2nd Medical Brigade (United Kingdom)
| 2nd Medical Brigade | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Active | 1 August 2002 - |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
|
| Branch |
 British Army
|
| Role | Medical services |
| Size | 13 Field Hospitals, 3 specialist medical units |
| Part of | Force Troops Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Queen Elizabeth II Barracks, Strensall |
| Nickname(s) | 2 Med Bde |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Brigadier Toby Rowland |
2nd Medical Brigade is a formation of the British Army formed under Force Troops Command. It predominantly provides deployed hospital care via 13 Field Hospitals. It also provides specialist medical capabilities via three Nationally Recruited Units; 306 Hospital Support Regiment, 335 Medical Evacuation Regiment and Medical Operational Support Group.
Headquarters 2nd Medical Brigade was initially formed at Imphal Barracks, York under the title of The Medical Group on 1 April 2000, as a consequence of the Strategic Defence Review. It was re-titled Headquarters 2nd Medical Brigade on 1 August 2002.
The HQ has operational command of the 3 Regular Cadre field hospitals, 10 independent Reserve field hospitals, a medical evacuation regiment and 2 other specialist units. It also provides the enhanced medical operational command and control (C2) capability lost by the Army Medical Services (AMS). The brigade has significantly raised the quality of pre-deployment medical training, seeing it provide a high standard of field medical care at field hospitals in Afghanistan.
The brigade includes the following units:
The centre cross within the LOGO is representational of the Red Cross, under which the the majority of the AMS operates in accordance with the Geneva Conventions.
Each arm of the Cross is representational of the 4 Corps that make up the Army Medical Services, which are:
The Rob and the Serpent - The centre of the LOGO depicts the Rod of Aesculapius who lived in ancient Greece in the year 1256BC. Aesculapius was known in ancient Greece as the father of medicine and was raised to God status according to Greek mythology. The serpent was revered by the ancient Greeks as having healing powers and combined with the Rod of Aesculapius has been recognised as the international symbol of medicine and healing since 1200BC.
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Wikipedia