§ Mr. Menzies CampbellTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) pursuant to his answer of 11 February,Official Report, column 778, on medical training of Army bands, what specific medical tasks medical assistants are qualified to undertake; and what is the equivalent level of qualifications in the Royal Army Medical Corps;
(2) to what level of civilian medical expertise (a) Royal Marine and (b) Royal Air Force band personnel are trained.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonAll service band personnel are trained to a level that equates to basic first aider in civilian qualifications. In addition, Royal Marine and RAF personnel are awarded the Health and Safety Executive certificate in first aid in the workplace.
Instruction includes emergency resuscitation using basic skills, control of haemorrhage, initial treatment of bone and joint injuries and the application of bandages and dressings. It also covers the basic nursing care of a patient, the management of intravenous infusion equipment, the transportation of casualties and casualty management under nuclear, biological and chemical conditions.