Royal Navy Medical Service

The Royal Navy Medical Service is the branch of the Royal Navy responsible for medical care. It works closely with Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service.

History
The history of the service can be traced back to 1692 when treatment for sick and wounded naval personnel was administered by the Commissioners of the Sick and Hurt Board (a subsidiary body of the Navy Board) until 1806, when medical officers of the Royal Navy had been under the direction of the Transport Board. In 1817 the Transport Board was merged with the Navy Board, and responsibility for medical officers passed to the Victualling Board.

In 1832 the Navy Board and the Victualling Board were both abolished (following recommendations by the First Lord of the Admiralty, Sir James Graham). At the same time, Sir William Burnett (who had served as one of the medical commissioners on the Victualling Board since 1822) was appointed Physician-General of the Navy; as such he had charge of the navy medical department and reported directly to the Board of Admiralty. The title of his post was changed to Inspector-General of Naval Hospitals and Fleets in 1841, and was again changed in 1844 to Director-General of the Medical Department of the Navy. In 1879 the offices of the director-general were located at 9 New Street, Spring Gardens, London.

In 1917 following further re-structuring within the Admiralty Department it became known as the Royal Navy Medical Service headed by Medical Director General of the Navy until 2002, when it was re-styled once more to Medical Director General (Naval); the MDG Naval currently reports to the Second Sea Lord and Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff.

Current structure
The medical branch today is made up of Medical Officers (physicians) and non-commissioned officers and ratings as medical assistants, who receive similar training to paramedics. Nursing services are provided for the navy by the QARNNS which works alongside the Medical Service, but is a separate organisation. In total, 1,522 personnel are employed by the service.

It is currently commanded by Surgeon Rear Admiral Fleur Marshall, the Medical Director General (Naval); MDG(N) and Chief Naval Medical Officer.

The honorary Commodore-in-Chief of the RNMS is Queen Camilla. In her role as Commodore-in-Chief, the then Duchess of Cornwall visited the training-establishment HMS Excellent in January 2012, to award medals to naval medical teams returning from service in Afghanistan.

All ranks of the medical branch provide medical care afloat as well at naval shore establishments and with the royal marines.

Medical Assistants
Medical Assistants are deployed on all major warships and submarines of the Royal Navy, and provide primary care to the crew. They also have the role of training the crew in first aid. Capital ships often carry non-commissioned medical technicians as part of the larger medical department, who perform laboratory work to aid the medical assistants and officers.

Medical Assistants both male and female provide medical close support and shore side medical care to all Units of 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines.

All medical assistants are ranked in the same manner as other ratings.

Medical Officers
Capital ships (including aircraft carriers, LPHs) have separate medical departments permanently staffed by one or two medical officers, but they are embarked temporarily on smaller vessels when on a long operational tour. Medical officers are ranked in the same manner as other officers, but wear red stripes between the gold on their epaulettes, and have the title 'Surgeon' added to their rank (Surgeon Lieutenant for example). Although Royal Navy medical officers are qualified doctors, they do not use the Dr prefix, like those in other British military medical organisations.

Administration of the Royal Navy Medical Service
Note: This is an incomplete list.

Physician-General of the Navy

 * 9 Jun 1832–24 January 1841: Sir William Burnett

Inspector-General of Naval Hospitals and Fleets

 * 25 January 1841 – 31 December 1843: Sir William Burnett

Director-General of the Medical Department of the Navy

 * 1 January 1844 – 29 April 1855: Sir William Burnett
 * 30 April 1855 – 20 January 1864: Sir John Liddell
 * 21 January 1864 – 14 April 1869: Dr Alexander Bryson
 * 15 April 1869 – 31 January 1880: Sir Alexander Armstrong
 * 1 February 1880 – 26 February 1888: Sir John Watt Reid
 * 27 February 1888 – 31 March 1898: Surgeon Vice Admiral Sir James Nicholas Dick
 * 1 April 1898 – 11 September 1904: Surgeon Vice Admiral Sir Henry Frederick Norbury
 * 12 September 1904 – 10 May 1908: Surgeon Vice Admiral Sir Herbert M. Ellis
 * 11 May 1908 – 10 May 1913: Surgeon Vice Admiral Sir James Porter
 * 11 May 1913 – 31 May 1917: Surgeon Vice Admiral Sir Arthur W. May

