Royal Navy's emergency medics' ‘999 response’ tested on UK flagship

This is the Navy’s ‘air ambulance’ in action in the Norwegian Sea as medics on Britain’s biggest warship tested her ability to help a badly-injured sailor.

It was pressed into service after receiving a ‘999’ from Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan.

Britain’s two aircraft carriers possess the largest and best medical facilities in the Fleet, including an operating theatre for the most serious wounds/injuries which require immediate treatment; the goal is to treat and stabilise patients so they can be flown ashore for further treatment and recuperation.

But what if you’re not on HMS Prince of Wales or Queen Elizabeth when you suffer a mishap? What if you’re ashore or in another ship in the carrier’s task group.

For that a carrier scrambles a Merlin helicopter with a team of emergency medical practitioners – the Maritime Medical Emergency Response Team (MMERT).

The helicopter – in this instance a submarine hunting variant from 820 Naval Air Squadron – has been reconfigured for transporting casualties. 

With the ‘injury’ of a sailor deep in the bowels of HMS Duncan beyond the capabilities of the destroyer’s own medical team/smaller sickbay, the MMERT was scrambled for its first run-out on the UK’s flagship this year (the medics did work with HMS Somerset at the beginning of spring).