Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what guidelines his Department issues for Combat Medical technicians (CMTs) when assessing a casualty for (a) heat exhaustion, and (b) physical exhaustion; and how those conditions differ.

There is no difference in how casualties are assessed. A full assessment of the patient is made by the Combat Medical Technician (CMT) attending them, and Joint Service Publication (JSP) 539 (Heat Illness and Cold Injury: Prevention and Management) contains guidance on patient assessment and how to provide initial treatment for heat illness. The contents of JSP 539 are taught on the CMT course.

JSP 539 is available on Gov.uk, at the following link:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/prevention-of-climate-injuries-in-the-armed-forces-medical-policy.