H e a l t h
Service PersonnelEmbracing N
HS Choices is the most popular online source of health information in
the UK, attracting more than 7m visitors a month. The website has a comprehensive A-Z of health conditions, advice on healthy living, guides to local health services and a daily analysis of the science behind the medical headlines. It is in this environment that Steven Shukor, its Editor, sought to include dedicated pages for Service personnel.
We have now produced a section dedicated to informing Service personnel on healthcare in the Forces, accessing services, useful contacts and treatment pathways. The section is packed with NHS and MoD approved information to help improve Servicemen and women’s experience of medical services, whether at home or abroad.
Also included are web articles, videos and interactive features, which look at the advances in the treatment and rehabilitation of military personnel. We feature an interactive history of British military medicine showing how warfare has helped advance both military and civilian medicine. The timeline includes the only surviving audio recording of Florence Nightingale, an image of the first plastic surgery patient, new life-saving techniques, and bionic limbs at Headley Court.
World-class care for the Armed Forces A series of spending reviews following the end of the Cold War led to the closure of the military hospitals. Although the change was passionately opposed, a review concluded the decision was ‘the right one’. In fact the closer co-operation between the Defence Medical Services (DMS) and the NHS has enabled the Armed Forces to provide modern and advanced clinical care and give its medical staff the broadest and most up-to- date training and experience.
Structure Medical services are delivered to Forces personnel by the DMS, the NHS, charities and welfare organisations. The DMS employs more than 6,500 uniformed medical staff
34 Autumn 2010
www.raf-ff.org.uk
from all three Services and essentially provides primary care within the UK and Defence outposts overseas. It is responsible for delivering healthcare on operations overseas and rehabilitation through Headley Court Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre and regional units in the UK and Germany. The DMS commissions services from six NHS trusts for personnel and their families needing hospitalisation in England.
Military casualties Armed Forces personnel returning from operations for treatment in the UK usually go to University Hospital Birmingham’s Selly Oak Hospital, which has earned an excellent reputation for treating complex injuries. During their time at Selly Oak, military patients are placed together in a secure trauma ward staffed by both military and NHS medical staff.
Treatment and rehabilitation Personnel seriously injured abroad are airlifted to the UK by the RAF’s aeromedical evacuation squadron at Lyneham. Military patients in the UK in need of hospital treatment visit one of the five MoD Hospital Units (MDHU), where they are given priority access. A fast-track system, funded by the MoD, is also in place for Servicemen and women to receive timely access to treatment through the NHS as well as the private sector. Armed Forces members recovering from orthopaedic and neurological
problems are treated at one of 13 Regional Rehabilitation Units (RRUs) across the UK, including Headley Court.
Mental health Military mental health professionals are sent on operations overseas so they can provide assessment and care in the field. Care is offered at 15 military Departments of Community Mental Health (DCMH) across the UK and smaller centres abroad. Inpatient care, when necessary, is provided in specialised psychiatric units under contract held by a partnership of seven NHS Trusts. The contract ensures that those who require inpatient care will continue to receive the very best treatment close to their home or parent unit in the UK. The priority is to return injured Service personnel back to work as quickly as possible.
Veterans Everyone leaving the Armed Forces is given a summary of their medical records, which they are advised to give to their new GP. Veterans are also entitled to priority NHS treatment for conditions resulting from their service. A medical assessment programme based at St Thomas’ Hospital in London is available to those worried they might have a mental health problem.
The dedicated pages on the NHS Choices website can be found at
www.nhs.uk/ livewell/militarymedicine
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