Defence recovery and personnel recovery centres
Services and facilities providing treatment and support for wounded, sick and injured service personnel.
The Defence Recovery Capability
The Defence recovery Capability is a MOD-owned capability designed to deliver programmed, command-led and coordinated support to wounded, injured and sick serving personnel. It is delivered through single Service (sS) Recovery Pathways, drawing on the resources of sS led Personnel Recovery organisations, including the Naval Service Recovery Centre (NSRC), Personnel Recovery Units (PRU), Personnel Recovery Centres (PRCs), and the Battle Back Centre (BBC). The Recovery Pathways are aligned with clinical treatment and rehabilitation, but do not deliver mental or physical treatment or rehabilitation.
Recovery activity under the Defence Recovery Capability ensures that wounded, injured and sick personnel have access to all the key services and resources needed to help them either return to duty or make a smooth transition to an appropriately skilled civilian life. This care is delivered across the defence community by the combined efforts of the Services and the Service charities responding to carefully tailored individual recovery plans setting out a recovery pathway.
Individual Recovery Plan
Each person who comes under the Defence Recovery Capability will get a tailored Individual Recovery Plan (IRP) which enables them to focus on their outcome, either their return to duty or transition to civilian life.
The IRP delivers the individual recovery pathway focussed on achieving a successful recovery outcome. The IRP is a critical path to delivering a successful outcome, utilising Specific, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound (SMART) objectives is critical to achieving the desired outcome. The IRP incorporates all aspects of an individual’s recovery including medical, welfare, housing, education, re-skilling, Return to Work (RtW) Programmes, work placements and employment opportunities. An interdisciplinary approach is taken utilising all available subject matter experts to analyse, develop, deliver and assess effectiveness. The designated Recovery officer will work with wounded, injured and sick personnel under their command to create a tailored IRP to enable them to focus on their outcome.
Personnel Recovery Units
If an individual’s case is particularly complex they could be transferred to a Personnel Recovery Unit (PRU). A PRU will ensure they receive a consistent and high quality command and care provision that will deliver the right outcome for the individual and the MOD.
There are four PRUs led by the Army and located within the major garrison areas. Command of the Army Recovery Capability rests with HQ Regional Command and each Army PRU directly advises and assists all army units within their respective operating areas.
The RAF PRU is the authority for RAF Recovery Activity and has oversight of all RAF wounded, injured and sick personnel. It is the focal point for RAF Recovery Activity providing advice and guidance to the RAF on Recovery.
Royal Navy wounded injured and sick service personnel with the most complex recovery needs are reviewed by a Naval Service Casualty Cell (NSCC) and assigned to the Hasler Naval Service Recovery Centre (NSRC) in HMS Drake. Hasler Company is based in HMS Drake, Plymouth, also provides additional facilities, command, management and administrative support specifically for those wounded, injured and sick personnel across the armed forces with complex long term injuries and illnesses, and was established in HMS Drake in 2009.
Those wounded injured and sick service personnel who meet the Naval Service Recovery Pathway entry criteria are assigned to the Personnel Support Groups (PSG) located in the Portsmouth, Devonport and Faslane Naval bases, or the Career Management Cells (CMC) in Yeovilton and Culdrose air stations, or the Recovery Troops (RT) established in 40, 42 or 45 Cdo units. Those WIS who remain broadly employable and with less demanding recovery needs remain in their parent unit or are assigned to the PSG in their base port.
Personnel Recovery Centres
The Personnel Recovery Centres (PRCs) offer a residential capacity to those wounded, injured and sick personnel from across the armed forces undergoing recovery as well as providing facilities for day attendees; they are not hospitals, rehabilitation or physiotherapy centres. Individuals assigned to a recovery centre must be self-medicating and independently mobile.
The centres are in major garrisons in the UK and are able to take advantage of the full range of welfare, medical, rehabilitation, education and resettlement facilities.
The Personnel Recovery Centres are open to serving wounded, injured and sick personnel of the Armed Forces on a case by case priority basis. The centres have been designed to:
- create a conducive military environment where wounded, injured and sick personnel can recover
- facilitate and conduct recovery courses and activities in support of individual recovery plans
- offer a secure base for wounded, injured and sick personnel throughout the duration of their recovery
- act as a launch point for other recovery activities such as Battle Back activities, Graduated Return to Work programmes, work placements and mandatory army training tests
Personnel Recovery Centre locations
PRCs are located in:
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Edinburgh: Edinburgh House, opened August 2009; it provides residential accommodation for up to 12 personnel and 15 day attendees
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Colchester: Chavasse VC House, officially opened May 2012; it provides residential accommodation for up to 29 personnel and 30 day attendees
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Tidworth: Tedworth House, opened July 2011; it provides residential accommodation for up to 54 personnel and 30 day attendees
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Catterick: Phoenix House; it provides residential accommodation for up to 50 personnel and a further 30 day attendees
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Battle Back Centre (Lilleshall): Opened in October 2011; it provides residential accommodation for up to 24 personnel
In addition, the Royal Navy operate Royal Naval Recovery Centre, based in HMS Drake at Plymouth, which is effectively a Royal Navy Personnel Recovery Centre for use by all 3 services.
