The Royal Air Force Medical Services is the branch of the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

that provides health care at home and on deployed operations to RAF service personnel.

Medical Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

s are the

doctors Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded b ...

of the RAF and have specialist expertise in

aviation medicine Aviation medicine, also called flight medicine or aerospace medicine, is a preventive or occupational medicine in which the patients/subjects are pilots, aircrews, or astronauts. The specialty strives to treat or prevent conditions to which air ...

to support

aircrew Aircrew are personnel who operate an aircraft while in flight. The composition of a flight's crew depends on the type of aircraft, plus the flight's duration and purpose. Commercial aviation Flight deck positions In commercial aviatio ...

and their protective equipment. Medical officers also carry out Aeromedical evacuations, providing vital assistance on search-and-rescue missions or

emergency relief Emergency management (also Disaster management) is a science and a system charged with creating the framework within which communities reduce vulnerability to hazards and cope with disasters. Emergency management, despite its name, does not actu ...

flights worldwide.

Personnel and training

The Royal Air Force Medical Services employs service members trained only by the RAF, as well as professionals trained by the NHS such as doctors and nurses. Both officers and aircrew are present within the Medical Services. Roles requiring specialist degrees such as Medical Officers (Doctors), Nursing Officers, and Dental Officers (Dentists), as well as roles not requiring specialists degrees such as Medical Support Officers, are all commissioned, with most (except general Medical Support Officers) attending a 13 Week SERE (specialist entrant and re-entrant) Initial Officer Training commissioning course. General Medical Support Officers are required to attend the regular format, 24 week IOT commissioning course. For all roles further training occurs as necessary following the relevant IOT course. Medical Service aircrew are required to attend a 10 week recruit basic training course, after which they receive further training within their role.

List of Directors-General

The head of the medical branch has been titled "Head of the Royal Air Force Medical Services" since 2013. The appointment was previously known as "Director of Medical Services" (1918–1938) and "Director-General Medical of Services (RAF)" (1938–2013).

Directors of Medical Services

* Major-General M H G Fell (1918–1921) (Later Lieutenant-General Sir M H G Fell) * Air Vice-Marshal Sir David Munro (1921–1930) * Air Vice-Marshal Sir J McIntyre (1930–1935) * Air Vice-Marshal Sir A W Iredell (1935–1938)

Directors-General of Medical Services (RAF)

* Air Marshal Sir A V J Richardson (1938–1941) * Air Marshal Sir H E Whittingham (1941–1946) * Air Marshal Sir A Grant (1946–1948) * Air Marshal Sir P C Livingston (1948–1951) * Air Marshal Sir J Mac Kilpatrick (1951–1957) * Air Marshal Sir P B L Potter (1957–1962) * Air Marshal Sir R Nelson (1962–1967) * Air Marshal Sir G R Gunn (1967–1971) * Air Marshal Sir E Sidey (1971–1974) * Air Marshal Sir G Dhenin (1974–1978) * Air Marshal Sir C Soutar (1978–1981) * Air Marshal Sir D Atkinson (1981–1984) * Air Marshal Sir J Donald (1984–1986) * Air Vice-Marshal F C Hurrell (1986–1988) * Air Vice-Marshal N H Mills (1987–1990) (Later Air Marshal Sir N H Mills and

Surgeon General Surgeon general (: surgeons general) is a title used in several Commonwealth countries and most NATO nations to refer either to a senior military medical officer or to a senior uniformed physician commissioned by the government and entrusted with p ...

) * Air Vice-Marshal J M Brook (1991–1994) * Air Vice-Marshal J A Baird (1994–1997) (Later Air Marshal Sir J A Baird and Surgeon General) * Air Vice-Marshal C J Sharples (1997–2002) * Air Vice-Marshal W J Pike (2002–2004) * Air Vice-Marshal S R C Dougherty (2004–2008) * Air Vice-Marshal C P A Evans (2008–2009) (Later Air Marshal C P A Evans and Surgeon General) * Air Vice-Marshal C B Morris (2009–2011) * Air Vice-Marshal A K Mozumder (2011–2013)

Head of Royal Air Force Medical Services

* Air Commodore A C Wilcock (2013–2014) * Air Commodore S C Kilbey (2014–2019) * Air Commodore M Byford (2019–2020) * Air Commodore D C McLoughlin (2020–2021) * Air Commodore D K R Daborn (2021–2022) * Air Commodore S Phythian (2022– )

References

{{Reflist

External links

RAF Medical Services
– RAF Website
Defence Medical Services

RAF Careers – Medical and medical support
Royal Air Force Medical Services