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PCRF Lisburn is a busy PCRF, serving 2 RIFLES, 38 (IRISH) Brigade, Northern Ireland Garrison
Support Unit and many other satellite and Reserve Units within the province. The PCRF is staffed by Gary, a full- time physiotherapist; Claire, a part-time physiotherapist; and Nicci, the admin lady (the boss). Between them, they have worked within Defence Rehabilitation for 61 years in various locations in support of Op BANNER and other recent military operations. The year started relatively busy, with 2 RIFLES having returned from a four-month period spent in Kenya. With the Battalion returning and the large bulk of soldiers expecting a quiet year due to having spent the previous few years deployed with nothing in the forecast of events, most took the opportunity to sort out any niggles that they had been carrying for a period of time. Around Easter, rumours started circulating about a possible deployment to Estonia. The rumour soon turned out to be true. Cue an extremely busy period working out which Patients were going to be deployed to continue their rehab; most of those without any specialist appointments were deployed to theatre, which left a compact
Sgt (SI) W Jones RAPTC
Lisburn PCRF before HQ RC uplift
Rear Operations Group (ROG) with a few complex injuries to manage.
The pace of life through the summer once they deployed reduced substantially, which allowed a large amount of sporting fixtures to be conducted and participated in by Team NI, with good representation across the broad spectrum of events on offer.
Later in the year, SO2 and SMI Regional Command visited Northern Ireland to look
Lisburn PCRF after HQ RC uplift
at existing physical development facilities in the province, which were mostly dated. Thankfully, our PCRF facility was upgraded, which has vastly improved the level of patient care that can be delivered.
The three years I have spent in post are soon coming to an end. It’s a great location to work with a good work-life balance for those who appreciate that kind of life.
PRIMARY CARE REHABILITATION FACILITY LISBURN
PRIMARY CARE REHABILITATION FACILITY LONDON CENTRAL
At PCRF London our patient footprint can normally be tracked around the “standard” State and Ceremonial events, so it’s no surprise that the last year has been particularly interesting.
The first half of the year was solely focused on the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. It’s no surprise that as the number of military personnel within London increased and the rehearsals became more intense, our diaries became significantly busier. Working hard to keep as many personnel on parade and available for duties as possible, the time flew by and before we knew it the weekend’s celebrations were over. Fortunately, a few members of the team were able to secure tickets to the Jubilee Party at the Palace, which was a great opportunity to let our hair down and relax after a busy few weeks.
July and August are always slightly quieter in London as the units spread out their summer leave and we can catch up on PCRF admin. Suddenly, it was September and no-one expected the events of the next month. On the 8 Sep 22 it was announced that HRH Queen Elizabeth II
SSgt (SSI) L Barrigan RAPTC
had sadly passed away and Op LONDON BRIDGE was called. We were suddenly thrown back into State and Ceremonial life again, but this was on a larger scale than we had ever seen before. The queues of people around Buckingham Palace, along with the hundreds of road closures made the daily challenge of getting into work interesting. Huge numbers of personnel were needed on parade and as the funeral got ever closer, our job became all about acute injury care. Rolled ankles, Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome and shoulder pain became our new “normal” in the PCRF. Although our workload increased significantly, we were also in the fortunate position of our office overlooking Wellington Barrack’s parade square, giving us front row seats for some of the events and just a short walk for others.
The funeral rolled straight into Remembrance Day, and it was finally time to relax for the Christmas period. The PCRF quietened down and it gave everyone time to reflect on the year. Christmas gave me time to get away on some AT as I boarded a plane and deployed on Ex CARIBBEAN EXPRESS 23, two weeks
PCRF London Team
sailing in the Caribbean. Night sailing through Caribbean storms and cooking on a moving boat whilst trying to hold in the seasickness made it an interesting trip, but such an incredible experience.
As we move through 2023 our main efforts are towards our upcoming healthcare assurance visit, alongside preparation for the upcoming King’s Coronation. All military staff within London Central Medical Facility are being utilised during Op GOLDEN ORB giving us the opportunity to learn a new role/skill and come together as a team to ensure healthcare accessibility for all personnel.