NHS bosses in Hull have ordered the move which will mean doctors in the city who suspect patients are suffering from illness or injury linked to their military service can help them to beat NHS queues.

Veterans' groups today welcomed the decision and are
calling on health secretary Alan Johnson, who is an MP in Hull,
to approve it nationwide amid complaints ex-service personnel are not being offered the standards of care they deserve, with waits of 18 months or longer.

Only war pensioners are currently eligible for fast-track care.

It is expected younger veterans who have served since the first Gulf conflict are most likely to benefit – particularly those suffering from conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder which can appear sometimes years after they have left the services. Hull is a nationally-recognised centre for treatment of the condition.

Shaun Rusling, of the Hull-based National Gulf War Veterans and Families' Association, which had lobbied for the move, said he hoped ex-service personnel would get quicker diagnoses and speedier access to specialist treatment.

Former service people often had complex problems but the Government did little to help, he said.

"We hope this can be accepted nationally. If it can be done in Hull, then why can't it happen in Leeds or Manchester or London and everywhere where veterans are ill?" he said.

Andrew Meek, of the Royal British Legion, said: "This is a tremendous win for veterans in Hull." The decision went "above and beyond the call of duty", recognising the contribution made by ex-service personnel by extending the duty of care to all veterans, not just those who were war pensioners.

A survey of war pensioners had recently found four in five were not being given priority treatment for conditions resulting from their service and the decision also reminded doctors that they were entitled to fast-track care, he added.

Robert Marsh, of the charity Combat Stress, which assists veterans suffering from mental health problems, said: "It gives due respect to those who have served their nation.

"It is a significant step forward which should be replicated throughout the UK as part of a more general recognition by society of the contribution service people make."

The initiative has been driven by Chris Long, chief executive at Hull Primary Care Trust, who served in the first Gulf War before leaving the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers as a captain in 1992.

He said it was an issue that was "close to his heart". Those who served in the two Gulf wars and Afghanistan were most likely to benefit.

"My concern is largely around issues like post-traumatic stress disorder. It could be that a soldier finishes his service and it does not manifest itself at that time only to show up subsequently," he said.

Mr Long said it was unlikely to cost significant sums and would only apply to veterans whose problems were linked to service.

"I think it is a relatively small move but one that does recognise the contribution and potential sacrifice these people have made. It is something that could be instituted nationally without too much trouble," he added.

In a letter to local doctors, he said he was concerned of a "significant risk" that physical and mental health problems linked to military service could be missed or misdiagnosed.

"Where access to services for war pensioners or those with suspected service-related conditions are excessively long, I will personally intervene to expedite their access or commission a package of care from an alternative provider," he said.

"I would therefore ask that when you make any such referrals in the future, you expressly state that the patient is a veteran, and that he/she should be expedited accordingly.

"I hope you will agree that this change recognises the contribution service personnel have made and will support me in its implementation."

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "We continue to work closely with the Ministry of Defence to ensure that all veterans get a good standard of healthcare. Thankfully, due to the reduction in waiting times, priority treatment is less of an issue than it was in the past.

"Nationally, allocation of priority treatment is a matter for the clinician in charge and is dependent on their judgment
of the clinical need of the
case."