B*N*S*N1

Medics honoured at military and civilian health awards

A History and Honour news article

26 Nov 10

A unique training course which prepares surgical teams for deployment to conflict zones has won the top prize at this year's Military and Civilian Health Partnership Awards, which took place last night.

Military medics practise realistic emergency medical scenarios ahead of their deployment to Camp Bastion hospital in Afghanistan (stock image)
[Picture: Leading Airman (Photographer) Alex Knott, Crown Copyright/MOD 2008]

The Military Operational Surgical Training (MOST) course - a collaboration between the Academic Department of Military Surgery and Trauma (ADMST), the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, Joint Medical Command and the Royal College of Surgeons of England - is delivered twice a year to regular military and reserve Service clinicians about to deploy to Afghanistan.

The course breaks down traditional boundaries by delivering surgical trauma training to entire surgical teams, with general, orthopaedic and plastic surgeons training alongside anaesthetists, operating department practitioners, theatre nurses and emergency physicians. The course utilises the state-of-the-art clinical simulation facilities and specialist surgical training staff at the Education Centre of the Royal College of Surgeons of England.

Tutors with recent military operational experience and live links to surgeons in Afghanistan mean that training is up-to-date and based on real-life encounters on the battlefield, and ensures that the learning curve for teams, once deployed, is minimal.

The course won the Education and Training Award at last night's Military and Civilian Health Partnership Awards which were held in Belfast. The awards are a partnership between the Ministry of Defence and the Health Departments of Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales.

Surgeon Captain Mark Midwinter, Defence Professor of Surgery at ADMST, and MOST course convenor, said:

"I am absolutely delighted that MOST has won the award for Education and Training. The course is based on the idea that it is unacceptable to have a learning curve in delivering surgical trauma care to the wounded in the field....

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