Duty Of Care Expected To Become Legally Binding

The government’s new proposals to make the Military Covenant legally binding has been welcomed by a specialist armed forces compensation lawyer at Irwin Mitchell.

A statement is expected that will confirm widely reported proposals that will see the guidelines, which outline the duty of care that the UK upholds to all of its troops and their families.

Among the measures set to be announced will be plans to ensure that soldiers and others wounded in battle can get priority access to healthcare and NHS support, including quality prosthetics for amputees and IVF treatment for those unable to have children as result of their injuries.

Irwin Mitchell’s Armed Forces Claims team provides support to ex-servicemen who were seriously injured in battle as a result of safety failings and the negligence of their superiors.  It has been involved in a number of high-profile cases, including representing the families of 14 personnel killed on board a Nimrod plane in Afghanistan in 2006.

Andrew Buckham, an associate solicitor and armed forces injury expert at the firm, said: “Injuries sustained on the battlefield often have a massive, life-changing impact on armed forces personnel, leaving many of them facing a difficult readjustment to civilian life and a number of years of rehabilitation and care.

“The plans to make the Military Covenant a legal contract will formalise the duty of care that so many ex-servicemen and women rely on and should guarantee that they will get the highest standards of support after serving their country.

“All armed forces personnel deserve the best possible support during and after serving, and I hope that this change will ensure that this becomes the case.”