Prince Charles Visit To Selly Oak Mil Wing

[Gerrycc943]

Hi,

On Tue 17 Jul 07, The Birmingham Evening Mail covered the visit of Prince Charles to the Selly Oak Mil Wing - I believe the visit took place Mon 16 Jul. The Headline reads "One's Amused by the Tattoos".

Shame, really, that the people in the corridors of power, Gordon Brown and his Lieutenants, can't devote a little time to visit Selly Oak and discuss more serious issues than Squaddie Tattoos.

For Bob Bacon. Newspaper clipping in the post to you for your library!

Gerry943

[BennytheBall]

Gerry
On the subject of Selly Oak and its security, if you remember the incident reported in the Mail on Sunday some weeks past. Our branch got in touch with our local Welsh AM on this matter who did follow this incident up (very rightly so). The response from the MOD and a Mr Derek Twigg (a bit of a chip of the old block) it as follows:

Dear Carl Sergeant AM,

Thank you for your letter dated 19th June, to Adam Ingram, on behalf of your constituent Mr Benny Ball Shotton and Deeside Branch RWFCA concerning the security at Selly Oak and comments attributed to Lynne Jones MP. I am replying as this matter falls within my area of responsibility.

It would not be appropriate for me to comment on the views attributed to the MP in the media. However, when Service Personnel are seriously injured, our priority is to ensure that they receive a very high standard of care, including returning them to the UK for specialist treatment if necessary. Selly Oak hospital in Birmingham, which is the primary reception hospital for casualties aeromedically evacuated back to the UK, is at the leading edge in the medical care of most common types of injuries (e.g polytrauma) our casualties sustain. As Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Richard Dannatt, said in a BBC interview on the 13 March 2007:

"There is nowhere better in the country, nowhere more expert at polytrauma medicine, than that hospital Selly Oak. Tha's why our people are there."

In full co-operation with the University Hospital Birmingham Foundation Trust (UHBFT) we have created a Military Managed Ward (MMW), located within the main orthopaedic/trauma ward at Selly Oak Hospital. It provides clinical care, delivered by a combined team of Military and Civilian personnel, for Military patients who's clinical condition allows them to be nursed in this ward. The team includes Military Nursinf Managers and a Military Ward Master, Military Nursing Staff are on duty every shift. When clincally appropriate, Military patients will be allocated to the MMW and where there is capacity, civilian patients may be treated there as well.

The MOD is aware that a minor "heckling" incident occurred between a member of the Military Staff and some female youths in a public area at Selly Oak Hospital. The member of staff was unaffected by the incident, did not respond and took no further reporting action. We believe the incident was blown up out of all porportion in the media.

I can assure you that the security of our personnel admitted as in-patients is of the highest priority and remains under constant review. Each NHS Trust has overall security responsibility for the safety of all its patients ( Perhaps my brother Carl would like to comment on this?), and as you would expect both MOD and UHBFT keeps security under regular review. The MOD is content with the liaison arrangements in place between the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, the hospital, Special Branch and the local police, and with the security measures that have been put in place.

I hope that this clarifies the situation.

Yours Sincerely
Derek Twigg MP

I am sorry that its a long winded post, but I wanted everyone on the forum know of the outcome.

Gerry, Keep up the good work.
Best Regards
BennytheBall 1