An Army team has been tested on their ability to set up a fully operational field hospital in 24 hours.

The Army Medical Service’s 22 Field Hospital were tasked during an exercise held near Andover, Hampshire, with setting up the facility in a trial run to ensure they could deploy anywhere in the world within five days.

The military unit, based at Mytchett, Hampshire, could be asked to serve in a number of scenarios such as providing humanitarian relief after a natural disaster.

An Army spokesman said: “Before they can do that 22 Field Hospital has to undertake a validation test, Exercise Chiron Certify, during which they will be tested and marked on their efficiency and ability to establish a full working hospital under canvas inside 24 hours, for its initial operating capacity, and then three to four days to become fully operational.

“22 Field Hospital will be required to deploy what is known as a 2/1/2/12 hospital; that is two emergency bays, one operating theatre, 2 ICUs (intensive care units) and a 12-bed ward.

“That is just the clinical aspects, on top of that there is power and water production, a Field Hygiene unit along with accommodation, washing/WCs and dining facilities for upwards of 300 personnel, in all that is around a 50-tent support village.”

He added: “Having established the tented hospital and moved to an initial operating capacity, 22 Field Hospital will then be set numerous medical emergency scenarios that they could anticipate facing if deployed at short notice.

“They can expect to face multiple casualties, which for exercise purposes will be played by actors carrying dramatically realistic simulated wounds of varying severity.”