Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the extent to which Defence Medical Services are aligned to NATO’s Medical Action Plan.

The Surgeon General formally agreed the NATO Medical Action Plan on behalf of UK Defence in January 2025. The NATO Medical Action Plan is a strategic initiative to enhance medical readiness and interoperability for collective defence and focuses on improving regulatory alignment, addressing healthcare workforce shortages, enhancing integrated mass casualty planning, streamlining patient evacuation, and strengthening medical logistics.

Defence Medical Command, previously Headquarters Defence Medical Services, has established Programme GRIFFIN to lead on the UK military contribution to the NATO Medical Action Plan.

Programme GRIFFIN has completed a baseline assessment to identify work across Defence which supports delivery of the NATO Medical Action Plan. This has identified activity in all five themes as set out in the NATO Medical Action Plan and the assessment provides the basis for cohering and prioritising activity.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is embedded as a standing member of the Programme GRIFFIN Board to ensure military and civilian joint working. Further, MOD is engaged in the work lead by DHSC on the civilian contribution to the prioritised Critical Medical Initiatives in NATO Medical Action Plan.