No change from number 10 then

If any New (Lieing Barstewards) Labour politician is looking at this to try and judge on how this is being received by the great unwashed, guess who is never going to vote Labour again in his life and who is going to do his utmost to make sure that anybody else I know does the same.

Just in case you're wondering; I'm really, really fed up by this response from Brown; this Government has repeatedly let the Armed Forces down.

Get off your hind legs and stop braying. Military hospitals was never going to float for hundreds of reasons, many of which were aired on these forums. Did you expect the Surgeon General to say they are a good idea - when they are plainly not? Stop living in the past and accept that they can't ever do that and integrated work with the NHS is the only option.

got the same reply today.

Following our response to the e-petition “We the undersigned petition thePrime Minister to create a dedicated Military & Veterans Hospital withinthe UK” on 24 September 2008, we received feedback from some signatorieson the issue of hospital security. We can assure you that the security of our personnel admitted asin-patients is of the highest priority and remains under constant review.Each NHS Trust has overall security responsibility for the safety of allits patients. The main trauma ward at Selly Oak hospital has a swipe carddoor lock system, and we have good liaison arrangements in place betweenthe Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, the hospital, Special Branch and thelocal police. Similar liaison takes place at the other hospitals hostingMinistry of Defence Hospital Units, and any MOD concerns will be discussedwith the appropriate Trust security department. Prime Minister's Office

Agree with the only post up there in support of MDHU's. It would be more expensive to establish military only hospitals, than to maintain MDHU's embedded in other NHS Trusts. The establishment of military only hospitals would neccesitate (sp?) more staff, more admin, more time and therefore more cash, which at the moment is not available. I agree that the units currently existing, especially in Birmingham, aren't ideal, and in my opinion the sooner we move into the new hospital in Birmingham, the better.

Now then, change please, you've had my 2 cents.

Another agreement with the MDHU principle. The view laid out in the very long reply from Number 10 is entirely correct. Remember the Select Committee is cross party and took views from all parties with a view. Select Committees aren't known for kow-towing to the government of the day either and their recommendations are that what we have now is the best service clinically.

The point made about patients on NHS wards being nothing like what would be encountered on ops is plain wrong. If you go to the Field Hospital on Bastion you'll find that as well as the British, Afghan etc troops there are also a good number of Afghan civilians (including a substantial number of children) with a variety of health problems, exactly like you'd find on an NHS ward! A Field Hospital isn't just about trauma care, it also treats normal illnesses and injuries suffered by troops and the local civpop.

Originally Posted by psychobabble

Blah Blah

The point made about patients on NHS wards being nothing like what would be encountered on ops is plain wrong. If you go to the Field Hospital on Bastion you'll find that as well as the British, Afghan etc troops there are also a good number of Afghan civilians (including a substantial number of children) with a variety of health problems, exactly like you'd find on an NHS ward! A Field Hospital isn't just about trauma care, it also treats normal illnesses and injuries suffered by troops and the local civpop.

Hear, Hear. It's my opinion that to aid recovery military personnel should recover in a military environment, however, it remains the case that to treat a wide variety of conditions/symptoms/illnesses/situations on one single ward, is not cost effective, nor is it beneficial to the patients. I believe that the health of our personnel, and the speedy recovery of them, is more important than grouping them together to protect both the military injured, and the civpop.

The argument against this is very valid, but the solutions put forward, of which one is a dedicated military hospital, are simply not feasable.

I recieved this today

Following our response to the e-petition “We the undersigned petition the
Prime Minister to create a dedicated Military & Veterans Hospital within
the UK” on 24 September 2008, we received feedback from some signatories
on the issue of hospital security.

We can assure you that the security of our personnel admitted as
in-patients is of the highest priority and remains under constant review.
Each NHS Trust has overall security responsibility for the safety of all
its patients. The main trauma ward at Selly Oak hospital has a swipe card
door lock system, and we have good liaison arrangements in place between
the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, the hospital, Special Branch and the
local police. Similar liaison takes place at the other hospitals hosting
Ministry of Defence Hospital Units, and any MOD concerns will be discussed
with the appropriate Trust security department.

Prime Minister's Office

Reply from a bunch of lying,two faced w*****s!