Belinda Laming nominated for national award

Belinda Laming, a drug and alcohol caseworker for the North West Military Veterans’ Service

Belinda Laming, a health worker who supports military veterans who are experiencing drug or alcohol problems has been nominated for a national award.

Belinda, a drug and alcohol caseworker for the North West Military Veterans’ Service, is a finalist in the Military Civilian Health Partnership Awards in the Healthcare Civilian of the Year category.

Belinda, who works for Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, helps ex-servicemen and women address their substance misuse before going on to receive psychological support.

Her role also sees her offer expert advice to health staff working with clients who have substance misuse difficulties which impact on their therapy.

In addition Belinda acts as a key link between the Military Veterans’ Service and the prison and probation services in the North West, supporting those with criminal records to access treatment.

Belinda’s expertise in her role is strengthened by her personal experiences.

She is a veteran herself, having served in the Royal Navy for six years and is also the wife and mother of ex-forces personnel with her husband serving 23 years in the Navy and her son 10 years in the Army.

Dr Alan Barrett, Principal Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Lead, said Belinda was a great asset to the service.

He said: “We are incredibly lucky to have Belinda in the team. It allows us not to have to turn any veteran away from the service due to alcohol or substance misuse and she routinely goes above and beyond to help our clients.

“She’s very persistent and she never gives up on people.”

Belinda said she was delighted to have been nominated for the award.

She said: “When I meet individuals for the first time, they’ve lost self-respect and they genuinely believe they’re not worth helping.

“When I tap into the reason that they wanted to become a member of the British Armed Forces and they rediscover that pride and it helps give them that sense of self-worth back - it’s absolutely priceless.”

The Military Civilian Health Partnership Awards recognise the relationship between the Ministry of Defence and the Department of Health to deliver excellence in healthcare and social care for the Armed Forces.

Belinda will now attend the national awards event in Whittington, London in November.
The Military Veterans Service is funded by 32 Clinical Commissioning Groups from Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Cheshire and Merseyside.