Guidance

MGN 370 (M+F) Amendment 1 the Dreadnought Medical Service, St Thomas' Hospital

Published 27 April 2023

Summary

This notice provides information on the Dreadnought Medical Service, available for seafarers through the medical services at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust (GSTT) in London.

The Dreadnought Medical Service referral form, may be used by a seafarer’s GP or company doctor.

Amendment 1 updates contact details and adds a link to the Dreadnought Medical Service referral form.

1. Introduction

1.1 The Dreadnought Medical Service is a facility offering priority medical treatment to eligible seafarers through the medical services of the GSTT in London. While there are no longer dedicated wards within the hospital, services are available to offer treatment for a full range of medical conditions. The service aims to provide treatment in a shorter time scale than may normally be offered in a seafarer’s local NHS hospital, although this cannot be guaranteed. The purpose is to enable serving seafarers to return to work at sea as soon as possible. This MGN describes the services and the referral process.

2. Eligibility for priority medical treatment and services available

2.1 Active seafarers who are resident in the UK, including fishing vessel personnel, pilots, cadets, those in the towage industry and shipping company shore staff essential to the function of the fleet are all eligible to be considered for elective priority treatment through the Dreadnought service. Seafarer’s dependents may also be eligible where the illness of a seafarer’s spouse or child is such as to cause the seafarer grave concern. Retired seafarers will be considered but will not normally be entitled to receive priority treatment. The service has a designated administrator, who should be contacted for advice in the case of any query about eligibility or other information (see Section 5 for details).

2.2 A wide range of medical and surgical services are available. In addition to medical treatments, dental treatment can also be provided, a “one-stop” hernia service is available and in certain circumstances, female seafarers can have access to the hospital’s gynaecological services. Although cardiac surgery is included, there is no priority given to seafarers. As the service operates within the NHS, there is no charge for UK resident seafarers.

3. Location

3.1 St Thomas’ is located near Waterloo Station in Central London and can be reached by bus or underground. Guy’s Hospital is located adjacent to London Bridge Station. Assistance with transport and travel costs may be available through the hospital’s patient transport service (contact GSTT Patient Transport Services on 020 7188 2888) or in certain cases, the Seafarer’s Hospital Society (contact 020 8898 3696). A limited amount of accommodation is available nearby for close relatives, if required, for which there is a moderate charge.

4. Referral procedure

4.1 There is standard referral form that can be completed by the seafarer’s GP or company doctor; available at the Dreadnought Medical Service. This may be photocopied as necessary. The completed form should be sent to the Dreadnought administrator at the address below.

5. Dreadnought Medical Service contact details

5.1 Any enquiries about the Dreadnought Medical Service should be addressed to:

Dreadnought Medical Service administrator
Dreadnought Medical Service
St Thomas’ Hospital
London
SE1 7EH

Telephone: 020 7188 2049

Email: gst-tr.dreadnought@nhs.net

6. More information

Medical Administration Team, Seafarer Safety and Health Branch
Maritime and Coastguard Agency
Bay 2/17
Spring Place
105 Commercial Road
Southampton
SO15 1EG

Telephone: +44 (0) 203 81 72835

Email: medical@mcga.gov.uk

Website: www.gov.uk/mca

Please note that all addresses and telephone numbers are correct at time of publishing.