About the Defence Healthcare and Medical Profession
The Defence Healthcare and Medical Profession is formed of people working in a wide range of clinical delivery and healthcare leadership and management roles in the Defence Medical Services (DMS), in our Headquarters and the Royal Navy Medical Services, Royal Army Medical Services and Royal Air Force Medical Services.
Around 11,000 military and civilian Healthcare and Medical professionals work side by side to deliver healthcare services such as primary healthcare, dental care, rehabilitation, occupational medicine, community mental healthcare and specialist medical care to around 138,100 UK Regular Armed Forces personnel.
Ensuring our Armed Forces are fit to fight and can fight back to fitness
Crucial to Defence, our people also provide:
- Medical support to operations, training and other Defence commitments, planning and providing medical services in the homeland and overseas.
- Medical support to warfighting, prepared for and maintaining a credible ability to conduct warfighting at scale is key for deterrence, requiring sufficient mass of deployed medical capability to address predicted casualty numbers.
- Operating advantage by building and reinforcing strategic relationships through global health engagement and medical intelligence gathering, legally and ethically coherent with the strategic and operational objectives of wider Defence.
Our Professionals
Our military, reserves and civilian personnel work across the DMS as Military Medics, Paramedics, Nurses, Healthcare Assistants, Doctors and Surgeons, Dentistry, Pharmacists, Physiotherapists, Biomedical Scientists, Environmental Health Practitioners, Operating Department Practitioners, Radiographers and Psychologists, and much more.
‘Working as a Ministry of Defence General Practitioner is an extremely rewarding and fulfilling experience. I have the privilege of providing exceptional healthcare to those who serve our nation, while working in dynamic and well-supported environments. The role allows me to combine professional excellence with a deep sense of purpose; offering the chance to make a meaningful impact on the lives of service personnel and their families.’
Dr Katrina Peebles, Ministry of Defence General Practitioner & MOD GP Advisor
‘I’ve always had a huge interest in how the body works and wanted a job that interacts with a lot of different people and that’s not desk based. After working in various areas for the NHS, where I specialised in musculoskeletal, I started working for the MOD as I was attracted by the active patient population and the variety of conditions and medical issues that we treat, returning people back to the best ability they can be, whilst also working with all the occupational and operational considerations’.
Nicholas Beale, Defence Advanced Physiotherapist and RAF Reservist
‘My role as a civilian nurse working primarily in occupationally focused Defence primary health care is extremely rewarding and one that I feel passionate about. To support our service personnel, utilising professional knowledge and skills in a fast-paced dynamic environment is a huge privilege. The role enables me to deliver patient centred care in an occupationally focused health care environment and allows me to hopefully have impact on the lives of our service personnel’.
Suzanne Turner, Queen’s Nurse and Regional Nurse Advisor