Page 85 - Mind, Body and Spirit No. 105 2021/22

RCDM is the UK’s Role 4 receiving hospital, meaning that any casualties sustained on overseas Exercise or
Operations will be admitted via the MEDEVAC or AeroMed pathway. It is a tri-service unit of 500+ doctors, nurses, healthcare assistance, Operating Department Practitioners (ODPs), radiographers, biomedical scientists, physios and pharmacists. These healthcare professionals are then spread across five
different sites, where they integrate within the NHS with the vast majority located in Birmingham at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEHB).
I arrived at the unit in Spring 2021, with no experience of a tri-service environment and limited experience outside of the Infantry. To say the learning curve has been steep would be an understatement. The way RCDM integrates with QEHB means that for around 80% of their working week they fulfil a role within a civilian team, working long shifts, nights and weekends. Throughout the pandemic unit personnel stepped up and integrated fully with the NHS, working 100% clinical and a 4 on 1 off schedule. The demands of these clinical hours meant that when I arrived at the unit, I had no AAPTIs, all PT was delivered via Zoom and there was no sport taking place.
I am pleased to say that in the 12 months since I started, through continuous hard work and determination, I now have one radiographer who recently qualified as an AAPTI and one nurse currently attending her AAPTI course. Despite some initial teething issues such as no gymnasium/real-estate, security threats, travelling to access venues and no instructors, all PT is now conducted face-to-face again.
RCDM has a keen interest in sport and has recently won a number of sporting events, such as the Midlands Festival of Sport 2021 (Minor Unit Winners) and the Midlands Athletics Championships, where they were both the male and female Minor Unit winners.
Midlands Festival of Sport
Sgt (SI) K Hanes RAPTC
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ROYAL CENTRE FOR DEFENCE MEDICINE (RCDM)
Midlands Athletics Championships, with members of The Red Devils
This has helped promote teamwork, unit cohesion, leadership and fitness.
Thanks to a supportive CO & proactive UATO, RCDM have successfully delivered multiple Adventurous Training decompression packages. This has provided Service Personnel with a controlled exposure to risk, the opportunity to develop leadership, teamwork, physical fitness, morale and physical courage, among other personal attributes and skills that are vital to the operational effectiveness of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
In summary, RCDM is a unique unit that has provided an insight and learning opportunities I never expected. The unit required an RAPTCI that could empathise with the difficulties faced during clinical hours but remain dedicated to promoting the benefits of physical development. An assignment to RCDM provides the RAPTCI the opportunity to use their initiative and develop problem-solving skills in a way they are unlikely to experience at any another unit.