(Andover, 31 May 2017) DMWS is deeply saddened and shocked by the attack in Manchester on Monday 22 of May. We are very proud of our Manchester based welfare officers who are providing a service over and above their usual work to help people affected by the attack. We are offering practical help and emotional support where it is needed. A listening ear to front line staff police, fire, ambulance, A&E staff who have been directly involved in attending and dealing with casualties as well as supporting the bereaved, the patients and their families.
Our welfare officers been providing a unique medical welfare service to the Armed Forces and emergency services at times of crisis for over 70 years and are trained to respond in similar situations. Our experience rooted in the operational area ensures we are prepared to respond quickly as part of an integrated team to help when required. We understand the pressures placed on operational staff; the Police, the Emergency Services and of course the patients and families in the hospitals. We are very proud of our Manchester based welfare officers who are providing a service over and above their usual work to help people affected by the attack. We are offering practical help and emotional support where it is needed. A listening ear to front line staff police, fire, ambulance, A&E staff who have been directly involved in attending and dealing with casualties as well as supporting the bereaved, the patients and their families.
A meeting with the Mayor of Manchester, Andy Burnham highlighted our collaborative work with the authorities, emergency services and the provision of welfare support to families within local hospitals.
Nicky Murdoch, CEO of DMWS said: “Our team has added real value to the continuing operations in the aftermath of Monday’s tragic events. They have, like all the other emergency services, got on with their unique role which improves the situation for everyone who has been affected. Supporting parents and brothers and sisters who have lost loved ones and are dealing with the shock of such a bereavement, solving practical issues that are faced by patients away from home and in hospital recovering, releasing clinicians to do clinical work speeding up the triage and treatment of the injured and allowing those members of the emergency services to find an impartial ear that is experienced in this sort of environment, to unload about what they have seen and heard during a highly intense and difficult period. They need support because this is what they do. I am immensely proud of the DMWS welfare officers who are a fantastic team, operating brilliantly as an integrated part of the emergency services in time of national crisis.”
For more information about DMWS please visit www.dmws.org.uk
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Notes to editors
For further information on DMWS please contact Christine Pilbeam, Marketing and PR Manager on 01264 774 270 or email mfo@dmws.org.uk
Registered Charity in England and Wales (1087210) and in Scotland (SC045460)
About St John and Red Cross Defence Medical Welfare Service (DMWS)
The Defence Medical Welfare Service (DMWS) was formed form the joint War Committee of the British Red Cross and The order of St John in 1943. For over 70 years the Charity has been providing an independent and impartial medical welfare service to the Armed Forces Community. Recent new projects with organisations such as the police, the NHS and the probation service demonstrates the broad appeal of the organisation and its application to a wide set of frontline services.
