The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
Gen Dannatt
wrote that the increasing involvement of charitable organisations
was, in his
view, not a
response to “a challenge thrown down by the Government, merely
evidence
that the
nation was beginning to get behind its soldiers and their
families”.
93.
Lt Gen
Lillywhite told the Inquiry that survival rates improved
significantly over the
course of
Op TELIC.59
He also
highlighted the increasing number of Service Personnel
with
“complex injuries” that would be seen in civilian life extremely
rarely, and for which
civilian
medical and social services have not been set up to
manage.
94.
Lt Gen
Lillywhite also told the Inquiry that since the start of the Iraq
conflict, the
MOD had
taken a more flexible approach to determining the appropriate date
for
discharge,
which now depended on the individual’s
circumstances.60
He
described
that to be
“a compassionate response to … very, very serious injuries and
sometimes
family situations”.
95.
A particular
challenge was managing the transfer of care from the military
system to
the NHS,
when an individual with complex injuries was
discharged.61
The
military system
was holding
onto casualties for longer, and in some cases to a point where it
did not
have all
the capability required to care for the individual. However, at
that same point,
the NHS was
not set up to provide the comprehensive care that was
required.
Lt Gen Lillywhite
commented:
“So
arranging that care package requires individual persuasion,
discussion, debate,
with the
local authorities in the place where that individual is at home. Of
course, the
issue of
funding can then come into it …
“So the
ongoing care of the complex casualty is throwing up issues that we
have not
seen
before.”
96.
Lt Gen
Lillywhite suggested that individuals with complex injuries should
be treated
by the
Government as a group with specific clinical needs, in recognition
of their service
and on
clinical grounds to enable specialist care to be arranged and
provided more
consistently.62
He
subsequently stated:
“I had
general agreement when I was in office that that was what was
required, but
it needs
giving effect to, and there are ongoing issues that can be only
addressed
59
Public
hearing, 20 July 2010, page 41.
60
Public
hearing, 20 July 2010, pages 52-53.
61
Public
hearing, 20 July 2010, pages 47-49.
62
Public
hearing, 20 July 2010, pages 41-42.
56