David Noyes RN Retd, Chief Operating Officer, Solent NHS Trust
“The whole NHS has really stood up and been there when the country needed it most.”Two careers linked by Public Service. The first, 28 years in the Royal Navy with “Lots of sea-time”; followed by a career in the NHS, “Making a difference to people, making people’s lives better.”Having joined-up at 18, David’s varied Naval career included work at sea on board Type 22 Frigates, shore-based at Whitehall and as Logistics Commander at Portsmouth Dockyard, followed by a secondment to the Army as Deputy Commander of 101 Brigade and a tour of Afghanistan.As well as serving Southern Hampshire with everything from community nursing and physiotherapy to children’s medical and mental health interventions; Solent NHS Trust is also the South East Regional Lead for ‘Operation Courage’ - the NHS Veterans’ mental health service recently launched by Johnny Mercer MP and the Office for Veterans’ Affairs (OVA).Op Courage is a national initiative which connects and enhances the NHS specialist mental health provision for Veterans; the Transition Intervention and Liaison Service (TILS), Complex Treatment Service (CTS) and the new High Intensity Service.A hugely complicated area of responsibility and David explains how this is tackled regionally, including essential partnership working with third sector organisations such as Walking with the Wounded and All Call Signs in Portsmouth. Being a Veteran himself, David provides valuable insight into the needs of Veterans and provides the logistical know-how to deliver.An important aspect of this is simplifying how Veterans can access specialist mental health services and in crisis, this can be as straightforward as phoning 111; or referral by members of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Military Mental Health Alliance such as Veterans Outreach Support (VOS), The Ripple Pond, Solent Mind or ourselves at Company of Makers.Of course, in the middle of a global pandemic, David’s team are hugely impacted by providing for the far-reaching implications of Covid on mental health across the entire community, as well being responsible for delivering the vaccination programme.We discuss the iIf you’re a member of the Armed Forces community and need support with your mental health, Op Courage can help. Or you could phone the Combat Stress Helpline on: 0800 138 1619Company of Makers exists to support veterans and their families who are struggling on civvy street no matter how long ago they left the armed forces.We do this by running a programme of Podcasts | Talks | Workshops.Company of Makers are trying to reach, and better understand, all members of the armed forces community who are also gamers. We’re especially interested in those that have served in conflicts over the last 30 years.To find out more contact us.