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Centre for Defence Medicine
Mr. Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many beds the Centre for Defence Medicine in Birmingham will house; what the projected size is of its outpatient throughput; what the size is of its civilian catchment area; and if he will make a statement. [132473]
Dr. Moonie: The Centre for Defence Medicine (CDM) will have academic teaching and clinical roles and will be a centre of excellence for military medicine. It will be relatively small at the beginning and will develop steadily over a number of years. The clinical element will be similar to the arrangements at the Ministry of Defence Hospital Units, with, initially, one ward of 32 beds staffed
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and managed by Defence Medical Services (DMS) personnel and other DMS personnel integrated throughout the host Trust. DMS personnel will treat both Service and civilian patients. It is envisaged that when the CDM is fully developed its clinical side will have an annual throughput of some 2,700 Service outpatients. The catchment area for civilian patients will be the same as for the host Trust, the University Hospital Birmingham, within the West Midlands region. As a major tertiary care provider, the Trust treats patients from throughout the country and the DMS personnel will also have the opportunity to treat such patients.
Mr. Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what incentives are (a) in place and (b) being planned to improve the retention rates for fully qualified medical personnel in the Defence Medical Services. [132167]
Dr. Moonie: A number of measures to improve retention in the Defence Medical Services (DMS) have been taken or are under active consideration. The decision to open the Centre for Defence Medicine (CDM) at Birmingham in April 2001 has been enthusiastically welcomed by members of the DMS. It is intended that the CDM will become, in partnership with its host Trust, University Hospital Birmingham NHS Trust, together with the University of Birmingham, a prestigious centre of expertise in military medicine, which we are confident will encourage retention of DMS personnel.
The frequency of operational deployments has been reduced for some specialties in Bosnia by the development of a multinational hospital facility at Sipovo, and work is in hand for a similar facility in Kosovo. Distinction Awards were introduced with effect from 1 April 1999 to bring DMS consultants' pay more closely into line with that of their NHS counterparts. Common terms of service have been agreed for medical and dental officers and pay spines based on these were submitted to the Armed Forces Pay Review Body in January 2000 for approval in principle. Future pension arrangements for medical and dental officers are also under review; a number of options are under consideration but no decisions have yet been taken. Common terms of service have also been agreed for nurses and work is in hand on the delivery of common terms of service for medical technicians. This year we introduced an annual Continuous Attitude Survey among all DMS personnel which will help inform our work on measures to improve retention.
Mr. Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) medical training facilities, (b) military facilities and (c) field hospitals will be housed in the new Centre for Defence Medicine in Birmingham. [132549]
Dr. Moonie: The Centre for Defence Medicine is envisaged as being the future professional focus for the Defence Medical Services, with academic, research and teaching roles as well as a significant clinical function. The Centre will be accommodated in a mix of facilities which will, as appropriate, either be shared with our civilian partners or run by military personnel. The latter will include a headquarters, wards staffed and managed
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by military medical personnel, mess facilities and domestic accommodation. There are no plans to locate any Field Hospitals at the CDM. There is, however a Territorial Army Field Hospital at Birmingham, some of whose members are employed by the host Trust, the University Hospital Birmingham NHS Trust.
