RAF Headley Court
Encyclopedia
Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre Headley Court (abbreviated to DMRC Headley Court, and more commonly known as Headley Court), formerly RAF Headley Court, is an 85 acres (34.4 ha) United Kingdom
Ministry of Defence
facility in Headley
, near Leatherhead
, Surrey
, England
.
It is used as a rehabilitation
centre for injured members of the British Armed Forces
.
by Lord Cunliffe
, who was Chairman of the Bank of England
. During World War II
, it was used as the Headquarters for the Canadian Forces
in Europe, and since the war, it has been used as a Royal Air Force
and Joint Services
medical rehabilitation
centre. During the War, nearby Headley Heath was used as a training ground for engineers building airstrips and trench systems, then demolishing them again.
Purchased after World War Two, with money from the Royal Air Force Pilots and Crews Fund, a public collection as a tribute to the deeds of the RAF, Headley Court is now the Defence Services Medical Rehabilitation Centre (DMRC), which aims to return all those service personnel injured or seriously ill to full fitness.
During the 2002 UK Firefighter strike, two Green Goddess
fire engines were based at RAF Headley Court. If called upon, the crews would have had to wait for Surrey Police
to escort them to a fire.
In November 2005, the Prince of Wales
and the Duchess of Cornwall
visited the centre. They met Major David Bradley of the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment
, who had been given just a five per cent chance of survival, after coming under fire from a Rocket Propelled Grenade launcher (RPG) in Basra
, southern Iraq
in 2004. Other notable patients in 2006/2007 include Sgt Mark Sutcliffe
, The Royal Anglian Regiment
, Sgt Stuart Pearson , 3 PARA and many others.
, providing specialist medical officers, nurses, remedial instructors, physiotherapists, occupational therapist
s, speech and language therapists, a cognitive therapist, social workers, engineers, and administration support staff. Not only does the centre deal with patients with new physical disabilities, but it also deals with patients suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder
.
The rehabilitation areas of the unit consist of hydrotherapy
pools, gym
nasiums, and workshops for prosthetics.
If accommodated on the 28 bed Peter Long Ward, there are single showers, and nursing staff on call 24 hours a day. There is internet access on the ward, as well as, a kitchen area with washing and drying facilities for clothing. A new ward opened in September 2010, which has provided another 30 beds.
Headley Court is still in need of further facilities, particularly a full size swimming pool, as patients currently have to share public facilities in Leatherhead
, which has led to unpleasant confrontation. The charity
Help for Heroes
was set up in late 2007, with a first objective of raising money to build these facilities.
There is a small shop on the accommodation site that provides all the daily needs, and the DELC (Defence Electronic Learning Centre) offers internet access during office hours. The location of the unit is another important factor, being in a rural area surrounded by woods.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
facility in Headley
Headley, Surrey
Headley is a small village and civil parish in Surrey, England covering 675 hectares.The village is bordered to its west by Leatherhead, to the north by Ashtead and Langley Vale, Walton-on-the-Hill to the east and to its south by Box Hill. It is just outside the M25 motorway encircling...
, near Leatherhead
Leatherhead
Leatherhead is a town in the County of Surrey, England, on the River Mole, part of Mole Valley district. It is thought to be of Saxon origin...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
It is used as a rehabilitation
Physical medicine and rehabilitation
Physical medicine and rehabilitation , physiatry or rehabilitation medicine, is a branch of medicine that aims to enhance and restore functional ability and quality of life to those with physical impairments or disabilities. A physician having completed training in this field is referred to as a...
centre for injured members of the British Armed Forces
British Armed Forces
The British Armed Forces are the armed forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.Also known as Her Majesty's Armed Forces and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown, the British Armed Forces encompasses three professional uniformed services, the Royal Navy, the...
.
History and overview
Headley Court was an Elizabethan farm house bought by the Cunliffe family, from Tyrrell's Wood,they later sold this Farm House and built an imposing mansionMansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
by Lord Cunliffe
Walter Cunliffe, 1st Baron Cunliffe
Walter Cunliffe, 1st Baron Cunliffe GBE was Governor of the Bank of England from 1913 to 1918, during the critical World War I era. He was created 1st Baron Cunliffe in 1914.-Early life and education:...
, who was Chairman of the Bank of England
Bank of England
The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694, it is the second oldest central bank in the world...
. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, it was used as the Headquarters for the Canadian Forces
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
in Europe, and since the war, it has been used as a Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
and Joint Services
British Armed Forces
The British Armed Forces are the armed forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.Also known as Her Majesty's Armed Forces and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown, the British Armed Forces encompasses three professional uniformed services, the Royal Navy, the...
medical rehabilitation
Physical medicine and rehabilitation
Physical medicine and rehabilitation , physiatry or rehabilitation medicine, is a branch of medicine that aims to enhance and restore functional ability and quality of life to those with physical impairments or disabilities. A physician having completed training in this field is referred to as a...
centre. During the War, nearby Headley Heath was used as a training ground for engineers building airstrips and trench systems, then demolishing them again.
