NHS Waiting Lists, Patient Choice & Veterans Getting the Care They Deserve

Did you know that as an NHS patient you have the right to choose where you receive your treatment — including a private hospital, fully funded by the NHS? Most veterans don't. Most GPs don't either. In this episode, filmed at the Practice Plus Group Hospital in Birmingham, Mike Davis Marks sits down with three people who between them have changed what healthcare looks like for veterans in the Midlands and beyond. Sam Doubleday served 16 years in the Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service, including tours of Kosovo and Afghanistan, before becoming Hospital Director at Practice Plus Group Birmingham, and taking on the national role of Veterans Champion across all 12 of the group's hospitals across the UK. Derrick Clarke served 24 years in the REME, including the Falklands War and the Gulf. His service-related knee and hip injuries left him in agony and facing waits of over a year for surgery — despite holding a war pension that recognised his injuries as service-related. A chance Facebook comment changed everything. Neil — regional coordinator for veteran charity Stepway — was that chance Facebook comment. A Falklands veteran himself, diagnosed with PTSD in 2021 and treated rapidly through OP Courage, he now spends his days making sure veterans find the right door — even when the system makes it as hard as possible. In this episode: 16 years in RAF nursing — from intensive care to squadron commander at Cranwell How Practice Plus Group became veteran aware — and what that actually means in practice The NHS patient choice right that almost nobody knows about — and how to use it Derrick's 24 years in the REME, Bluff Cove, and two service-related injuries that the system repeatedly failed How a Facebook comment connected two Falklands veterans who'd never met — and got Derrick pain-free within weeks The Antrim, a live thousand-pound bomb, and the first time one was ever removed from a Royal Navy warship PTSD, OP Courage, and why Neil went from patient to regional coordinator Stepway's seven-step civilian skills programme — rebuilding veterans for civvy street the way the military should have Allotments, banter and brews, and veteran safe spaces across the West Midlands Why collaboration — not competition — is the only way the veteran support system actually works If you are a veteran waiting in pain for surgery, you may have more options than you think. Ask your GP about patient choice and mention Practice Plus Group. TheVeteran.UK champions the transferable skills of veterans — in business, in communities, and in leadership. The Veteran Voice is where those stories get told. 🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode 📰 Read more at theveteran.uk