A British Army combat veteran working in the A&E department at Northwick Park Hospital and due to move to Ealing Hospital from next month (December 2025) is developing plans to improve how emergency services identify and support former service personnel.
James Spink, 37, an advanced care practitioner with London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust (LNWH), hopes his masters-level quality improvement project will lead to a dedicated clinic for veterans attending A&E. He said: “The idea is to set up a clinic where we can focus solely on veterans. There are a lot of us out there.”
Mr Spink served in Kosovo before completing two tours of Afghanistan. His work included guarding key infrastructure, checking for improvised explosive devices and supporting troops as a combat medic.
His military career ended after an IED exploded beneath his vehicle, causing severe spinal injuries. He was evacuated to the UK, where he was told he was paralysed from the waist down. After 17 months of rehabilitation and the use of a computerised leg brace, Mr Spink eventually learned to walk again.
He later worked as a paramedic, served with a medical evacuation team transporting critically ill patients by air, and spent time in a rehabilitation unit where he had once been treated himself. Mr Spink joined LNWH two years ago and said he now wants “other veterans to get the same sort of help” he received himself.
