Peter Black and South Wales West Liberal Democrats

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Peter Black: I move that the National Assembly for Wales:

1. notes the limited provision of specialist treatment for sufferers of post-traumatic stress disorder in Wales; and

2. calls on the Welsh Assembly Government to recognise the prevalence of PTSD in Wales and to identify ways of extending treatment provision to those in need. (NDM4403)

Many questions have been asked about this topic in the Chamber, and it has also been the subject of a short debate by Mark Isherwood. I welcome the amendments tabled by the Conservatives, which underline our concerns about the patchy provision of care for specialist post-traumatic stress disorder.

It is also worth noting that there are no Government amendments, which I hope is indicative of the Minister's support for the motion and of her acknowledgement of the pressing need to ensure the provision and extension of appropriate support to all who are in need. On 20 January, in response to points raised in the short debate, the Minister said that she recognised the need for appropriate and responsive services for people with PTSD. She also quoted from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines on PTSD, and seems fully aware of what should be provided to anyone presenting themselves to a GP with these symptoms. For example, as is set out in the NICE guidelines, up to 30 per cent of people exposed to a stressful event or situation of an exceptionally threatening or catastrophic nature will go on to develop PTSD symptoms.

The difficulty and the reason why this motion is being proposed is that, although the Minister knows what should be happening, front-line delivery is inadequate, and individuals and their families are suffering as a result. I know a number of people who have suffered from PTSD, some of whom were former servicemen. One of them, tragically, died as a result of the side-effects of that condition. Those who do suffer from it go through what can only be described as hell. Many experience flashbacks, nightmares and depression associated with an event, although it may have happened 10 or more years ago. They feel that they do not want to go out. They avoid anything that can be associated with the experience, which could be the sound of a police siren or something on the news. They can no longer sleep and cannot explain why, and they do not understand what is happening to them. Relationships break down as they withdraw. They go to the doctor's and are told that the waiting time to see a counsellor is about 18 months. The GP might give them antidepressants. They cannot see a specialist because there is not one in the area in which they live. They could pay for counselling themselves, but it is a long way away and they are worried about the travelling, and, if they cannot do their job anymore, they would have trouble paying for it. That is the reality that people who have PTSD in Wales face, and we need to change it, if at all possible. The person whom I knew who had PTSD broke down every time you referred to the event that led to it. He degenerated into alcoholism and, tragically, died as a result. I want to avoid that happening to others, as far as is possible.

What we can say is that there is now scope for funding an efficient and much-needed PTSD service in Wales. A pilot scheme is currently under way in Cardiff. It is due to end very soon, and no doubt a review will be undertaken of its success. It should be pointed out that that pilot scheme cost about £135,000 and is only part-funded by the Welsh Assembly Government. It provided services to areas covered by the Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust and the Cwm Taf NHS Trust. The pilot caters to the needs of veterans, most of whom are living within the Cardiff and Cwm Taf areas. It is also worth noting that a great many Welsh citizens have served and continue to serve in the armed forces, and that Wales is considered to be a major recruiting ground not only for the Welsh Guards but for all the services. As a result of the many wars that Welsh servicemen have been involved in, such as the Falklands, the two wars in Iraq, and Afghanistan, many servicemen and ex-servicemen are suffering from this condition. We owe it to them to put in place the services that are needed to try to help them to cope with the stress, anxiety and depression that arises from some of the experiences that they have had.

Janet Ryder: I think that everybody would share your concerns over this particular issue, but you are stressing that we should be paying for this. Do you not think that the MOD itself has a duty in this regard? The MOD commissioned these young people into the armed forces. It spends millions of pounds and months and months training them, but it decommissions them in just 30 seconds-the length of time taken to sign a piece of paper. Do you not think that the Ministry of Defence has a duty to those young people to decommission them properly, with thorough counselling?

Peter Black: That is a point well made, Janet. I think that you have to note that PTSD goes beyond servicemen, but when I used the word 'we' I was referring to the state as opposed to the Welsh Assembly Government. However, you are absolutely right. In my view, the Ministry of Defence often supports soldiers only so far. Soldiers who come back from a conflict and who are incapacitated either physically or mentally do not get the support that they deserve from the Ministry of Defence. It is a problem that we-and I now refer to the National Assembly and the Welsh Government-end up picking up the tab for the support that we have to put in place through the NHS. We have a UK-wide NHS funded from taxpayers' money, just as the Ministry of Defence is funded from taxpayers' money. It is down to the taxpayer, I think, to decide that the support should be put in place. The problem seems to be that that support is not available, whether it comes from MOD funds, Welsh Assembly Government funds, or English health service funds. That is the problem that we are encountering.

There are many people who suffer from PTSD who have not been in the services, but who have carried out other duties on behalf of the public and have had shocking experiences that have led to their getting this particular illness. The Cardiff pilot that I was referring to has commissioned services from Combat Stress, a charitable organisation set up to respond to the needs of returning ex-servicemen and women who have mental health difficulties. In a sense, therefore, the pilot scheme has been targeted at ex-servicemen. The Welsh Government provided Combat Stress with about £8,200 a year, on average, between 2005 and 2008, and £15,200 from 2008 to the present. However, in 2008-09, 272 of Combat Stress's clients were resident in Wales and cost the taxpayer a total of £617,000.

In contrast, in May 2009, the Scottish Government committed £2.8 million to improve veterans' access to specialist mental health via Combat Stress. That underlines the stark difference between what is happening elsewhere, or in Scotland anyway, and what is happening in Wales and why we feel that this motion is necessary to highlight the situation of victims of PTSD and the resources that are available to help to treat them. I hope that the discrepancy between what is being done for PTSD sufferers in Wales and what is being done in Scotland can be addressed at some stage. I hope that you and the Government will support the motion, Minister, by voting for it later.