To test its readiness to deploy, 207 (Manchester) Field Hospital (Volunteers), a unit largely staffed by medical professionals from hospitals and other health practices across the region, was put through its paces at the Army's state-of-the-art medical training facility at Strensall, near York.
Over three days, the various teams within the field hospital – including operating theatre practitioners, radiographers, ward nurses and scientists – were tested on their reaction to incidents. Obtaining this important 'tick in the box' means the field hospital has ratified its readiness to deploy in support of our troops in operational theatres such as Afghanistan.
These medics combine their 'civvy street' health service duties with an 'extra-curricular' commitment to serve in the field hospital on a paid, part-time basis. The basic premise of a field hospital is to provide all the functions and facilities of an NHS hospital in the UK – the only difference being that the field hospital operates close to the 'front line'.
The Army equips its field hospitals with state-of-the-art medical equipment and facilities – the necessary 'tools of the trade' used every day in NHS establishments across the country – and the TA soldiers provide the expertise and medical know-how to use this equipment to treat injured soldiers.
Lieutenant Colonel John Bennett is a surgeon in 207 Field Hospital. He said:
"Our hospital is as much about giving soldiers assurance as it is about treating them. The majority will never set foot in our hospital, but they know that we are here. For the few who do come in, they know that we can save lives and limbs. The equipment has come on in leaps and bounds, and in some aspects you are at the forefront, such as with our resuscitation capabilities."
Lance Corporal Helen Archer is an operating department practitioner at Macclesfield District General Hospital:
"My role in the field hospital is the same as in civilian life – an operating department practitioner," she explained. "It is a bit of a busman's holiday, but the two are different. With the TA, we get specific training at a trauma level which you don't tend to deal with as much at civilian level. It is a bit of escapism for me and something that I've always wanted to do. You get to do all sorts of things – the opportunities in the TA are phenomenal. I have just started a clinical leadership degree with the University of Glamorgan, which I am doing through the Army."
Asked about her thoughts on possibly being deployed to an operational theatre in the future, LCpl Archer said:
"Why else would you join the TA? That's what you are trained to do. I want to be able to go and do my bit, albeit from a medical perspective."
The TA, which has been celebrating its centenary this year, is an integral part of the British Army, representing over a quarter of its total manpower. TA soldiers serve on a paid, part-time basis, usually training at evenings or weekends. Since 2003, almost 1,500 TA soldiers from the North West region alone have deployed on operational tours in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Balkans.