Recovery centres for serving personnel
Personnel Recovery Centres (PRCs), which form a major part of
the Defence Recovery Capability,
assist wounded, injured and sick Service personnel to recover and
either return to duty or, with support, move successfully into
civilian life.
What they do
The aim of the Defence Recovery Capability is
to ensure that wounded, injured and sick Service personnel have the
support, facilities, time and space to help them to recover and
either return to Service or make a successful transition to
civilian life and a new career. The PRCs contribute to this goal
by:
- improving confidence and self-esteem;
- providing medical care;
- encouraging physical fitness;
- focusing on the individual with tailored recovery
programmes;
- reskilling and training; and
- developing life skills through practical projects, activities
and outings.
Although the average length of a stay is around four months,
everyone recovers at different rates and in different ways.
| There is no 'average stay' at a PRC
- it takes as long as it takes. |
The PRCs are being sited within or close to garrisons, giving
access to Army facilities and support, including existing medical,
educational and other garrison facilities. What's more, PRCs offer
the chance to recover within a military environment - a factor
that's widely considered to improve recovery rates of Service
personnel. PRCs are open to members of all three
Services.
The Catterick and Tedworth House (Tidworth) PRCs will also be
assessment centres, assessing the needs of those who are referred
to the recovery programme. Following assessment, every participant
will have a tailored individual recovery plan that will ensure
access to the right care and support for them.
What we do
We have pledged our biggest-ever single donation, £50m, to the
Defence Recovery Capability.
This will be used to fund the operating costs of the four PRCs
in the UK and a Personnel Recovery Facility in Germany. It will
also be used to create and operate the Battle
Back Centre, which will be located in the West Midlands and
will use adaptive sport and adventurous training to aid
recovery.
The building of three PRCs at Catterick, Colchester and Tedworth
House (Tidworth) is being funded by Help for Heroes, with the
Legion funding the operating costs for the next ten years. They
will be operated by the Army but will be open to personnel from all
three Services.
The PRCs are due to be completed by spring or summer 2012, with
interim facilities available at Tidworth and Catterick from summer
of 2011.
