Defence Medical Services

The Defence Medical Services (DMS) are an umbrella organisation within the Ministry of Defence in the United Kingdom, which organises all medical, dental and nursing services within the British Armed Forces.

Structure
The Defence Medical Services are commanded by the Surgeon-General (currently Surgeon Vice-Admiral Philip Raffaelli), alongside the Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Health), and consist of Joint Medical Command, the Defence Dental Services and the medical services of each indicidual service (Army Medical Services, Royal Navy Medical Service and the RAF Medical Branch).

Role
The DMS's 7000 general practitioners, dentists, consultants, nurses and surgeons provide healthcare for around 258,000 personnel within the Armed Forces. Hospital care is provided via NHS hospitals, as the armed forces no longer run hospitals exclusively for the military. These hospitals are located within six NHS Trusts, with the main one being University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust.