Not much to add, but shouldn’t the roles of the these new MSOs just be doing what the First Aid Officers are doing currently?
I guess FAO is the training side, MSO is the operational? I also question the term medical support, at best as volunteers we’re trained and insured to do first aid.
I always take “medical” to imply registered professionals, but that might be my mistake/misnomer.
I don’t really understand the logic behind these new roles. Surely between FAOs and H&S, first aid should be covered. I don’t know why medical stuff would need cover at a wing level (and certainly not by a volunteer).
Some wings are already bloated with too many superfluous roles they can’t fill, and if they were filled would just pull volunteer time away from squadrons.
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MSOs within the RAF are frequently qualified HCPC healthcare professionals such as physiotherapist, pharmacists, EHOs etc who are not doctors or nurses.
Indeed. I don’t really see a need of 1 per Wing, but the sensible approach would be to advertise externally for an appropriate candidate to enter the RAFAC directly to that role.
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Why? Based on my experience every Wing is going to have health care professionals within it.
We are forever complaining that the organisation doesn’t use volunteers skills, then when they do we whinge about that too.
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But those professionals shouldn’t be operating at a level any higher than AFA. And certainly shouldn’t be using any equipment they might use in a work environment.
We are not a care provider, and don’t have the relevant risk assessments, method statements, SOPs etc for someone like a paramedic to be delivering paramedic level cover for an event. If an event is deemed to need that level of cover, then proper 3rd party paramedic cover should be brought in.
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And most importantly given the RIAT fiasco and heat not so many years ago, no HCP would put their professional registration at risk to undertake such a post, I know I certainly wouldn’t have do so.
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My understanding after reading weekly brief 85, is they’re not going to be used to deliver training or frontline medical treatment but support the chain of command by providing advice on environmental & occupational health, writing medical risk assessments etc, thereby reducing the risk of another RIAT debacle. I think some here are grasping the wrong stick not just the wrong end.
Os that not what the Wing H&S body is for? And the TSA?
I’m not sure but if I asked my H&S rep about the risk of limes disease I’d probably get a very strange reaction and told to speak to a doctor.
Yeah, fair enough. I do wonder if what you are describing needs to be a Wing level role though. Seems like a good regional SME role would do.
I’d agree from the limited information currently available, certainly compared to other roles held at Regions but not Wings
My problem is, I as, for example the Wing SME for Shooting develops my plans, then some MSO suddenly says, “oooo,this is risky, we need an amulance technician minimum”. Shooting srcubbed as we just can’t provide it.
That wouldn’t be up to them, though. That’s covered by existing MOD policy. I assume this would look at things like X-country and at a HQ level decide if the FA cover we are providing is adequate? And especially things like RIAT.
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And most doctors would have to use Dr Google, other websites are available, about Lymes disease as it isn’t very common in the cities.
As I said up thread, any registered HCP, doctor, nurse or other HCP getting involved as an MSO, needs to approach such a post with great caution, in particular as to who indemnifies them in the case of litigation. Will the RAFAC and by extension the RAF or will they require some form of insurance from a medical defence organisation, and if so, who pays for the cost, and will the organisation accept the risk profile?
I find that odd (not saying you’re wrong, you’re almost certainly right) because our kids get lectures on it at primary school because we live in a hotspot.
I am a Lyme casualty, I contracted it around 10 years ago, from visiting a deer park in Scotland. Bullseye rash and all that, had a course of Doxycycline as a result. Still have flare ups every now and again. Not nice.
What amazes me is that we don’t push awareness of the Lyme risk more, especially with AT and Fieldcraft being big in our region.
I would welcome a specialist getting involved to deal with issues like this, our current crop of SME aren’t up to speed with specific health risks such as this.
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Lymes is easy if that’s spotted, but if that’s missed then it’s a big B to diagnose.
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