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War casualties put UK hospitals under strain – ahead of fresh Afghan offensive
New beds to be opened to handle rise in UK troops injured as defence secretary warns of "real risk" of new fatalities
Hospitals treating casualties of the war in Afghanistan are close to capacity and coming under growing pressure from the number of troops wounded by the Taliban-led insurgency, a report by parliament's independent watchdog warns today.
The demands are so great that the Ministry of Defence will today announce an increase in the number of ward beds at its rehabilitation centre, at Headley Court in Surrey, from 66 to 96, the Guardian has learned.
The report comes as ministers have warned of the prospect of further casualties as 4,000 British troops prepare to launch Operation Moshtarak – which means "together" in Pashtu – with US marines and Afghan forces. The aim of the operation, the biggest since the conflict in Afghanistan began, is designed to clear the town of Marjah in central Helmand, a Taliban stronghold and centre of the opium trade, of insurgents.
Bob Ainsworth, the defence secretary, has warned of a "very real risk" that British lives will be lost during the fighting.
The National Audit Office report details the growing strain that medical units are being put under by the ferocity of the fighting in Afghanistan.
Selly Oak hospital in Birmingham, where the MoD has a contract to treat seriously wounded troops, might have to displace civilians to make way for extra military patients, the report says.
The main field hospital in Afghanistan at Camp Bastion is coping with casualty levels, but operating close to capacity, it says. Contingency plans for providing further capacity back in Britain for injured troops have improved, but should be developed further, it adds.
More than 520 military personnel were seriously injured on operations there and in Iraq between October 2001 and October 2009, according to the NAO report, and 6,900 have been evacuated back to the UK since 2003. According to the latest MoD figures, 158 armed forces personnel were seriously wounded in Afghanistan last year, and 1,229 were treated by field hospitals, more than 700 as a result of diseased or non-battle injuries.
By last year, personnel on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan had attended medical facilities 1,700 times for mental health conditions, the NAO says. Reported rates of disease and minor injury in Afghanistan have almost doubled from 4% to 7%, with troops needing treatment 125,000 times since 2006. It cites as possible reasons for the increase the intensity of operations, living conditions at forward bases, and improved reporting of medical data.
The MoD has identified 75 "unexpected survivors" – casualties, including local people, who would usually be expected to die given the severe nature of their injuries – in Iraq and Afghanistan between April 2006 and July 2008, an increase of 25% over previous figures.
Reliable figures on the number of armed forces personnel suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder are difficult to collect. Today's report refers to a 2003 questionnaire of troops in Iraq which showed PTSD symptoms to be 50% higher in deployed combat troops than non-deployed personnel.
Amyas Morse, head of the NAO, said: "My report has found that treatment for seriously injured personnel is highly effective. Alongside this positive finding, we point out the need to continue to improve contingency planning for facilities in the UK in the context of a longer-term conflict, and the importance of increased efforts to prevent disruption due to rising levels of short-term illness."
Edward Leigh, chairman of the Commons public accounts committee, said: "The MoD should plan properly for the capacity required under all casualty scenarios, including the most pessimistic. We will seek reassurance that the quality of care for service personnel will remain high, even if Selly Oak becomes full."
In a separate report, the Commons defence committee says it is deeply concerned about lack of medics in the armed forces and the dependency on reserves.
War casualties put UK hospitals under strain ? ahead of fresh Afghan offensive | UK news | The Guardian
New beds to be opened to handle rise in UK troops injured as defence secretary warns of "real risk" of new fatalities
Hospitals treating casualties of the war in Afghanistan are close to capacity and coming under growing pressure from the number of troops wounded by the Taliban-led insurgency, a report by parliament's independent watchdog warns today.
The demands are so great that the Ministry of Defence will today announce an increase in the number of ward beds at its rehabilitation centre, at Headley Court in Surrey, from 66 to 96, the Guardian has learned.
The report comes as ministers have warned of the prospect of further casualties as 4,000 British troops prepare to launch Operation Moshtarak – which means "together" in Pashtu – with US marines and Afghan forces. The aim of the operation, the biggest since the conflict in Afghanistan began, is designed to clear the town of Marjah in central Helmand, a Taliban stronghold and centre of the opium trade, of insurgents.
Bob Ainsworth, the defence secretary, has warned of a "very real risk" that British lives will be lost during the fighting.
The National Audit Office report details the growing strain that medical units are being put under by the ferocity of the fighting in Afghanistan.
Selly Oak hospital in Birmingham, where the MoD has a contract to treat seriously wounded troops, might have to displace civilians to make way for extra military patients, the report says.
The main field hospital in Afghanistan at Camp Bastion is coping with casualty levels, but operating close to capacity, it says. Contingency plans for providing further capacity back in Britain for injured troops have improved, but should be developed further, it adds.
More than 520 military personnel were seriously injured on operations there and in Iraq between October 2001 and October 2009, according to the NAO report, and 6,900 have been evacuated back to the UK since 2003. According to the latest MoD figures, 158 armed forces personnel were seriously wounded in Afghanistan last year, and 1,229 were treated by field hospitals, more than 700 as a result of diseased or non-battle injuries.
By last year, personnel on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan had attended medical facilities 1,700 times for mental health conditions, the NAO says. Reported rates of disease and minor injury in Afghanistan have almost doubled from 4% to 7%, with troops needing treatment 125,000 times since 2006. It cites as possible reasons for the increase the intensity of operations, living conditions at forward bases, and improved reporting of medical data.
The MoD has identified 75 "unexpected survivors" – casualties, including local people, who would usually be expected to die given the severe nature of their injuries – in Iraq and Afghanistan between April 2006 and July 2008, an increase of 25% over previous figures.
Reliable figures on the number of armed forces personnel suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder are difficult to collect. Today's report refers to a 2003 questionnaire of troops in Iraq which showed PTSD symptoms to be 50% higher in deployed combat troops than non-deployed personnel.
Amyas Morse, head of the NAO, said: "My report has found that treatment for seriously injured personnel is highly effective. Alongside this positive finding, we point out the need to continue to improve contingency planning for facilities in the UK in the context of a longer-term conflict, and the importance of increased efforts to prevent disruption due to rising levels of short-term illness."
Edward Leigh, chairman of the Commons public accounts committee, said: "The MoD should plan properly for the capacity required under all casualty scenarios, including the most pessimistic. We will seek reassurance that the quality of care for service personnel will remain high, even if Selly Oak becomes full."
In a separate report, the Commons defence committee says it is deeply concerned about lack of medics in the armed forces and the dependency on reserves.
War casualties put UK hospitals under strain ? ahead of fresh Afghan offensive | UK news | The Guardian
