Army Medical Services Core Doctrine

摘要

In the foreword of Organization, Strategy and Tactics of the Army Medical Service in War', the then Director General Army Medical Services Lt Gen JA Hartigan wrote "It has been said with truth that, in order to learn the various duties a Royal Army Medical Corps Officer may he required to carry out in war, he has to study many books of reference, and regret is often expressed that the necessary information could not be obtained from one source" [2]. That single source of information to aid medical planning is still one of the key tools that a Medical Staff Officer requires both in the firm base and on operations. The Army Medical Directorate has recently published a revision to Army Medical Services (AMS) Core Doctrine, which examines the nature of Army Health, its principles, and planning considerations for organising Health Service Support (HSS). The term Health Services Support, rather than medical support, is used to stress the contribution of ail professional groups (medical, nursing, dental and veterinary) in the AMS to the health of the Army; it is not just the domain of doctors. This new version contains a number of substantial changes and replaces the last version published in 2000. Readers of this Journal need to understand the key new concepts contained in this publication in order to appreciate how the AMS will support the Joint Force in the Land Environment in the future; it comprises four chapters.