Purchased after World War Two, with money from the Royal Air Force Pilots and Crews Fund, a public collection as a tribute to the deeds of the RAF, Headley Court is now the Defence Services Medical Rehabilitation Centre (DMRC), which aims to return all those service personnel injured or seriously ill to full fitness.
During the 2002 UK Firefighter strike, two Green Goddess
Green Goddess
The Green Goddess is the colloquial name for the Bedford RLHZ Self Propelled Pump, a fire engine used originally by the Auxiliary Fire Service , and latterly by the British Armed Forces. These green-painted vehicles were built between 1953 and 1956 for the Auxiliary Fire Service...
fire engines were based at RAF Headley Court. If called upon, the crews would have had to wait for Surrey Police
Surrey Police
Surrey Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the county of Surrey in the south of England.The force is led by Chief Constable Mark Rowley and has its headquarters at Mount Browne, Guildford, Surrey...
to escort them to a fire.
In November 2005, the Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
and the Duchess of Cornwall
Duchess of Cornwall
The Duchess of Cornwall is the title held by the wife of the Duke of Cornwall. Duke of Cornwall is a non-hereditary peerage held by the British Sovereign's eldest son and heir....
visited the centre. They met Major David Bradley of the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment
Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment
"PWRR" redirects here. For the railroad with these reporting marks, see Portland and Western Railroad.The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment is the senior English line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Queen's Division...
, who had been given just a five per cent chance of survival, after coming under fire from a Rocket Propelled Grenade launcher (RPG) in Basra
Basra
Basra is the capital of Basra Governorate, in southern Iraq near Kuwait and Iran. It had an estimated population of two million as of 2009...
, southern Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
in 2004. Other notable patients in 2006/2007 include Sgt Mark Sutcliffe
Sgt Mark Sutcliffe
Mark Sutcliffe joined the British Army in 1997 aged 17, enlisting into the 2nd Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment The Poachers, initially joining C Company...
, The Royal Anglian Regiment
Royal Anglian Regiment
The Royal Anglian Regiment is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Queen's Division.The regiment was formed on 1 September 1964 as the first of the new large infantry regiments, through the amalgamation of the four regiments of the East Anglian Brigade.* 1st Battalion from the...
, Sgt Stuart Pearson , 3 PARA and many others.
Facilities
There is a rehabilitation staff of around 200 from all three services Medical and Nursing branches, including Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing ServicePrincess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service
Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service is the nursing branch of the British Royal Air Force.It was established as the Royal Air Force Temporary Nursing Service in 1918, and became part of the permanent establishment as the Royal Air Force Nursing Service on 27 January 1921...
, providing specialist medical officers, nurses, remedial instructors, physiotherapists, occupational therapist
Occupational therapist
An occupational therapist is trained in the practice of occupational therapy. The role of an occupational therapist is to work with a client to help them achieve a fulfilled and satisfied state in life through the use of "purposeful activity or interventions designed to achieve functional...
s, speech and language therapists, a cognitive therapist, social workers, engineers, and administration support staff. Not only does the centre deal with patients with new physical disabilities, but it also deals with patients suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Posttraumaticstress disorder is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma. This event may involve the threat of death to oneself or to someone else, or to one's own or someone else's physical, sexual, or psychological integrity,...
.
The rehabilitation areas of the unit consist of hydrotherapy
Hydrotherapy
Hydrotherapy, formerly called hydropathy, involves the use of water for pain-relief and treating illness. The term hydrotherapy itself is synonymous with the term water cure as it was originally marketed by practitioners and promoters in the 19th century...
pools, gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
nasiums, and workshops for prosthetics.
If accommodated on the 28 bed Peter Long Ward, there are single showers, and nursing staff on call 24 hours a day. There is internet access on the ward, as well as, a kitchen area with washing and drying facilities for clothing. A new ward opened in September 2010, which has provided another 30 beds.
Headley Court is still in need of further facilities, particularly a full size swimming pool, as patients currently have to share public facilities in Leatherhead
Leatherhead
Leatherhead is a town in the County of Surrey, England, on the River Mole, part of Mole Valley district. It is thought to be of Saxon origin...
, which has led to unpleasant confrontation. The charity
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
Help for Heroes
Help for Heroes
Help for Heroes is a British charity launched on 1 October 2007 to help provide better facilities for British servicemen and women wounded since September 11, 2001. It was founded by Bryn Parry OBE and his wife Emma Parry OBE after they visited soldiers at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham...
was set up in late 2007, with a first objective of raising money to build these facilities.
There is a small shop on the accommodation site that provides all the daily needs, and the DELC (Defence Electronic Learning Centre) offers internet access during office hours. The location of the unit is another important factor, being in a rural area surrounded by woods.