This Trust is also a military hospital incorporating the Derriford Ministry of Defence Hospital Unit which has a tri-service staff who, while based at the Trust, are often deployed around the world.
Military personnel have been working and training alongside their NHS counterparts since the closure of Stonehouse Hospital and the formation of the first Ministry of Defence Hospital Unit (MDHU) at Derriford in 1995.
There are now 240 military doctors, nurses, medics and allied health professionals who are fully integrated within the workplace treating the local community whilst proudly wearing their service uniforms.
The last year has seen in excess of 70 personnel deploy from this MDHU mainly to Operation Herrick in Afghanistan. Many of the staff deployed work within the British Military Hospital at Camp Bastion, Helmand Provence. Others are placed in lone medical positions within Forward Operating Bases around the province.
Historically the winter period should be a quieter time of year in terms of casualty numbers, however Christmas 2008 saw one of the busiest periods with casualty numbers reaching an all time high. Such an environment exposes our staff to a raft of trauma, injuries and conditions they would hope not to encounter within a conventional UK hospital. Because of this, military medical personnel return home and are able to enhance their hospital teams by bringing elevated clinical skills, experience composure and pride to the NHS workplace.
What we do
The Ministry of Defence Hospital Unit (MDHU) Derriford is part of the Defence Medical Education & Training Agency (DMETA) and employs approximately 230 Service personnel throughout the Trust. The unit is one of five in the country.
The service personnel are fully integrated into Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust and serve alongside their NHS colleagues with whom they have developed and enjoy an excellent working relationship. The main aim of the unit is to prepare military medical personnel to support exercises and deployed operations. In addition the unit also oversees the treatment of military personnel within the Trust.
The History of MDHU at Derriford
MDHU Derriford pioneered the integration of service medical support with local NHS hospitals following the closure of the Royal Naval Hospital Plymouth. The MDHU is located within Derriford Hospital itself and was initially opened on 12 Apr 1995 as the Royal Navy District Hospital Unit. However, following various MoD reorganisations it reconfigured as the first MDHU. The MDHU personnel who are drawn from all three Services, are employed in all clinical areas, including: A&E, Operating Theatres, Intensive Care Unit/High Dependancy Unit, Various Wards, Infection Control, Radiology, Physiotherapy and Pharmacy.
Opportunities
Although civilian and military medical personnel have the same professional qulaification, military staff are employed where they can enhance the skills required when deployed on operations. Military training, such as weapon and sea survival training is undertaken at various military establishments throughout the UK and overseas. The services are a unique grouping of professionals, who also enjoy the opportunity to regularly partake in sporting and adventure training events, which helps to develop Unit cohesion and leadership skills and recognisably improves management skills further utilised in the work place. Such training opportunities are equally diverse and challenging and formally attract both civilian and military accreditation. Additionally, it is this mix of training and development, which fully prepares our medical Services for all eventualities and enables the provision of medical care in the most austere of environments.
Visit of the Second Sea Lord
Vice Admiral AJ Johns CBE ADC, Second Sea Lord & Commander in Chief Naval Home Command (2SL/CNH) visited MDHU(D) on 06 Dec 06. The visit was organised to brief Vice Admiral Johns on the function of the MDHU and allow him to meet staff in the work place.
Presentation of the North Persian Forces Memorial Prize
The North Persian Forces Memorial prize is awarded for the best paper on tropical medicine or tropical hygiene published in any journal during the year. Tropical hygiene is interpreted in its widest sense to include any activity logically classified under the heading tropical preventative medicine.
The prize consists of a silver medal and purse of £250 provided from a fund raised in 1921 by certain regular Officers of the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) and the Medical Service who took part, and wished to commemorate the withdrawal and dissolution of the forces in North Persia in that year.