Paramedic: Newly introduced military role you didn't know didn't already exist
For the first time, the role of paramedic is to be recognised as its own career within the Armed Forces, with a newly established Paramedic Cadre.
Until now, the job of the paramedic has been bundled together within the role of a medic.
The Navy has Medical Assistants, the Army has Combat Medical Technicians and the RAF has RAF Medics.
Some personnel had an additional qualification which meant they could also operate as paramedics.
But Defence Medical Services (DMS) says the change now recognises their unique clinical training and educational needs.
It said it comes at a time when the need for dedicated military medics is increasing, both at home and on operations abroad.
Why did it not exist before?
Put simply, it was due to legislation and governance around remaining competent and qualified to practice.
Paramedics need to do a certain number of hours in a paramedic setting, but the military couldn't afford medics these hours.
"Previously, medics have been released on a very ad-hoc basis to do their paramedic skills. Either that or they'd do it in their own time," explained Chris Gibson, a former Chief Instructor of the Army Medical Services Training Centre.
By creating a formal paramedic role, they are now able to prioritise the time paramedics need to retain this competency.
"We're doing it now because effectively we need to," Lt Col James Ashelby, part of the Strategic Workforce Planning team at DMC, told BFBS Forces News.
"Some say we should have done it ages ago, but the conditions were never such that it could be done.
"This is the first opportunity we've had where there's been a push from all three services saying we need a paramedic capability properly.
"This is the first step of a process, and the hard yards are yet to come.
"Changing the organisational structures, making sure the right people are being pulled in – in order to treat people as they should be."
Losing people
Former Defence Specialist Adviser for Paramedics, Andrew Smith, agrees with this need.
Andrew served 34 years in the RAF and spent years fighting for paramedics to be recognised as their own profession.
He says eventually it broke him and he left.
"I've got a passion for paramedics," he said, "and my biggest passion is for the casualty on the battlefield.
"Any British serviceman that gets injured should receive at least the care that the NHS can deliver or better."
Andrew says retention had become an issue. "We were haemorrhaging paramedics," he said.
"Hopefully this is a retention thing now and people will stay in, because, ultimately, we will get involved in another war, another conflict, and we want the best people on the frontline to look after them."
New insignia
Each service will agree its own insignia for the newly defined profession.
The RAF has its paramedic emblem already in use.
The Navy has a design currently going through the dress committee and the Army's paramedic badging is also under review.
Pay and career structure
The creation of the new paramedics profession in defence comes into effect immediately, with all new paramedics in the Armed Forces now becoming part of the new Paramedics Cadre.
Details of future recruitment, terms of service, changes to pay structure and career progression are all still being worked on.
DMS says it aims to get these agreed and confirmed by March 2026.
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