16.2 |
Support for injured Service Personnel
and veterans
“So there
was a period when the plan, which was working, was not in accord
with
what people
had expected or wanted. So that led to a significant period of
adverse
press and
internal adverse press as well, whilst both the medical services,
but
even more
so the chain of command, organised themselves to actually provide
that
military
bubble around the care in the hospital.”47
81.
Lt Gen
Lillywhite told the Inquiry that, while establishing a “military
bubble” – such
as the MMW
– around a military patient did not improve the quality of clinical
care, “one
should not
underestimate the beneficial impact upon recovery, upon family
dynamics,
and upon
psychological wellbeing of actually being content”.48
He added
that the
importance
of continuing to provide a military bubble during treatment was one
of the
main
lessons learned by DMS and the MOD from Iraq.
82.
The facilities
at DMRC Headley Court had been significantly enhanced by the end
of
Op TELIC,
including through:
•
the opening
of a Complex Rehabilitation and Amputee Unit in June 2006:
a
contract
was let to a private company that manufactured individually
tailored
•
construction
of a 30-bed temporary ward annex, which was brought into use
in
•
construction
of a 58-bed staff and patient accommodation block (Wood
House)
in January
2009; and
•
the opening
of the Centre for Mental and Cognitive Health, to provide
mental
health and
clinical psychology services, in spring 2009.
83.
In May 2008,
Ministers announced £24m in capital funding over four years for
a
Headley
Court development programme. Over the first two years, this funding
was
mainly
applied to the MOD contribution to the “Help for Heroes”
rehabilitation complex
(which was
officially opened in June 2010) and a utilities upgrade for the
whole site.
84.
Lt Gen
Lillywhite told the Inquiry that, while Headley Court was a “centre
of
excellence”,
it was also “the greatest area of risk in actually managing
casualties”.51
The first
risk area was its capacity:
“We were
seeing far more cases that needed in-patient care in beds than we
had
ever seen
probably since Korea … and the capacity of Headley Court was
not
sufficient
to have met it. Luckily, the building programme, the temporary
ward, the
47
Public
hearing, 20 July 2010, pages 33-34.
48
Public
hearing, 20 July 2010, pages 35-36.
49
Seventh
Report from the House of Commons Defence Committee, Session
2007-2008, Medical
Care
for the Armed
Forces,
HC327.
50
Paper MOD,
28 June 2010, ‘Medical Input to Ainsworth Brief’.
51
Public
hearing, 20 July 2010, pages 39-40.
53