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Armed Forces Conference 2008

Care of service men and women - from the frontline to the NHS
Thursday 22 May 2008
BMA House, London

The BMA's Armed Forces Committee held its annual conference on Thursday 22 May 2008 at BMA House, Tavistock Square, London, WC1H 9JP.

At this year's conference we engendered a debate around issues relating to the ongoing care of injured service personnel when they leave the frontline, through to transition to NHS care on leaving the service. Our speakers/discussion panel members included the following people:

• Under-Secretary of State for Defence and Minister for Veterans, Derek Twigg MP
• The Surgeon General, Lieutenant General Lillywhite (tbc)
• Professor Simon Wesseley, Director, King's Centre for Military Health Research
• Commodore Toby Elliott, Chief Executive, Combat Stress
• Lieutenant Colonel Ernie Stables, Assistant General Secretary, British Limbless Ex-Service Men's Association.

We invited people to speak about various aspects of the patient journey from the frontline to the NHS. One of the issues we tackled is what happens to veterans in the NHS once they have been discharged from the armed services, how best we can keep track of them within the NHS, how we can ensure they receive the priority care to which they are entitled and how we can improve on current arrangements.

The conference also provided a valuable opportunity for doctors to share views on a range of issues affecting both regular and reserve officers, and to help shape the work of the Armed Forces Committee in the coming session.

Dr J Brendan McKeating
Chairman, BMA Armed Forces Committee