Medical Units
The Army Medical Services (AMS) supports every Regiment and Corps within the British Army by supplying personnel to work within these units who provide Primary Healthcare. In addition the AMS has a large number of Medical Units that are responsible for the evacuation and treatment all serious injuries sustained on the battlefield. The way in which casulaties are evacuated determines the 3 different types of Medical Unit that exist within the Army.
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Close Support Medical Regiments
These Regiments provide the medical and evacuation capability to front line units such as infantry and armour. Close Support Medical Regiment personnel can find themselves treating wounded personnel on the front line, or they can be involved in the evacuation of the wounded to a larger medical facility run by a General Support Medical Regiment. Close Support Medical Regiments do not provide definitive treatment to wounded personnel apart from minor ailments. They can be viewed rather like paramedics arriving on scene of an accident and providing first aid. |
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General Support Medical Regiments
General Support Medical Regiments provide much the same role to that of their Close Support colleagues, but do not operate on the front line. They have a greater role in running large scale medical facilities which can treat a large number of injuries, however those requiring surgery cannot have definitive treatment. Because of this there is also an evacuation role for General Support units that takes the seriously injured back to a Field Hospital. This is an essential step in the evacuation of the wounded on a battlefield, as it provides what can be viewed as a "pit stop" for the casualty, ensuring they reach the Field Hospital. |
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Field Hospitals
This is the unit that provides definitive care for all injuries. A Field Hospital is a unit that, operating out of tents, can provide a NHS standard of healthcare anywhere in the world. Owing to its size and complexity once a Field Hospital has been built it is rarely moved and will be located in an area which is far behind the front line. Within barracks the clinical staff find themselves working within a Ministry Of Defence Hospital Unit (MDHU) within a NHS hospital in order to ensure the greatest possible development of medical training and personal development but would join the Field Hospital if it deployed on exercise or operations. |
More information about AMS units can be found by selecting the links on the navigation bar on the left.
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