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The Report of the Iraq Inquiry
urgency, although “we should not take any satisfaction in reaching what is only the basic
level of care that our wounded servicemen deserve”.
76.  The challenge now was to ensure that clinical, welfare and administrative support
was delivered to injured personnel in a holistic manner wherever they were in the
healthcare system.
77.  In February 2008, the House of Commons Defence Committee described the clinical
care for Service Personnel injured on operations as “second to none”.45 The Committee
commented, however, that “many of the improvements … are relatively recent, and
there has been a great deal of change over the past 18 months. The MOD should not be
complacent: they have had to learn important lessons and it is now clear that the picture
at Selly Oak was not always so positive.”
78.  Specific issues cited in the report included the provision of toiletries and basic
clothing for Service Personnel, travel assistance for the families of injured Service
Personnel, and accommodation for the relatives of parents. The report stated that
improvements were taking place, but “some of the slack had been taken up by
welfare organisations”.
79.  Mr Adam Ingram, Minister for the Armed Forces from 2001 to 2007, told the Inquiry:
“It became very clear early on that there was a problem at Selly Oak. It wasn’t the
question of the quality of the medical care. It was the fact that they were in mixed
[military/civilian] wards. You had soldiers who had been attended to by civilian
nurses, civilian doctors and in the next bed there may well be a civilian injured
person or old person.
“That became a big issue. My instinct initially was … that if I was injured, I just
wanted the best medical care …
“But, as a result of a number of visits, Ministerial visits, it became abundantly clear
we needed to do other things. So progressively, the number of military personnel,
in terms of the medical care, changed …”46
80.  Lt Gen Lillywhite told the Inquiry:
“It quickly became apparent that returning casualties actually wanted to be looked
after by the military …
“Although at no stage … was the clinical care of casualties coming back from Iraq
compromised, there was an unhappiness amongst the patients themselves and their
relatives about the lack of military involvement in both their care, although actually
much more so in their welfare support.
45  Seventh Report from the House of Commons Defence Committee, Session 2007-2008, Medical Care
for the Armed Forces, HC327, pages 3 and 13.
46  Public hearing, 16 July 2010, page 49.
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