Blair confirms army hospital wing

Tony Blair says NHS hospitals are the best place for troops to be treated

Sunday, 22, Oct 2006 12:00

Tony Blair has announced that British troops will be treated at a military-managed wing in a Birmingham NHS hospital.

The prime minister said 12 soldiers were already in the Selly Oak and Queen Elizabeth hospitals, which also house the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine.

Mr Blair had previously rejected calls for a return to dedicated military hospitals following concerns about soldiers being treated in civilian wards.

And today he wrote in the News of the World that military hospitals could not compete with "NHS specialised care and treatment".

"For no matter how dedicated the staff, no such hospital could now provide the specialised care and treatment our wounded forces are getting within the NHS," he said.

"Burns, brain injuries or complicated fractures are all different specialisms requiring medical teams who deal with these conditions every day. The more hands-on experience and knowledge they have, the better they become at their jobs."

The prime minister added: "And doctors can't improve if they are only treating a handful of military patients a month with these conditions."

Mr Blair said he hoped that British troops would feel more at home now "they can recuperate from their operations with their comrades".

"Our servicemen and women deserve the best attention and care. I promise the government will do all it can to ensure they get it," he concluded.