HC Deb 10 July 1997 vol 297 cc527-8W
Mrs. Golding

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the Defence Medical Training Organisation. [8516]

Dr. Reid

The Defence Medical Training Organisation (DMTO), which formed initially on 1 April 1996 and brought together the provision of individual medical services training previously provided on a single Service basis, was established as a joint Service Agency on 1 April 1997 under the control of a Chief Executive. The Headquarters of the DMTO will be based initially in Portsmouth, moving to HMS DOLPHIN in late 1998. The DMTO consists of the following(a) The Royal Defence Medical College, currently on two sites at Millbank, London and HMS DOLPHIN, Gosport. The London element will move to HMS DOLPHIN later this year. (b) The Defence Medical Services Training, Keogh Barracks, Aldershot.

The aim of the Agency is to deliver individual medical services training, to prescribed standards, to meet the operational requirement.

The Chief Executive, Major General C. G. Callow OBE QHP L/RAMC, will be afforded greater responsibility and flexibility to build upon the reputation for excellence of medical services training. Thus the MOD will continue to have access to the training necessary to provide highly trained and motivated medical services personnel in support of military operations while ensuring best value for money is obtained.

The Chief Executive has been set the following key targets for the first year of operation:

  1. 1. To achieve the following success rates for the categories of training shown:
    • Common Core Course: 90 per cent.
    • Specialist Register: 95 per cent.
    • Pre-Registration Nurses: 95 per cent.
  2. 2. To achieve £0.332 million savings in Year 1 and thereafter set targets in terms of annual reduction in unit cost of output.
  3. 3. To actively seek ways of improving the quality and relevance of medical services training by assisting customers to review their training objectives and to respond to customers within 3 months of each review.
  4. 4. To develop measures of unit cost of output which will allow targets for reduction to be set for Year 2 and beyond.
  5. 5. To develop an effective means of targeting timeliness.
  6. 6. To establish mechanisms for assessing customer satisfaction and set targets for Year 2 and beyond.

Copies of the Agency's Framework Document have been placed in the Library of both Houses.

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