Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre

A Duke’s initiative

The developments on the provision of ‘clinical rehabilitation’ that have taken place since 2010 originated with the 6^th Duke of Westminster.  In 2008/9 he was the most senior member of the UK’s reserve armed forces (as a Major General), based in the MoD, having reached that position after 40 years in the Reserve Army.  In 2008, observing the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, he became very aware of how high was the price that members of the Armed Forces can pay for serving the nation in terms of life-changing injury.  He wanted to do something about it.

In the late summer of 2008 he raised his concerns with the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff (for whom he was working). In the course of discussions, the idea of replacing the existing Defence Rehabilitation Centre in Surrey (known as Headley Court and created in 1948) with a 21^st century bespoke version arose.  Whilst Headley Court was not failing people, the post-Cold War circumstances of large numbers of the armed forces being wounded on operations and the benefits of larger, purpose-built premises able to absorb emerging technologies, had appeal.  The Vice Chief subsequently discussed the idea of a 21^st century Headley Court with the Defence Secretary who was supportive – but went on to ask whether the Duke could at the same time ‘do something for the nation too’.  It was a very prescient ‘ask’ made on the basis of reading Dame Carol Black's 2008 Report where the huge cost of being unable to return injured people to the national workforce was revealed and, being aware of Defence medicine’s expertise in this area, the benefits of it being shared with the NHS.

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