Defence Medical Services
Mr. Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what the recommended manpower level is for consultants in (a) burns and plastics and (b) accident and emergency in the Defence Medical Services; [132165]
- (2) how many consultants are employed in (a) burns and plastics and (b) accident and emergency in the Defence Medical Services. [132163]
Dr. Moonie: The Defence Medical Services' post-Strategic Defence Review (SDR) requirement for consultants in burns and plastic surgery and accident and emergency, and the number of consultants employed in these specialties as at 1 April 2000 are as follows:
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| Post-SDR consultant requirement | Manning as at 1 April 2000 | |
|---|---|---|
| Burns and Plastic Surgery | 10 | 2 |
| Accident and Emergency | 23 | 3 |
Mr. Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what percentage of the establishments for (a) general practitioners, (b) orthopaedic surgeons and (c) anaesthetists in the Defence Medical Services are currently filled; [132169]
- (2) what the post-Strategic Defence Review establishments are for (a) general practitioners, (b) orthopaedic surgeons and (c) anaesthetists in the Defence Medical Services. [132168]
Dr. Moonie: The Defence Medical Services' post-Strategic Defence Review (SDR) operational and retained task requirement for general medical practitioners, consultant orthopaedic surgeons and anaesthetists, and the numbers employed in these specialities as at 1 April 2000 are as follows:
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| Post-SDR operational and retained task requirement | Manning as at 1 April 2000 | Percentage manned | |
|---|---|---|---|
| General medical practitioners | 437 | 208 | 48 |
| Consultant orthopaedic surgeons | 28 | 9 | 32 |
| Consultant anaesthetists | 120 | 30 | 25 |
Note:
Figures include those in Command and Staff posts but exclude trainees.
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Mr. Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how the overall recommended manpower strength of the Defence Medical Services has changed since June 1999; and whether there has been an increase in the actual strength; [132551]
- (2) how many field hospitals the Defence Medical Services can deploy simultaneously; [132471]
(3) how many of the regular personnel to be recruited into Defence Medical Services will be (a) direct entry qualified personnel and (b) trainees. [132550]
Dr. Moonie: I will write to the right hon. and learned Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Ministry of Defence Hospital Units
Mr. Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the advantages of maintaining a single service identity for the Military District Hospital units. [132166]
Dr. Moonie: The Ministry of Defence Hospital Units (MDHUs) are part of the tri-Service Defence Secondary Care Agency and it is the Ministry of Defence's policy that they should be manned by personnel of the three Services, but that responsibility for recruitment, career management and promotion should remain with the single Services. The MDHUs are located in areas where there were previously single Service hospitals and, in practice, the majority of Service personnel at each MDHU have, so far, been of the same Service as the previous military
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hospital and of many of the other local units. This pattern reflects individuals' posting preferences, which the armed forces seek to meet where possible. We recognise the benefits to morale of posting individuals to their preferred locations and they are not posted elsewhere except where this is necessary for manning or operational reasons or for the development of their careers.
Mr. Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average waiting times are for a first appointment for armed forces personnel in each of the single Service Military District Hospital units at (a) Derriford, (b) Frimley Park and (c) Peterborough. [132164]
Dr. Moonie: Data on the treatment of Service personnel at the four tri-Service Ministry of Defence Hospital Units (MDHUs) situated in Derriford, Peterborough, Frimley Park and Northallerton NHS Trusts is not collected in the format requested. In 1999-2000 the MDHUs aimed to offer 50 per cent. of Service personnel a first outpatient appointment within four weeks and 90 per cent. within 13 weeks. Details on their performance in meeting these targets are as follows, except for Derriford for which no information is currently available.
| MDHU | Percentage seen in four weeks | Percentage seen in 13 weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Frimley Park | 49 | 83 |
| Northallerton | 41 | 79 |
| Peterborough | 28 | 84 |
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Mr. Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many beds there are at each of the military district hospital units at (a) Derriford, (b) Frimley Park and (c) Peterborough; and what percentage of these are set aside for the fast-tracking of military personnel. [132470]
Dr. Moonie: The four Ministry of Defence Hospital Units (MDHUs) at Derriford, Frimley Park, Peterborough and Northallerton are fully integrated within their host NHS Trusts and treat both military and NHS patients. Details of the number of beds in military managed wards at each MDHU are as follows. Military patients, however, may be treated on any ward of the host hospital and no beds are allocated for their exclusive use.
| MDHU | Beds in military managed wards |
|---|---|
| Derriford | 35 |
| Frimley Park | 58 |
| Peterborough | 29 |
| Northallerton | (1)36 |
(1) 54 from October 2000
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