Defence Medical Services

The Defence Medical Services (DMS) is an umbrella organisation within the Ministry of Defence in the United Kingdom. It consists of the Defence Medical Services Group, part of Strategic Command, the Royal Navy Medical Service, Army Medical Services and RAF Medical Services.

Structure

The Defence Medical Services are led by the Director General, currently Peter Homa.

The Director General DMS is the defence authority for end to end Defence healthcare and medical operational capability.

The Defence Medical Services Group also has several two-star directors.[1]

  • Surgeon General and Defence Medical Director,[1] currently Major General Tim Hodgetts.
  • Director of Medical Personnel and Training,[1] currently Air Vice Marshal Clare Walton.
    • The Medical Personnel and Training Directorate includes the Defence Medical Academy, which delivers medical education and training, and the Joint Hospital Group, which force generates hospital specialists for operational duty.
  • Director Defence Healthcare,[1] currently Air Vice Marshall Rich Withnall.
    • Defence Healthcare provides and commissions non-operational healthcare to members of the British Armed Forces. As part of the Directorate, Defence Primary Healthcare provides General Practice, Dental, Mental Health, Physiotherapy and Occupational Health Care for British Armed Forces personnel in the UK and in non-operational overseas locations.[2]

Role

The DMS' 7,000 general practitioners, dentists, consultants, nurses and surgeons provide healthcare for around 258,000 personnel within the United Kingdom's Armed Forces. Hospital care is provided via Ministry of Defence Hospital Units located within National Health Service hospitals, as the Armed Forces no longer run dedicated Military hospitals. The main centre is the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust.[3] There are smaller units at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, Frimley Park Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust and South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

History

From March 2020, the DMS began supporting the UK's COVID-19 relief efforts following the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. As part of Operation Rescript, the DMS contributed over half of its 6,500 personnel to support NHS hospitals and Trusts — the largest contribution to the operation from any other part of the MOD.[4] The Royal Centre for Defence Medicine assisted with the construction of NHS Nightingale Hospital Birmingham, a temporary critical care hospital, in April 2020.[5]

References
  1. "How Defence Works" (PDF). assets.publishing.service.gov.u. UK Ministry of Defence. 23 September 2020. Retrieved 7 November 2020. page 32
  2. "Defence Medical Service". MOD. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  3. Defence Medical Services Q&A National Health Service
  4. "Defence contribution to the UK's pandemic response". UK Parliament. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  5. "New NHS Nightingale Hospital Birmingham Opens". 16 April 2020. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
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