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LCDR
Quain, an orthopedic surgeon, works as part of the Primary
Casualty Reception Facility (PCRF) which is embarked onboard
HMAS Manoora as part of Exercise Sea Eagle.
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By LEUT
Adam Grover
Meeting
the needs of an embarked force means planning for all contingencies.
This includes making sure that there is instant availability to
the highest standard of medical care possible.
As
part of Exercise Sea Eagle, the Primary Casualty Reception Facility
(PCRF) was activated between March 10 and 15 to level four capability.
This allowed for the development of standard operating procedures
for the integration of PCRF operations within an embarked joint
amphibious task group. The last time a PCRF embarked was in early
2001 for Exercise Tandem Thrust.
Deployed
on HMAS Manoora the team of 29, including 25 Navy, 2 Army and
2 RAAF personnel represented a number of firsts. According to
LCDR Liz Rushbrook, OIC of the PCRF; “ There are 29 in the
team and we have never deployed a team of this size before, we
are perhaps the most capable group of this type. We have with
us an anaesthetist, an orthopaedic surgeon, a general surgeon,
a psychologist as well as specialist nursing and support staff.
While some of us have worked together before we are lucky to come
together as a group to carry out some exciting exercise activities.”
Confirming
her enthusiasm for the work LCDR Rushbrook said, “We love
our work and realise that many of our colleagues dream of doing
the sort of work that the exercise allows us to do.”
While
deployed on Exercise Sea Eagle the PCRF was kept very busy dealing
with major damage control exercises, simulated causality treatment
including emergency field treatment and the conduct of support
to patients in both high and low dependency environments on board
Manoora. FSGT Gary Smith, responsible for pathology services as
part of the team said; “The PCRF has a unique capability
and I like the idea of getting to sea to help save peoples lives.
The whole team has important and closely interrelated jobs to
do, and its only by coming and practising in this sort of context
that we can sort out the challenges that deploying the facility
offers.”
The
exercise was a valuable opportunity to evaluate PCRF basic surgical
capability in the maritime environment, to trial psychological
support and to mature the concept of high level medical support
in a practical context, LCDR Rushbrook said.
