RAF (Medical Personnel)
Defence
Written answers and statements, 17 May 2004
Mrs Anne McIntosh (Shadow Minister, Environment & Transport; Vale of York, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the strength of the RAF Medical Services is, broken down by (a) service, (b) rank, (c) specialisation and (d) establishment.
Mr Ivor Caplin (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Ministry of Defence; Hove, Labour)
Tables 1 and 2 show the strength of personnel in the RAF Medical Services, by rank and specialisation. Table 3 details the number of RAF medical personnel by Ministry of Defence establishment. These figures do not include dental officers and other ranks.
Those deployed on operations are not shown separately but are recorded at their home unit.
All figures are correct as at
| Specialism | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Medical officer | Medical support | Princess Mary Royal Air Force Nursing Service | Total |
| Air Vice Marshall | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| Air Commodore | 7 | — | — | 7 |
| Group Captain | 20 | 1 | 1 | 22 |
| Wing Commander | 62 | 11 | 11 | 84 |
| Squadron Leader | 59 | 18 | 46 | 123 |
| Flight Lieutenant | 51 | 30 | 57 | 138 |
| Flight Officer | 12 | 10 | 4 | 26 |
| Pilot Officer/Acting Pilot Officer/Officer Cadet | 33 | 3 | — | 36 |
| Total | 245 | 73 | 119 | 437 |
| Specialism | Warrant Officer | Flight Sergeant | Chief Technician | Sergeant | Corporal | Junior Technician | Senior Aircraftsman | Leading Aircraftsman/ Aircraftsman | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pharmaceutical technicians | 1 | 2 | — | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 20 |
| Laboratory technicians | 1 | 7 | — | 10 | 4 | 2 | — | — | 24 |
| Radiographers | — | 3 | — | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 15 |
| Staff nurse (Registered Mental Nurse) | — | 5 | — | 13 | 7 | — | — | — | 25 |
| Operational theatre | 1 | 5 | — | 12 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 30 |
| Environmental health technician | 1 | 6 | — | 7 | 2 | 14 | 7 | 5 | 42 |
| Medical administration | 23 | 43 | 2 | 130 | 111 | — | 2 | — | 377 |
| Medical assistant | — | — | — | — | 5 | — | 265 | 137 | 407 |
| Staff nurse (Registered General Nurse) | 4 | 21 | — | 123 | 96 | 3 | 56 | 30 | 333 |
| Total | 31 | 92 | 2 | 306 | 300 | 27 | 334 | 181 | 1,273 |
| Location | Numbers of personnel: Officer ranks | Numbers of personnel: Other ranks | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aldergrove Northern Ireland | 2 | 14 | 16 |
| Aldershot Duller Barracks | 1 | — | 1 |
| Aldershot DMSTC (Keogh Barracks) | 4 | 106 | 110 |
| Armed Forces Careers Office, Belfast | — | 1 | 1 |
| Armed Forces Careers Office, Newcastle | — | 1 | 1 |
| Armed Forces Careers Office, Nottingham | — | 1 | 1 |
| Defence Academy Shrivenham | — | 1 | 1 |
| Defence College of Aeronautical Engineering Cosford | 1 | 18 | 19 |
| Defence Community Psychiatry Catterick | — | 2 | 2 |
| Defence Dental Agency HQ Halton | 2 | — | 2 |
| Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre Headly Court | 5 | 15 | 20 |
| Defence Medical Services HQ London | 27 | 1 | 28 |
| Defence School of Transport Leconfield | — | 2 | 2 |
| Department Community Psychiatry Shrewsbury | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| DMETA, Gosport | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| External Training | 52 | 9 | 61 |
| Gosport Fort Blockhouse Defence Medical College | — | 55 | 55 |
| HQ DISC Support Unit, Chicksands | — | 1 | 1 |
| Joint Personnel Administration Worthy Down | — | 1 | 1 |
| Joint Services Command and Staff College Defence Academy Shrivenham | 2 | — | 2 |
| JSU RMC | — | 2 | 2 |
| Lossiemouth | 3 | 14 | 17 |
| MDHU Derriford Plymouth | 6 | — | 6 |
| MDHU Frimley Park | 3 | — | 3 |
| MDHU Haslar, Portsmouth | 23 | 84 | 107 |
| MDHU Peterborough | 41 | 92 | 133 |
| Medical Supply Agency Ludgeshall | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| MoD Fire Centre Manston | — | 3 | 3 |
| Northolt | — | 10 | 10 |
| Overseas not deployed | 26 | 76 | 102 |
| Permanent Joint Headquarters Northwood | 1 | — | 1 |
| RAF Benson | 3 | 19 | 22 |
| RAF Bentley Priory SHU | — | 2 | 2 |
| RAF Boulmer | — | 9 | 9 |
| RAF Brampton | — | 22 | 22 |
| RAF Brize Norton | 6 | 41 | 47 |
| RAF Buchan | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| RAF Coltishall | 3 | 14 | 17 |
| RAF Conningsby | 1 | 12 | 13 |
| RAF Corsham | — | 5 | 5 |
| RAF Cosford | — | 2 | 2 |
| RAF Cottesmore | 2 | 17 | 19 |
| RAF Digby | — | 7 | 7 |
| RAF Fylingdales | — | 2 | 2 |
| RAF Halton | 4 | 87 | 91 |
| RAF Henlow | 59 | 26 | 85 |
| RAF High Wycombe | 6 | 17 | 23 |
| RAF Honington | 2 | 17 | 19 |
| RAF Innsworth | 46 | 42 | 88 |
| RAF Kinloss | 2 | 19 | 21 |
| RAF Leeming | 2 | 16 | 18 |
| RAF Leuchars | 2 | 19 | 21 |
| RAF Linton on Ouse | 2 | 19 | 21 |
| RAF Lyneham | 26 | 85 | 111 |
| RAF Marham | 4 | 28 | 32 |
| RAF Odiham | 2 | 20 | 22 |
| RAF Saxa Vord | — | 1 | 1 |
| RAF Sealand Support Unit | — | 9 | 9 |
| RAF Shawbury | 1 | 13 | 14 |
| RAF Spadeadam | — | 2 | 2 |
| RAF St. Athan Support Unit | — | 14 | 14 |
| RAF St. Mawgan | — | 6 | 6 |
| RAF Stafford | — | 8 | 8 |
| RAF Uxbridge | — | 7 | 7 |
| RAF Valley | 1 | 11 | 12 |
| RAF Waddington | 2 | 16 | 18 |
| RAF Wittering | 2 | 15 | 17 |
| RAF/RAFC Cranwell | 23 | 41 | 64 |
| RAFSU Boscombe Down | — | 3 | 3 |
| Royal Centre of Defence Medicine Selly Oak | 28 | 58 | 86 |
| Royal Military College of Science Shrivenham | — | 1 | 1 |
| St Thomas' Hospital London | — | 1 | 1 |
| Totals | 437 | 1,273 | 1,710 |