proper medical provision for all service personnel. The additional money needed would be found by scrapping the Trident nuclear weapon replacements, not buying Eurofighters and by reducing the number of civilians working in the Ministry of Defence.
The debate was preceded by a minute’s silence to mark the UN International Day of Peace and in memory of those who lost their lives in the Afghanistan conflict.
