Supporting wounded military patients

UK Military patients from around the globe are treated here in Birmingham, including those wounded on the front line. They are treated by military staff at the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine (RCDM), which is based at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, a brand new facility that opened in June 2010, taking over from the previous facilities at Selly Oak hospital.

As well as treating military patients who have been wounded at the frontline, the RCDM also takes military patients who may be based anywhere around the world who become ill or who are injured on military service.

It is a dedicated training centre for defence personnel and a focus for medical research. The RCDM is a tri-service establishment, meaning that there are personnel from all three of the armed services. Defence personnel are fully integrated throughout both sites and treat both military and civilian patients.

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity is the official medical charity for the RCDM. It supports the military patients by purchasing equipment, facilities or funding research that is over and above that provided through the NHS.

The charity is currently fundraising to provide a mobile eye clinic for the military patients, allowing those with multiple injuries including loss of limbs to be treated for their eye injuries at the bedside instead of being moved to theatres.

To find out more about the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity please visit www.qehb.org/military