- 4,600
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- 113
Medical Admin, imho, get away with far more than clerks do - possibly because I don't think they ever managed to intrude on the territory that belonged exclusively to the technical trades (in their eyes anyway). If you think PSF was closed more than its open, try rocking up unannounced at SMC and demanding half an hour of someone's time without an appointment!
Generally, I found their attitude stank. OOA Prep sheets refused to be signed unless it was at a certain time on a certain day was one particular source of irritation for myself as a HR manager who had around 40 of his Sqn on Ops or preparing for Ops at any one time. I lost count of the man hours lost because the med centre staff were unavailable to sign a prep sheet for various reasons - none of which were because a major medical incident had occurred that necessitated their immediate attention.
However, the coup de tat for me was in 2013, when I was deploying to Al Udeid. Having spent the past 20 years keeping myself up to date with all baseline jabs, and liaising with numerous med centres over numerous years on ensuring that my Sqn personnel were also up to date, I was taken aback when told that I could still deploy without a Typhoid jab, even though it was a baseline jab and a requirement (as per the AP) for that area. The reason they gave was that it was out of stock, but they wouldn't sign a document stating that they were sending me to an area that required this jab without this jab and any subsequent illness as a result of this non-jab would be attributable. I found out that my local Boots had stock and for £15 would inoculate me, so I did just that. I went to claim the £15 back via JPA and suddenly found the practice manager and OC PSF on my case demanding that I sign a waiver to absolve the MOD of any blame should I get sick! Unsurprisingly, I refused to sign any waiver (just like they had done).
The med centre concerned was Wittering.
Generally, I found their attitude stank. OOA Prep sheets refused to be signed unless it was at a certain time on a certain day was one particular source of irritation for myself as a HR manager who had around 40 of his Sqn on Ops or preparing for Ops at any one time. I lost count of the man hours lost because the med centre staff were unavailable to sign a prep sheet for various reasons - none of which were because a major medical incident had occurred that necessitated their immediate attention.
However, the coup de tat for me was in 2013, when I was deploying to Al Udeid. Having spent the past 20 years keeping myself up to date with all baseline jabs, and liaising with numerous med centres over numerous years on ensuring that my Sqn personnel were also up to date, I was taken aback when told that I could still deploy without a Typhoid jab, even though it was a baseline jab and a requirement (as per the AP) for that area. The reason they gave was that it was out of stock, but they wouldn't sign a document stating that they were sending me to an area that required this jab without this jab and any subsequent illness as a result of this non-jab would be attributable. I found out that my local Boots had stock and for £15 would inoculate me, so I did just that. I went to claim the £15 back via JPA and suddenly found the practice manager and OC PSF on my case demanding that I sign a waiver to absolve the MOD of any blame should I get sick! Unsurprisingly, I refused to sign any waiver (just like they had done).
The med centre concerned was Wittering.
