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17-557: The Defence Medical Services are led by the Director General, currently Air Marshal Clare Walton . The Director General DMS is the defence authority for end to end Defence healthcare and medical operational capability. The Defence Medical Services Group also has three two-star directors: The Defence Medical Services' 7,000 general practitioners , dentists, consultants, nurses, surgeons, allied health professionals and medics (combat medical technicians) provide healthcare for

34-709: Is a senior Royal Air Force officer and physician. Since July 2023 she has been Director General of Defence Medical Services . Walton was commissioned into the Medical Branch of the Royal Air Force (RAF) on 27 March 1987 as a pilot officer : she was being sponsored through her degree by a University Cadetship with the RAF. She graduated from St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical School with Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MB, BS) degrees in 1989. After training at Royal Air Force College Cranwell , she

51-842: Is the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham . There are smaller units at: There have been medical personnel supporting the Armed Forces since the creation of the Armed Forces: ships of the Royal Navy have carried surgeons for centuries; regiments of the British Army have employed surgeons to look after the health of soldiers and to take care of the wounded since their creation. Modern Regiments in

68-759: The COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom . As part of Operation Rescript , the DMS contributed over half of its 6,500 personnel to support NHS hospitals and Trusts – the largest contribution to the operation from any other part of the MOD. The Royal Centre for Defence Medicine assisted with the construction of NHS Nightingale Hospital Birmingham , a temporary critical care hospital, in April 2020. Clare Walton Air Marshal Clare Samantha Walton , CB ,

85-469: The British Army are supported by General Practitioners employed as Regimental Medical Officers and a team of Nurses and Combat Medical Technicians. Specialist Medical Regiments provide dental, physiotherapy and mental health support. Royal Air Force Stations have been supported Station Medical Officers and their primary care teams. From March 2020, the DMS began supporting the UK's COVID-19 relief efforts following

102-679: The Royal Air Force’s Engineering, Logistics, Communications and Medical Operations units. Air Officer Commanding No. 38 Group was also responsible for UK-based United States Visiting Forces (USVF) units and for RAF personnel attached to other global armed forces. The predecessor of 38 Group was No. 38 Wing RAF , initially formed on 15 January 1942 from 296 and 297 Squadrons and based at RAF Netheravon in Wiltshire under Group Captain Sir Nigel Norman . 295 Squadron

119-825: The United Kingdom's Armed Forces. Primary Healthcare is provided by Defence Primary Healthcare . Hospital care is provided by the National Health Service and by embedded military clinicians in Joint Hospital Group units. Specialist military medical education and training is provided by the Defence Medical Academy in Lichfield . Deployed operational medical care is provided by the Royal Naval, Army and Royal Air Force Medical Services. The main centre for Role 4 hospital care

136-840: The group was called upon to ferry airborne troops for Operation Market Garden , the abortive attempt to capture the Rhine bridge at Arnhem . Following that operation there was further reorganisation; the Group Headquarters moved to Marks Hall , Essex in October 1944 and the squadrons were redeployed to RAF Earls Colne (296 and 297), RAF Rivenhall (295 and 570), RAF Great Dunmow (190 and 620), RAF Wethersfield (later to RAF Shepherds Grove ) (196 and 299) and RAF Woodbridge (298 and 644). 190 Squadron remained temporarily at RAF Fairford . On 10 March 1945 161 Squadron at RAF Tempsford also came under 38 Group control. On 24 March 1945

153-518: The group’s updated resources had been fully redeployed between RAF Brize Norton , RAF Fairford , RAF Harwell , RAF Keevil and RAF Tarrant Rushton in preparation for Operation Overlord , the invasion of Europe. From then to 16 June the Group was fully involved in operations Tonga (the delivery of paratroop-filled gliders at the onset of Overlord) and Mallard (the delivery of the main airborne forces and their equipment by glider). In September 1944

170-774: The new RAF Strike Command . No. 46 Group RAF was merged into 38 Group on 1 January 1976. On 17 November 1983, 38 Group was subsumed within Headquarters No. 1 Group RAF at RAF Upavon in Wiltshire . 38 Group was again active during the 1990s from 1 November 1992 to 2000. From 2014, the reformed group had units at RAF Wittering , RAF Brize Norton , RAF High Wycombe and RAF Leeming . The reformed group now includes RAF A4 Force Elements (deployable engineering and logistic units), Tactical Medical Wing at Brize Norton, and Tactical Communications Wing RAF at RAF Leeming. On 1 April 2015 38 Group assumed responsibility for

187-703: The squadrons were fully employed in delivering airborne troops to the far bank of the Rhine as part of Operation Varsity , an operation which proved costly in terms of aircrew lives lost. After the war most 38 Group squadrons were either disbanded or relocated to the Far East and the HQ moved to RAF Upavon . 295 and 297 Squadrons merged and moved to Fairford. 38 Group became part of RAF Transport Command on 1 June 1945. In 1972, Headquarters 38 Group moved from RAF Odiham , Hants, where it had been since 1960, to RAF Benson , Oxon. Also that year, on 1 July 1972, it became part of

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204-561: Was added in February 1944. During 1943, changes of all aircraft types and operational bases were made. Nevertheless 295, 296 and 297 Squadrons were heavily involved that year in operations Beggar , Ladbroke and Fustian , during the invasion of Sicily . From February 1944 many sorties were made over mainland Europe in support of Special Operations Executive and detachments of the Special Air Service . But by 5 June 1944

221-403: Was additionally formed at Netheravon on 3 August 1942. To these were added 570 , 298 , 299 , 190 , 196 , 620 Squadrons to form No. 38 Group on 11 October 1943. At that time four squadrons were equipped with Armstrong Whitworth Albemarles (295, 296, 297, 570), one with Handley Page Halifaxes (298) and four with Short Stirlings (299, 190, 196, 620). A further Halifax unit, 644 Squadron ,

238-617: Was appointed Air Officer Medical Operations in No. 38 Group RAF on 13 June 2016. She was then Commander of the Defence Medical Group from 2018 to 2020. From February 2020, she was Director Defence Medical Personnel & Training, based at Defence Medical Services Whittington . In October 2022 it was announced that Walton would succeed as Director General of the Defence Medical Services from July 2023. She

255-533: Was formed on 6 November 1943 from the former 38 Wing with nine squadrons as part of RAF Transport Command . It was disbanded on 31 January 1951, but re-formed on 1 January 1960, became part of RAF Air Support Command in 1967 and then, in 1972, the air support group within RAF Strike Command . It was temporarily disbanded from 18 Nov 1983 to 31 Oct 1992 and from 1 April 2000 to 1 July 2014. It subsequently became part of RAF Air Command , bringing together

272-732: Was promoted to squadron leader on 1 August 1990. She transferred from a short service commission to a permanent commission on 24 April 1992. She has served a number of posting abroad, including with the United Nations Protection Force in Bosnia-Herzegovina, in Kuwait as part of Operation Desert Fox , and in Iraq as part of Operation Telic . From 2011 to 2014, Walton served as commanding officer of Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre Headley Court . She

289-581: Was promoted to Air Marshal and took up the position on 3 July 2023. She was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the 2022 New Year Honours . This biographical article related to the Royal Air Force is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . No. 38 Group RAF No. 38 Group RAF was a group of the Royal Air Force which disbanded on 31 December 2020. It

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