Covid 19: Army likely to embed medics in hospitals

Operation Broadshare is likely to see the armed forces send thousands of military medics to assist in NHS hospitals in the coming weeks.

Planners believe the most efficient way to assist the stretched health service is to embed medical personnel within existing hospitals rather than build field facilities. Whilst military medics have not yet been called up because the NHS has not formally requested help, Operation Broadshare – the Ministry of Defence’s response to the coronavirus outbreak – could see the 11,200 trained members of the Defence Medical Service assist as the emergency unfolds.

It was reported last week that army doctors were being called back to the UK from a Defender Europe exercise in eastern and central Europe, as well as small specialist field hospital units, in preparation to be sent into emergency NHS units when required.

Tobias Ellwood, the chair of the Defence Select Committee, said he believed ‘it was a matter of when, not if, the armed forces will be brought in’.

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This story was first published in digitalhealth.net

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