Major General Phil Carter, Surgeon General of the UK Armed
Forces, will take on the role of interim Chief Defence Medical
following the retirement of Air Marshal Clare Walton.
The appointment is on a temporary basis while a permanent Chief
Defence Medical is selected. Major General Carter will continue
as Surgeon General throughout his time as interim Chief Defence
Medical, fulfilling both roles simultaneously.
As interim Chief Defence Medical, he will provide continuity of
leadership as Defence Medical strives to meet the challenges set
out in the Strategic Defence Review published last year. As it
moves to a war fighting footing, and implements the investment
set out in the Defence Investment Plan, Defence Medical will
continue to support current operations and commitments.
Major General Phil Carter, Surgeon General and interim
Chief Defence Medical, said:
Air Marshal Clare Walton leaves an exceptional legacy. Her
leadership has helped place Defence Medical at the heart of
Defence's strategic conversation, steering Defence Medical
through the aftermath of the COVID pandemic, providing medical
support to Ukraine, through the Strategic Defence Review, Defence
Reform and the work on the Defence Investment Plan. I want to add
my thanks to her for her long service and dedication to patients
and the Defence Medical Services.
It is an enormous privilege to lead the Defence Medical team even
for a short period as the interim Chief and I know that we can
and will rise to the challenges we are facing. Defence Medical is
an astonishing team of teams. We are particularly adept at coming
together in multidisciplinary teams to solve problems, it is in
our DNA and it is how we have operated for decades.
Air Marshal Clare Walton, outgoing Chief Defence Medical,
said:
It has been an enormous privilege to lead Defence Medical and to
work alongside the exceptional military and civilian personnel
who deliver healthcare and medical support across Defence every
day.
Over recent years we have strengthened Defence Medical's role
within Defence, secured recognition of the importance of military
healthcare within the Strategic Defence Review and helped secure
investment through the Defence Investment Plan that will
modernise our capabilities and improve the support we provide to
our people.
I know that Major General Carter will provide strong leadership
and continuity as Defence Medical takes forward this important
programme of change until a permanent Chief Defence Medical is
appointed.
The transition comes at a pivotal moment for Defence Medical
following the publication of the Strategic Defence Review and the
Defence Investment Plan, both of which place a renewed emphasis
on the importance of military healthcare to operational
readiness, resilience and warfighting capability.
The Defence Investment Plan includes £50m of funding to modernise
the operational patient care pathway, supporting new battlefield
medical technologies, deployable healthcare capabilities and
innovations that will improve survivability and patient outcomes
on future operations. These investments include funding for
Tactical Combat Casualty Care equipment, dried blood products,
Tranexamic Acid autoinjectors and field hospital capabilities,
helping ensure Defence Medical is equipped to meet the challenges
of future conflict.
In response to the Strategic Defence Review's call to strengthen
our relationship with the NHS, Defence Medical has recently
signed an important strategic partnership with NHS Blood and
Transplant and is running a series of wargames in collaboration
with the Department of Health and Social Care and other
government departments to test the nation's ability to receive
military casualties from conflict.
Alongside medical innovation funded by the Defence Investment
Plan, Defence Medical has also collaborated with UK Defence
Innovation (UKDI) and The Defence Science and Technology
Laboratory (DSTL) to provide funding to academic institutions
interested in researching new ways to treat the wounds of
conflict.
Further details on the appointment of a permanent Chief Defence
Medical will be announced in due course.
