Abstract

An audit was carried out on a cohort of Territorial Army (TA) personnel passing through RTMC in order to assess the quality of their previous medical assessments compared to that undertaken at the time of their mobilisation. The results confirmed the high downgrading rate (18%) amongst TA personnel compared to previous studies that identified grading error rates of 6–6.5% amongst Regular Army personnel. Errors in the entry medical assessments for TA personnel were also identified in nearly half (44%) of records examined. Possible solutions are identified through improved education of examining medical officers and by increasing the pre-deployment time available to obtain specialist referrals. A case is also made for having improved access to previous medical information, both to improve the quality of the predeployment medical screening and to ensure appropriate continuity of care for deployed TA personnel.