Royal Navy Medics hone their skills

From the MoD:

Navy medics in major exercise at sea

A Training and Adventure news article

19 Mar 12

150 Royal Navy personnel have been taking part in a major medical exercise off the UK's south west coast on board Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) vessel Argus.

A mock casualty is transported at speed through RFA Argus by a stretcher team
[Picture: Leading Airman (Photographer) Rob Gillies, Crown Copyright/MOD 2012]

Wearing white anti-flash overalls and face masks, as if at war, the hospital unit and crew of the ship rehearsed taking on board and treating casualties of bombs and enemy fire.

Exercise Medical Endeavour 2012 sees Argus operating in her main role as the Royal Navy's primary casualty-receiving ship. The training involves a series of exercises on board Argus where casualties airlifted to the ship are taken to a hospital like that in Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, which has similarities to an acute district general hospital.

Using skills honed in Iraq and especially Afghanistan the exercise also sees the doctors and nurses and stretcher-bearers from the Band of Her Majesty's Royal Marines Scotland put on a war-footing for 24-hour days while air and warship attacks are simulated and battle-wounded casualties taken on board from ashore and within the ship.

The exercise graphically demonstrates to primarily naval personnel, but also airmen and soldiers, that giving top-level medical care to severely ill patients with burns, smoke inhalation, head injuries and blast and firearm injuries at sea is a far cry from working in Plymouth's Defence Hospital Unit at the Derriford NHS Hospital, let alone the battlefield hospital at Camp Bastion....

Much more here.