Page 95 - Mind, Body & Spirit Number 104 2020/21

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4 x AAPTI’s and 2 x MT JNCO’s work on a demanding 24hr on / 48hr off rotation, managing the ward 24/7. Their daily duties consist of inspections, collecting and delivering food, cleaning duties, monitoring JS on exercise time and ensuring that they always adhere to social distancing rules.
The biggest challenge of the job has been when a large influx of JS came into the ward at any one time. Managing the Isolation ward has been a challenging time in my career, but a challenge I have found very satisfying and beneficial to my personal development.
Primary Care Rehabilitation Facility (PCRF) Harrogate
Sgt (SI) N Podmore RAPTC
Primary Care Rehabilitation Facility (PCRF) Harrogate is a busy department situated within Uniacke Barracks at the Army Foundation College. The PCRF department consists of two military ERIs and four civilian physiotherapists. The current patient population at risk is 1300.
Within this annual report, the department has been refurbished and has had an uplift with new physical training equipment. Adaptations in-class therapy were needed with Junior Soldiers (JS) working from home. JS conducted regular zoom rehab classes supplemented with individual programmes to help speed the recovery of their injury. JS returned to basic training, and class therapy resumed with smaller classes due to indoor training restrictions.
The PCRF has seen three ERI’s depart, including myself, SSgt Leach and SSgt Richardson. SSgt Spencer and SSgt Charlton now continue to push the PCRF forward and will look to implement new initiatives to support the JS.
Army Foundation College Harrogate (AFC(H)) All Arms Physical Training Instructor Distributed Training Package Sgt (SI) A Crosbie RAPTC
Upon recommencing work at AFC(H) after the first nationwide COVID Lockdown, it quickly became apparent that when the Leadership and Initiative (L&IT) Department were required to return to the delivery of Adventurous Training (AT), that we would have an insufficient amount of suitably qualified AAPTI AT Instructors to teach our Junior Soldiers (JS). This shortage in the department came about due to assignments and the closure of multiple Joint Service Mountain Training Centres (JSMTC) thanks to (yet again) COVID 19.
To combat this, Fox Company quickly made AT for AAPTI’s its priority; SSgt Dave Mudge devised and implemented a plan resulting in the delivery of seven foundation courses within a six- week period, with an output of 37 Foundation awards across four different AT disciplines. This package was met with mixed emotions from the AAPTI’s, many being hesitant to give up their barbells for a map and compass, ropes and paddles. However, amongst the boggy moorland of Yorkshire Dales, windswept Crags at Almscliffe and murky waters of Ripon Canal, the AT was a massive success. Many of our AAPTI’s were frequently placed into positions whereby they felt mentally outside their comfort zone (a zone that often becomes unfamiliar as an Initial Training Establishment AAPTI) enabling our Instructors to grow within their current job role.
This period of instruction has placed the Company in a substantially better position than it was even pre-pandemic times, with Instructors now actively pursuing AT disciplines that appeal to them in equal measure to weights and Coffee (Costa). Across the six-week period, Instructors achieved Joint Service Adventurous Training (JSAT) scheme foundation awards in Canoeing, Kayaking, Summer Mountaineering, and Rock Climbing which enabled our Instructors to bid for JSAT leadership qualifications that upon completion made them fully employable within the L&IT department. Many found these weeks hugely rewarding and successfully broadened their knowledge and awareness of the varied career paths within the RAPTC, culminating in an influx of applicants requesting to attend RAPTC selection process.
CMS 18 (Refined)
Sgt (SI) Carlin RAPTC
During this challenging year, the Army Foundation College Harrogate (AFC(H)) have continued to develop Junior Soldiers in their journey to becoming British Soldiers. The CMS 18 PD had to be modified in line with force help protection measures and became CMS 18 PD refined. This highlighted Fox Coy`s reactiveness and adaptability, thus ensuring Junior Soldiers received the appropriate training in order to continue to ITT. As physical training indoor had ceased and the use of physical training equipment was limited, all lessons had to be delivered outside, and Junior Soldiers had to use their personal kit to conduct the exercises. This stripped-back approach to training proved that whatever situation, including some far from ideal weather conditions, AFC(H) can always deliver physical training.
AFC JS doing L&IT