Defence Medical Services
Encyclopedia
The Defence Medical Services (DMS) are an umbrella organisation within the Ministry of Defence
in the United Kingdom
, which organises all medical, dental and nursing services within the British Armed Forces
.
(currently Surgeon Vice-Admiral Philip Raffaelli
), and consist of Joint Medical Command, the Defence Dental Services and the medical services of each individual service (Army Medical Services
, Royal Navy Medical Service
and the RAF Medical Branch
).
hospitals, as the armed forces no longer run hospitals exclusively for the military. These hospitals are located within six NHS Trust
s, with the main one being University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust.
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, which organises all medical, dental and nursing services within the British Armed Forces
British Armed Forces
The British Armed Forces are the armed forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.Also known as Her Majesty's Armed Forces and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown, the British Armed Forces encompasses three professional uniformed services, the Royal Navy, the...
.
Structure
The Defence Medical Services are commanded by the Surgeon-GeneralSurgeon-General (United Kingdom)
The Surgeon-General is the senior medical officer of the British Armed Forces; the post is held by the senior of the three individual service medical directors....
(currently Surgeon Vice-Admiral Philip Raffaelli
Philip Raffaelli
Surgeon Vice-Admiral Philip Iain Raffaelli QHP FRCP is a British general practitioner and the current Surgeon General of the British Armed Forces.-Military career:...
), and consist of Joint Medical Command, the Defence Dental Services and the medical services of each individual service (Army Medical Services
Army Medical Services
The Army Medical Services is the organisation responsible for administering the four separate corps that deliver medical, veterinary, dental and nursing services in the British Army...
, Royal Navy Medical Service
Royal Navy Medical Service
The Royal Navy Medical Service is the branch of the Royal Navy responsible for medical care. It works closely with Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service.-History:...
and the RAF Medical Branch
RAF Medical Branch
The Royal Air Force Medical Services is the branch of the Royal Air Force that provides health care at home and on deployed operations to RAF service personnel. Medical officers are the doctors of the RAF and have specialist expertise in aviation medicine to support aircrew and their protective...
).
Role
The DMS's 7000 general practitioners, dentists, consultants, nurses and surgeons provide healthcare for around 258,000 personnel within the Armed Forces. Hospital care is provided via NHSNational Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
hospitals, as the armed forces no longer run hospitals exclusively for the military. These hospitals are located within six NHS Trust
NHS Trust
A National Health Service trust provides services on behalf of the National Health Service in England and NHS Wales.The trusts are not trusts in the legal sense but are in effect public sector corporations. Each trust is headed by a board consisting of executive and non-executive directors, and is...
s, with the main one being University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust.