Army Recovery Capability (ARC)

Following yesterday’s announcement in the Press, I enclose the following brief from Bryn. JJ


Dear All,

On Thursday 11th Feb, Sec of State, CGS, DG of TRBL and CEO H4H shared a podium to announce the Army Recovery Capability (ARC). The Army led capability, open to all three Services on a case by case basis, will look like this.

A central coordinating HQ, The Personnel Recovery Branch (PRB set up by June 2010), owning 12 regional Personnel Recovery Units (PRUs), each with its own staff and based in the Brigade areas.

Each PRU, commanded by either a Lt Col or Maj, depending on the number of wounded it looks after, (from 12 to 84), has teams that look after up to 24 wounded personnel with a total number of around 750 pa. These people are those whose future lies without the Army and are referred to as being on the Red Route. Personnel who are expected to recover and continue to work within the Army are on the Green Route and do not concern us here. They stay on the establishment of their parent unit. The Red Routers are indentified by their injury and once identified will move onto the establishment of the PRB allowing their unit to replenish with new manpower.

Within four of the PRU areas there will be Personnel Recovery Centres (PRCtrs), Edinburgh, Colchester, Catterick and Tidworth. These will be the hubs for all the personnel but will also house those who are unable to live at home or in the barracks. There might be 20 residents and 30 to 40 day residents but all owned by their local PRU.

Once on the Red Route, the individual then begins an Individual Recovery Programme (IPR). Each IPR is tailored by his PRU to suit his ambition and skills so one might be destined to go to university, one to learn to fly, another to become a plumber. They are all assessed and then are part of deciding what they want to do. The process can take up to two years but the emphasis is to ensure that the Red Routers leave only once they have the right skills, housing and job offers.

H4H’s involvement.


1.The funding of three or four PRCtrs. We have already raised the £20m we set ourselves last year and granted it yesterday.

2.The funding of each IPR. The requirement is for 750 soldiers ( plus some RN, RM and RAF) each year to receive courses or help in preparing for their resettlement. A commitment to fund £5m across the three services or a total of £20m over four years. Our total commitment over four years therefore can be seen to be £40m of which we have already earmarked £25m.


The Army’s involvement.

1. To fund and support the PRB with the HQ and the regional PRUs, 124 jobs and about £30m .

The Royal British Legion.

1. £20m to fund the maintenance and running of the PRCtrs for ten years, £2m a year.
2. To fund the creation of a Battle Back Challenge Centre.

ABF - The Soldier’s Charity

1. Our funds to support the IPR will be administered through a Grant Manager paid for by the ABF who will be embedded at HQ PRB. He will have an initial grant of £1m to administer, called the Help for Heroes Fund and a set of guidelines from us to set the parameters.

To summarize,
Once a soldier ( Sailor, Marine, Airman in due course) has been identified as being destined to leave the Services though injury, he may be if it is seem to be in his best interest, removed from the establishment of his unit allowing them to recruit to fill his place and joins the ARC. He then begins on a IPR which will include equipping him with skills, challenges and opportunities. He may live in a PRCtr for some of that time. He has a case officer who he sees regularly and is kept motivated and organised as he progresses on his road to recovery. It is likely that 750 will progress on this route per year and H4H has a key part to play in ensuring they get the best opportunities. All the wounded are owned by a ‘Commanding Officer of the wounded,’ something we have been looking for for two years and finally we should have a point of contact for those in need of our support.

Other Services.
As you know, the numbers of qualifying wounded in the other Services is significantly less than the Army. We have ‘opened an account’, with the Royal Marine Trust Fund who will administer funds to them and will talk to the Royal Air Force to further understand their plans which of course we would be keen to support.

This is a very welcome initiative by the Army and we are delighted to play our part in the Road to Recovery and welcome the other service charity’s involvement

Onwards and Upwards!

Bryn

A poignant post JJ – and one that emphasises on the end delivery to our injured boys and girls of attention and facilities.

Without the tremendous work by H4H and British Legion those facilities and that quality of care wouldn’t exist.

It’s a sound reminder on what our end goal is; fund-raising for H4H.