From early in its development, the SVCN was clear that the voices of veterans needed to be at the heart of the development of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Action Plan (MHWAP) and inform all elements of our approach. There was no infrastructure for Veteran forums or for service user feedback on a national scale. Therefore, to ensure that the MHWAP was co-produced and truly informed by veterans, the SVCN established processes for engagement.
Semi-structured, open-ended questions were developed in consultation with the SVCN Health and Wellbeing Facet Working Group and Veterans Scotland:

• What is important in your life for staying mentally fit and well?
• During difficult periods what are your main sources of support?
• Do you feel able to approach others (professional or personal) for help and support during times of crisis? Is there anything that makes it more difficult to ask for help?
• Can you tell us about your transition from military healthcare to civilian services? What worked well? What could be improved?
• What do feel has made the most positive impact upon your mental health and wellbeing to date?
• What advice do you have for the Network in developing the Mental Health and Wellbeing Action Plan?

The prevalent themes from these focus groups, with evidential quotes, are listed within the Thematic Analysis document, which you can access here.