A FIELD in Bordon was used to demonstrate a new type of portable hospital that can be used in any war zone and, it is said, has all the facilities of a mainland hospital.

The Army’s 33 Field Hospital, based in Gosport, set up the exercise on land near the Bordon Garrison, on October 20, to demonstrate the Vanguard Field Hospital, which can be used at short notice to support UK contingency operations worldwide.

After it was set up, the media were invited to see the hospital in action; and using volunteers, a wounded solider was taken in for treatment; a patient interviewed at the bedside; preparations for an operation were carried out and “surgery performed” to show the skill of the medical team.

The exercise highlighted the courage and bravery not just of the patients, but of the doctors and nurses who often have to work under fire.

Marshall Land Systems, based in Cambridge, was awarded the contract to facilitate Project HAPTIC, and the new field hospital was delivered in June on budget at a cost of £19m. It is now undergoing trials to develop new capability for UK defence.

The hospital has infrastructure that provides medical treatment areas and environment control capabilities, with the additional benefits of chemical, biological and radiological collective protection for the challenges of future operations.

Commanding Officer 33 Field Hospital Lt Col David Woodward said: “As we are the Vanguard Field Hospital we have great expertise in deploying hospital capability to austere environments.

“We are ideally placed to put this new capability through its paces and it is an exciting and challenging opportunity for all those involved.”

The hospital has four emergency-department beds, two surgical beds, eight intensive care beds and 48 ward beds, providing a safe and protected area to treat casualties, whatever the environment.

This will ensure that UK military personnel continue to be supported by world-leading medical facilities when they deploy overseas, Lt Col Woodward said.

He added: “Throughout recent operations, the Army Medical Services has taken hospital care to world-class levels.

“New capabilities such as this ensure that we can continue to deliver ever-improving standards of medical care in any future operating environment.”

Major Jenny Buck, from Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corp, said: “The exercise is going very well - all the troops have settled in nicely and facilities are clean and bright compared to the current tented field hospitals that we are used to. The floor structure of this new field-hospital capability works so much better - it is level and firm, which enables our equipment to function effectively.

The care we are able to give military personnel within this new capability is second to none and is equal to the care provided in the NHS.”