MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
News Release (232/2008) issued by COI News Distribution Service. 23
October 2008
Health workers who
provide outstanding care for the Armed Forces were recognised
tonight in a ceremony attended by HRH The Duchess of Cornwall at
the Royal Hospital Chelsea.
The inaugural Military and Civilian Health Partnership Awards
highlighted exceptional individuals and teams from across the UK
working in fields such as deployed healthcare, care of veterans,
mental health, education and training and innovation.
HRH The Duchess of Cornwall presented trophies to the winners,
including a special Lifetime Achievement Award to the remaining
members of the nursing team, 'The Flying Nightingales'
who operated out of RAF Down Ampney during World War II. Tasked
with bringing wounded soldiers back from Europe on Dakotas,
altogether they brought back more than 100,000 casualties, many of
who would not have survived but for the bravery and selflessness
of the nursing orderlies.
Defence Secretary John Hutton said:
"This evening is an opportunity to pay tribute to the
diverse and dedicated military, NHS, voluntary and private sector
medical professionals from across the UK who provide first class
care to our personnel, who quite rightly deserve the best."
The awards scheme is a joint venture between the MOD, Department
of Health, the Welsh Assembly, the Scottish Government and
Northern Ireland's Department of Health, Social Services and
Public Safety. The MOD was the host department for the 2008 awards.
MILITARY AND CIVILIAN HEALTH PARTNERSHIP AWARDS
2008 WINNERS:
Deployed Healthcare Award:
Medical Emergency Response Team (Enhanced) (MERT(E)), Op Herrick,
Christmas and New Year 2007/8 - MERT(E) members from Royal Army
Medical Corps, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force
During the Christmas and New Year holiday period, the Medical
Emergency Response Team based at Camp Bastion in
Afghanistan's Helmand Province was on 24 hour standby to go
to the aid of injured soldiers. The team of senior doctors, RAF
Emergency flight nurses and paramedics and Army Combat Medical
Technicians provided advanced resuscitation and pre-hospital
critical care to soldiers, from close to the point of wounding and
in the dedicated Chinook helicopter on the return trip to Camp
Bastion. Using Damage Control Resuscitation, novel vascular access
techniques and critical care interventions, the team stabilised
the casualties, delivering them rapidly to the Emergency Department.
Education and Training Award:
Combat Casualty Care Training
Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, Birmingham
The Academic Department of Military Emergency Medicine (ADMEM)
has developed and implemented a range of innovative combat
casualty care training curricula, from first aid through to field
hospital care, which benefit patients by improving safety and
enhancing outcome following critical injury or illness. These have
been successfully transferred into civilian trauma and disaster
medicine training programmes that have been propagated
internationally to benefit patients in more than 20 countries;
ADMEM's disaster medical training programmes have been
adopted by NATO and the UN.
Health Improvement and Promotion Award:
Ministry of Defence and National Health Service Partnership,
Oxford Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals Trust - Adult Intensive Care
Unit The Critical Care Air Support Teams (CCAST) are a unique
Defence Medical Services (DMS) air capability. These teams are
responsible for the worldwide repatriation of the most critically
ill and injured personnel. The teams have quite literally saved
lives, not just for the UK, but also for our coalition partners
and civilian entitled personnel throughout the world.
Care of Veterans Award:
Accelerated Access for Veterans
Hull Teaching Primary Care Trust (PCT)
This initiative, launched by the Board of Hull PCT in October
2007, highlights the fact that veterans may have health needs
associated with their service that are not recognised by civilian
practitioners. It makes provision for their accelerated access to
NHS services if the referring practitioner suspects that any
condition is related to their military service, effectively giving
all veterans the same status as war pensioners.
Healthcare Reservist of the Year Award:
Colonel Sam Rawlinson, East of Scotland Blood Transfusion Centre,
Edinburgh Nominated by the Scottish National Blood Transfusion
Service Col Rawlinson has shown personal commitment to NHS
patients requiring the full range of Transfusion Medicine products
and services, and life saving transfusion support to trauma
surgeons treating very seriously injured casualties in operational
theatres. He simultaneously led a major NHS Blood Transfusion
Centre unit and a Royal Army Medical Corps (Volunteers) General
Hospital. The expertise he has developed through his military
service is invaluable to the NHS in Scotland.
Team of the Year: Military and Civilian Health Partnership Award:
Joint MOD/DH Smoking Cessation Project
Defence Medical Services Department and Department of Health,
London Close co-operation between the DH Tobacco Policy Unit and
the Project Team was vital to the success of this initiative,
developing smoking cessation services for the particular needs of
military personnel.. Success was achieved and the project
substantially outperformed set targets, with 8650 setting a quit
date (Target: 3300) and at four weeks 4244 (49 percent) were
recorded as still stopped (Target: 825 (25 percent)).
Innovation in Service Development Award:
Defence Patient Tracking System - Defence Medical Services
Department Defence Analytical Services and Advice and Joint
Medical Command The Defence Patient Tracking System (DPTS) ensures
that patient care is delivered in timely fashion, that care
pathways are not interrupted and that there is complete clarity of
responsibility for the clinical, administrative and welfare
support of patients at all times.
Mental Health Award:
Implementation of the new Mental Health Facility in British
Forces Germany
British Forces Germany Health Service
British Forces Germany has achieved significant improvement in
access to multi-disciplinary mental health services by locating
resources, including Community Psychiatric Nurses, Occupational
Therapists, Psychiatric Social Workers, Psychiatrists and
Psychologists in communities.
Notes to Editors:
1. The 2008 awards were open to military or civilian members of
the Defence Medical Services, NHS or independent sector healthcare
professionals, either on an individual or team basis, who have
benefited the care of a member(s) of the Armed Forces. This
included veterans and their dependants.
2. The evening was attended by HRH The Duchess of Cornwall,
Defence and Health ministers, prominent military and health
representatives from across the UK, and more than 100 shortlisted
teams and individuals.
3. Further information on the health partnership awards,
including the full list of winners and further details on them can
be found at http://www.dmsd.mod.uk, the
Military and Civilian Health Partnership website.
4. The Scottish Government will host the awards in 2009.
5. The origins of the Royal Hospital Chelsea date back to the
17th century. Nowadays it provides accommodation and medical care
to retired soldiers of the British Army. It has a fully staffed
Infirmary and also runs an out-patient service for the Chelsea
Pensioners. http://www.chelsea-pensioners.co.uk.
6. For further information contact Vicky Beacon, Defence PR and
Events, 020 7218 6162, vicky.beacon625@mod.uk or Tom Callagher,
020 7218 0341, tom.callagher880@mod.uk