News

Reflecting on a decade of progress

Publishing this year’s Progress Report represented a significant milestone - for the first time since these reports began, no recommendations have been rated red. That means there is evidence of progress being made across every area under review – as the breadth of policy and service areas assessed continues to grow each year.

Over the past decade, the office has made 96 recommendations across health, housing, employability, finance, and wider support for the veteran community. Nine of these will not be assessed until next year, having only been made this year. Of the other 87, 42 have been implemented in full and 27 have been superseded or absorbed within the newer outcomes-focused recommendations. Eight have been rated as amber/green, meaning they have been implemented but further work is required to embed them in systems, and seven have been assessed as partially implemented, meaning further progress is needed.

Some of these recommendations have been challenging to implement, some have required significant systemic change, and some have taken years of persistence. To see that no recommendation now sits at “not implemented” is both encouraging and a clear sign of how far things have come in terms of improving policy, support and services for Scotland’s veteran community.

However, ticking off recommendations is never the end goal. What matters most is how this work translates into meaningful improvements in the lives of veterans and their families. This year’s report highlights good progress in areas such as employability and skills – including continued development of tools to help veterans translate military qualifications into civilian careers – and early steps to ensure that under-represented groups in the veteran community are better recognised and supported.

There are also signs of positive change in health and wellbeing, with the launch of initiatives like the Veterans In-Service Injury Network. But progress on paper must be matched by consistent delivery across Scotland, so that veterans experience these improvements in practice, wherever they live.

Alongside these successes, there remain areas where progress is too slow or uneven. Health and homelessness continue to stand out. Uptake of the GP Recognition Scheme, for example, has been much lower than expected, despite its potential to make a real difference in improving veteran care. This indicates that too many GP practices are still not aware of the specific needs of veterans and the additional support providers that they can be referred to.

Similarly, while the Veterans Mental Health Pathway and the Veterans Homelessness Prevention Pathway are moving forward, greater pace is needed if they are to deliver the outcomes veterans deserve. Pressing for action isn’t enough there needs to be timely delivery to reduce long waits for appropriate services.

Looking back on my past three years in the role, and further to those of my predecessors, it’s clear that change has been enacted. The fact that all recommendations are now being acted on shows commitment across government, public services, and the wider veteran support community.

At the same time, it’s important to recognise that progress is not linear, nor is it ever finished. Each recommendation represents a real issue in a veteran’s life – a gap in housing provision, a challenge in accessing appropriate health care, or a barrier to meaningful employment – and my role is to ensure these issues remain visible until the solutions are firmly embedded.

My commitment to the veteran community remains steadfast - to ensure their voices inform decision-making, their service is fully recognised, and they have access to the statutory support necessary to thrive.

Read my 2025 Progress Report in full.

Read the news release for a summary of the reports findings.