Page 126 - RAPTC Year of 2019

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DEFENCE MEDICAL REHABILITION CENTRE (DMRC) STANFORD HALL
Although still fairly new, the walls no longer smell of paint and we have well and truly bedded in. It is safe to say that it is very much business as usual at DMRC. Since writing last year’s article DMRC has developed and matured as a working unit with continuous improvements being key to our success. All teams have worked tirelessly amending and titivating course programs to ensure we deliver the best service possible. This has been achieved by taking on board patient and staff feedback, enabling us to develop a strong foundation on which to continue to build from.
February 2020 DMRC were honored to host a Royal visit. The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, together with The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited the site and spent time with staff and their families. The Royals visited several departments on site such as prosthetics, rehabilitation support workshops and horticulture areas. I hosted the Royal party visit around the gymnasiums which they seemed to thoroughly enjoy. The Duke of
The Royals engaging with Complex Trauma patients
HRH Prince William shooting hoops
Cambridge had a go at wheelchair basketball which captured the interest of the press, was televised on many of the news channels and made the front page in most of the tabloids.
Soon after the British Royal family visit, we hosted Royalty again. This time the Prince of Bahrain, HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, National Security Advisor, Commander of Bahrain’s Royal Guard, president of the Bahrain Olympic Committee and the head of the government’s Supreme Council for Youth and Sports. I was responsible for showing the Prince around our establishment. Upon meeting the Prince, the first thing he said to me was “Ah yes, you’re PT Corps!” so well done to who ever took him through Sandhurst, you must have made a lasting impression on him.
WO2 (QMSI) C Watson RAPTC
British Army Warrior Fitness is a new concept of Physical Training within the British Army; incorporating many functional exercises from the Army Physical Training
System and challenging soldiers in a new, competitive way. DMRC felt that this was a fantastic opportunity to encourage some Inter-Unit team spirit in a less traditional manner. To date, DMRC have taken part in three events, the most notable being Event 2 at RAF Wyton where a podium place was achieved for both the male and female team. Event 2 consisted of a barbell complex, an explosive throw, an outdoors burden carry and finished with a grueling workout which involved dumbbell
ground to overhead and wall balls. The male team consisted of LCpl Egemonye, WO2 (QMSI) Watson and WO2 (QMSI) Brown. Despite the fierce competition, the team still managed an impressive second place within the veteran’s category. The female team consisted of Capt Henderson, Capt Poynton and Sgt (SI) Beckingham. The ladies’ team were battling head to head for first place with just the final WOD to go but managed to take the lead and finish with a first-place podium finish. With a promising start to the first few events we are looking forward to competing and seeing what the future BAWF events have in store for us.
On completion of the ERI course I was posted to DMRC, assigned to the Lower Limbs team. I was a little apprehensive at first, but the team were extremely
welcoming which allowed me to embed quickly. This was made easier due to working closely with my fellow RAPTCIs, SSgt Payling and Sgt Quinn who were on hand to offer advice and guidance.
What had surprised me coming here is a somewhat unknown underworld where there seems to be no shortage of specialisations. The lower limbs team alone is full of different specialist roles such as Consultants, Doctors, Podiatrists, Occupational therapists, Mental Health Nurses, Social workers,
Physiotherapists and of course the ERIs, all working together to create our multidisciplinary team.
The level of care and support I have seen here thus far is unbelievable, accompanied with the amazing facilities, state of the art equipment and the beauty of the place is something to behold. Set within a beautiful estate it’s hard to believe that this place is a military camp. An additional bonus to working at DMRC is that we also assist the Battle Back services with their delivery of activities such as archery, rock climbing and many other sporting activities. I am very much looking forward to my tenure here at DMRC and contributing to the service that is delivered for our injured service personnel.
BRITISH ARMY WARRIOR FITNESS
Sgt (SI) Beckingham RAPTC
Sgt (SI) Charmer RAPTC