Edinburgh House PRC, Edinburgh
Edinburgh House is a British Army led personnel recovery centre in partnership with Erskine, a veterans’ charity).
It opened in August 2009. Erskine entered into partnership with the British Army to host the first Personnel Recovery Centre in the state of the art expansion at the Erskine Home Edinburgh.
From 1 January 2011 this capability was provided in partnership between Erskine and The Royal British Legion.
Facilities include office areas, en suite accommodation, a gym area, a computer suite, classrooms, dining hall and recreational areas.
Edinburgh House was the first personnel recovery centre to open in August 2009.
Tedworth House PRC, Tidworth
Tedworth House is a stately home on the edge of the garrison town of Tidworth. MOD has owned it since 1897 when it was acquired along with the training area of Salisbury Plain. In 2011 it was leased to Help for Heroes. Extensive restoration work began immediately and it now provides residential accommodation for up to 56 people and has the capacity for a further 30 day attendees.
Tedworth House operating costs are funded by the MOD.
Its facilities include the creation of accommodation wings, the Phoenix Centre, a state of the art sports complex including a Swimex and Skiplex, a wellbeing therapy centre and social areas.
Tedworth House will also have a support hub offering a ‘one stop shop’ of advice and support for residents, veterans and their families with access to the expertise of welfare agencies, service charities and organisations including guidance on money, health, housing and social issues.
Chavasse VC House PRC
Chavasse VC House is a British Army led Personnel Recovery Centre. Operating Costs are funded by the MOD.
Chavasse VC House has residential accommodation for up to 29 personnel and a further 30 day attendees. These include accommodation, classrooms, state of the art fitness centre, family rooms and social areas.
There will also be a support hub offering a ‘one stop shop’ of advice and support for residents and their families with access to the expertise of welfare agencies, service charities and organisations including guidance on money, health, housing and social issues.
Chavasse VC House is named after Capt Noel Chavasse VC and Bar, MC, who was a medical officer who died in World War 1. He is one of only three people to be awarded the VC twice.
Phoenix House, PRC Catterick
Phoenix House, Catterick, is a personnel recovery centre within Catterick Garrison. It opened in early 2013 with 46 bedrooms and four family rooms.
Phoenix House was funded by Help for Heroes with a significant contribution from their partner The Royal British Legion and the MOD. Operational costs are provided by the MOD.
The MOD runs the centre, providing the day to day services needed, including front of house, facilities management, catering, and operational management. Phoenix House also provides a Support Hub, a collection of welfare agencies and other services charities giving a ‘one stop shop’ of advice and support for serving personnel and their families.
The British Army provide the staff required to command and care for resident serving personnel and to deliver the key recovery activities.
Battle Back Centre, Lilleshall
In support of the Battle Back programme, the Battle Back Centre has been established by The Royal British Legion at the National Sports’ Centre, Lilleshall. It provides residential capacity for up to 24 residential personnel. The Legion is funding and leading the operation of the Centre.
The Centre is hosted at Lilleshall by Sport England in the Eaton, Colson, Altham House complex. Leeds Metropolitan University provides coaching expertise and independent evaluation of activities.
The Battle Back Centre, Lilleshall creates a dynamic and enjoyable learning environment that promotes success at the personal, interpersonal and organisational levels. Participants in the programmes will increase their self confidence, gain motivation, improve their ability to deal with stress and develop a positive mental attitude. They will learn to focus on what they can do not on what they cannot.
The Battle Back Centre exists to help armed forces personnel who are wounded, injured or sick to achieve their best possible recovery and either return to Service duty or make a smooth transition to civilian life. The Centre achieves this through the provision of high quality, people centred, adaptive sport and adventurous training activities that are relevant to each individual’s recovery plan as well as being safe, enjoyable, benchmarked against international standards, independently evaluated and delivered by committed world class coaching staff.
The British Army are providing the staff required to command and care for serving personnel whilst at the Battle Back Centre
Royal Navy Recovery Centre
The Royal Navy Recovery Centre incorporates the Parker VC and Endeavour facilities. Parker VC is a 60 cabin and 6 Family room accommodation block situated in HMS Drake.
Complementing Parker VC, Endeavour has facilities to support recovery and rehabilitation. These include a 25 metre liftable floor swimming pool, a 12.5 metre hydrotherapy pool, a 25 metre sprung floor gymnasium including a full suite of cardiovascular equipment, a physiotherapy suite with 8 purpose designed clinical treatment rooms .There is also be a large social space with café facilities, IT connectivity and providing a relaxing atmosphere.
Help for Heroes funded the building of Parker VC and Endeavour. Operating costs of both are funded by the MOD.
Last updated 21 September 2022 + show all updates
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Page updated with the latest information on Defence recovery and personnel recovery centres.
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Added links to Royal Navy personnel recovery centres and troops.
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Updated details of Defence Recovery Centres.
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First published.