Armed Forces: Amputation
Defence
Jim Murphy (East Renfrewshire, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) medical services, (b) compensation and (c) mental health support are made available by his Department for service personnel requiring amputation.
Andrew Robathan (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans), Defence; South Leicestershire, Conservative)
The Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre (DMRC) at Headley Court houses a dedicated Prosthetics Unit which provides the highest quality prosthetics and adaptations, manufactured on site and individually tailored to the specific needs of the patient. Quality and fit of prosthetic limbs are of paramount importance in the rehabilitation process and, as part of the routine clinical care, every amputee case at DMRC is regularly assessed for the comfort and fit of their socket, and the alignment and functional quality of all components are checked every time the patient attends DMRC as either an in-patient or out-patient.
The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) provides compensation for any injury, illness or death which is predominately caused by service, for all current and former members of the UK armed forces, including Reservists, who were injured, on or after
A full-time mental health team is based at DMRC, to ensure that the personnel being treated there can also receive mental health treatment on-site if they need it. New amputee in-patients receive a mental health assessment as part of their care programme, and ongoing care and support is provided as required.