§ Mr. KeetchTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the(a) Army Training and Recruiting Agency Secondary Healthcare Initiative, (b) Waiting List Initiative and (c) Rapid Treatment Initiative. [121309]
§ Mr. CaplinThe Army Training and Recruiting Agency's (ATRA) secondary healthcare initiative was formally introduced on 1 April 2001 and remains in operation. Personnel eligible for treatment under the scheme are ATRA trainers or trainees referred by their unit General Practitioner for investigation, opinion and/ or treatment for a condition which is preventing them from continuing with their employment or training. Personnel are referred only when lengthy waiting times occur at the local Ministry of Defence Hospital Unit or 39W NHS hospital. The initiative has proved successful in reducing the average waiting time for both consultation and treatment, enabling trainers and trainees to return to work or training more quickly. The scheme is kept under constant review.
The Waiting List Initiative and the Rapid Treatment Initiative were schemes run by the then Defence Secondary Care Agency in 2000–01 and January 2002 respectively. Some 2000 referrals were made under the two schemes, which were successful in treating personnel more quickly than would otherwise have been possible and in returning many of them to full fitness. Experience gained from these two initiatives will be relevant to further fast-track treatment initiatives in the future.