Page 36 - QARANC Vol 14 No 9 2014

34 QARANC THE GAZETTE
Defence Primary Healthcare at Defence Medical Services (Whittington)
In 2010 Carillion handed over Coltman House to Defence Medical Services (DMS). At the time, it was the first new building to be built at Whittington Barracks, one of the oldest military camps in the West Midlands. Named after Lance Corporal William Coltman Victoria Cross, who was a stretcher-bearer in World War One, and the most decorated soldier in the Armed Forces. Coltman House is the Headquarters (HQ) for the Surgeon General (SG), an appointment currently held by Air Marshal CPA Evans QHP RAF. Four years later DMS (Whittington) has been transformed from a quiet centre for the Army Training Regiment (ATR) to the first and brand new home for the DMS. The age of the barracks is estimated, from the remaining Garrison Church as being built around 1878, making the barracks one hundred and thirty six years old (although the Garrison Church was not officially consecrated until the Twentieth Century). Another of the earlier buildings constructed on the site was a small Military Hospital with enough beds for sixty six patients, with a two bedded infectious diseases ward and a mortuary. There is the striking legacy of the Great War within the barracks, which has two war memorials to the West of the parade square. These two obelisks are topped with Regimental Battle Honours for both the South and North Staffordshire Regiments. The South Staffords memorial is topped with a Sphinx and the North Staffords with a Chinese Dragon.
The barracks itself continued to serve as a depot after the Second World War, firstly for the Mercian Brigade and subsequently for the Prince of Wales’ Division, until it became the ATR Lichfield in 1993. As a Phase One training establishment, the barracks conducted basic training courses for newly recruited soldiers hoping to enter a number of Arms and Corps, including many currently serving Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps (QARANC) soldiers and some who eventually commissioned as QARANC Officers. The last Recruit to be trained at ATR Lichfield passed out over a decade ago. This training legacy has now been re-established with
the move of the DMS Training Group, now known as the Defence College of Healthcare Education and Training, from Keogh Barracks in Surrey to Lichfield. This took place in March this year, and has helped establish DMS Whittington as a centre of excellence for the DMS, further strengthening the presence of DMS in the Midlands. In April 2013 HQ Surgeon General (SG) became home to the newly established 2* HQ for Defence Primary Healthcare (DPHC).
DPHC was set up following recommendations by Lord Levene (2011) in his review for the Government. The Levene Report made recommendations that parts of Defence, in which joint operating worked well, should be Commanded by a Joint HQ to harmonise service delivery, wherever possible. DPHC’s aim is to create and develop an organisation made up of the Royal Navy (RN), Army, Royal Air Force (RAF) and Civilian medical personnel working jointly together to the benefit of all patients they serve. Also, DPHC aims to safeguard the quality of healthcare for military personnel, their dependants and entitled civilians.
DPHC delivers Occupational Health (OH), Mental Health, Rehabilitation, Dental Services and Primary Healthcare worldwide. It is now at Full Operational Capability (FOC) and provides governance, assurance and delivery of primary, occupational and intermediate healthcare across Defence. DPHC collaborates with the three single Services (sS) in order to provide the best in occupationally sensitive primary healthcare for their patients; this means that patients will be able to access any DPHC facilities irrespective of parent Service and receive equitable care. For some personnel who require specialist medical assessment, such as submariners, divers and pilots, then DPHC will ensure that they are seen by trained experts in these specialist areas, this is known as Service sensitive care.
DPHC mission is to deliver a unified, safe, efficient and accountable primary, occupational, intermediate and where required, secondary healthcare services to entitled personnel, as well as dental, throughout the United Kingdom (UK) Firm Base, British Forces
Germany, Permanent Joint Operating Base, Overseas Base and European Support Group. This is in order to meet the unique occupational demands and operation requirement of the sS and Defence, as well as maximising their health and ensure personnel are medically fit for operations.
HQ DPHC provides operational level leadership, direction, management and support to ensure delivery of all output is co-ordinated in the most efficient and effective manner. Tactical co-ordination of delivery is exercised at Regional level by the Regional Clinical Directors. Promotion and prevention is key, and sS Health branches and appropriate 3, 2, and 1* star Formation Health Committees are there to ensure that DPHC plays its full part in development of OH support to the Reserve. DPHC also acts as an advocate for the Armed Forces patient group to ensure that the cohort gains appropriate and timely access to National Health Service delivered care, and are not adversely discriminated against in terms of local and national commissioning arrangements.
The sS Regional Occupational Health Teams (ROHT)/Regional Occupational Medicine Departments (ROMDs) come under command of DPHC. ROHT/ ROMD deliver environmental specialist support to their whole geographical Population at Risk. This ensures where necessary, Service sensitive support being maintained for the purposes of specialist OH. DPHC have thirteen OH capabilities across the UK and Germany.
There are eight ROHT based at Aldershot, Catterick, Colchester, Woolwich, SNI, Donnington, Tidworth and British Forces Germany. The Royal Air Force (RAF) have two ROMD based at Cranwell and Brize Norton. The Royal Navy (RN) have three ROHT based at Portsmouth, Devonport and Faslane. The Army’s ROHT main capability is to maintain the delivery of consultant led clinical Occupational Medicine (OM) to comply with Director of Manning (Army) policy and timelines. Also, to ensure that the demand for proactive OM intervention is met which includes Work Place Assessments, Health Care attendance/health surveillance and Graduated Return to Work. The Army ROHT also deliver