Medical Director-General of the Navy

 * 1917–1919: Surgeon Vice Admiral Sir William Henry Norman, KCB, FRCSE
 * 1919–1923: Surgeon Vice Admiral Sir Robert Hill, KCB, KCMG, CVO, KHS
 * 1923–1927: Surgeon Vice Admiral Sir Joseph Chambers, KCB, CMG, KHP
 * 1927–1931: Surgeon Vice Admiral Sir Arthur Gaskell, KCB, OBE, KHS, FRCS
 * 1934–1937: Surgeon Vice Admiral Sir Reginald St George Smallridge Bond, KCB, KHP, FRCP, FRCSE
 * 1934–1937: Surgeon Vice Admiral Sir Robert William Basil Hall, KCB, OBE, KHP
 * 1937–1941: Surgeon Vice Admiral Sir Percival Thomas Nicholls, KCB, KPH, FRCS
 * 1941–1945: Surgeon Vice Admiral Sir Sheldon Francis Dudley, KCB, OBE, FRS, KHP, FRCP
 * 1945–1948: Surgeon Vice Admiral Sir Henry St Clair Colson, KCB, CBE, KHP, FRCP
 * 1948–1951: Surgeon Vice Admiral Sir Clarence Edward Greeson, KBE, CB, KHP
 * 1952–1956: Surgeon Vice Admiral Sir Kenneth Alexander Ingleby-Mackenzie, KBE, CB, QHP
 * 1956–1960: Surgeon Vice Admiral Sir Robert Cyril May, KBE, CB, MC, QHS, FRCS
 * 1960–1963: Surgeon Vice Admiral Sir William Robert Silvester Panckridge, KBE, CB, QHP
 * 1963–1966: Surgeon Vice Admiral Sir Derek Duncombe Steele-Perkins, CB, CVO, QHS, FRCS, FRACS
 * 1966–1969: Surgeon Vice Admiral Sir Eric Dick Caldwell, KBE, CB, QHP, FRCP, FRCPE
 * 1969–1972: Surgeon Vice Admiral Sir Eric Blackburn Bradbury, KBE, CB, QHP, FRCS
 * 1972–1977: Surgeon Vice Admiral Sir James Watt, KBE, QHS, FRCS
 * 1977–1980: Surgeon Vice Admiral Sir John Stuart Pepys Rawlins, KBE, FRCP, FRAeS
 * 1980–1983: Surgeon Vice Admiral Sir John Albert Bews Harrison, KBE, QHP, FRCP
 * 1983–1984: Surgeon Vice Admiral Roger John William Lambert, QHP
 * 1985–1990: Surgeon Vice Admiral Sir Godfrey James Milton-Thompson, KBE, QHP, FRCP
 * 1990–1993: Surgeon Rear Admiral David Askey Lammiman, CB, LVO, QHS, FFARCS
 * 1993–1994: Surgeon Rear Admiral Anthony Leslie Revell, QHS
 * 1997–1999: Surgeon Rear Admiral Michael Patrick William Halden Paine, QHS, FRCS
 * 1999–2002: Surgeon Rear Admiral Ian Lawrence Jenkins, CVO, QHS FRCS

Medical Director-General (Naval)

 * 2001–2003: Surgeon Rear Admiral Ralph Donaldson Kerr, FRCGP
 * 2003–2007: Surgeon Rear Admiral Michael Atholl Farquharson-Roberts, CBE, FRCS
 * 2007–2009: Surgeon Rear Admiral Philip Iain Raffaelli, QHP
 * 2011–2012: Surgeon Rear Admiral Lionel Jarvis, CBE, QHS
 * 2012–2014: Surgeon Rear Admiral Calum James Gibb McArthur, FRCGP
 * 2014–2015: Surgeon Rear Admiral Alasdair James Walker, OBE, QHS, FRCS
 * 2015–2017: Surgeon-Commodore Peter Buxton, OBE
 * 2017–2021: Commodore Inga Jane Kennedy, CBE, VR, QHNS
 * 2021–present: Surgeon Rear Admiral, Fleur T. Marshall, KHP