Royal Naval Medical Service
| Royal Navy Medical Service | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1832 - Present (Current Structure Adopted in 1917) |
| Country |
United Kingdom 
|
| Allegiance | HM The Queen |
| Branch | Royal Navy |
| Role | Medicine |
| Website | Royal Navy Medical Service |
| Commanders | |
| Medical Director General (Naval) | Commodore (Royal Navy) Commodore Inga J Kennedy CBE QHNS QARNNS |
| Commodore-in-Chief | HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, GCVO |
| Insignia | |
|
White Ensign (1801 – present) |
 |
| Naval Jack |
 |
| Red Cross Emblem |
 |
The Royal Navy Medical Service is the branch of the Royal Navy responsible for medical care. It works closely with Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service.
The history of the service can be traced back to 1692 when treatment for sick and wounded naval personnel was administered by the Commissioners of the Sick and Hurt Board (a subsidiary body of the Navy Board) until 1806, when medical officers of the Royal Navy had been under the direction of the Transport Board. In 1817 the Transport Board was combined with the Navy Board, and responsibility for medical officers passed to the Victualling Board. In 1832 the two remaining bodies of the Royal Navy (the Navy Board and the Victualling Board) were abolished following recommendations by the First Lord of the Admiralty, Sir James Graham. Now a new Physician of the Navy, reporting to one of the members of the Board of Admiralty, was put in charge of the navy medical department; the title of this post was changed to Physician-General of the Navy in 1835, then to Inspector-General of Naval Hospitals and Fleets in 1841, and then to Director-General of the Medical Department of the Navy in 1844. In 1879 the offices of the Director-General were located at 9 New Street, Spring Gardens, London. In 1917 following further re-structuring within the Admiralty Department it became known as the Royal Navy Medical Service headed by Medical Director General of the Navy until 2002 when it was re-styled once more to Medical Director General (Naval) the MDG Naval currently reports to Second Sea Lord and Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff .
The medical branch today is made up of Medical Officers (physicians) and non-commissioned officers and ratings as medical assistants, who receive similar training to paramedics. Nursing services are provided for the navy by the QARNNS which works alongside the Medical Service, but is a separate organisation. In total, 1,522 personnel are employed by the service.
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Wikipedia