Health and Welfare

RAF Odiham is well catered for with health and welfare facilities:

Medical Centre

The Regional Medical Centre is located within the bounds of the Station, on the corner of Chattis Hill and Lasham Avenue. It provides a full GP service to all service personnel and a limited number of dependants who are living in Service Families Accommodation on base. In addition to providing Primary Health Care, other responsibilities include Preventative Medicine, Airfield Crash Cover, Aviation Medicine and Environmental and Occupational Health Advice.

Opening hours

Monday to Friday 0800-1200hrs and 1300-1700hrs

Weekends – Emergency cover only

Registration

On arrival at RAF Odiham, all Service personnel are required to visit the Medical Centre, to complete a medical arrival questionnaire. You will also, at this point, be offered the opportunity to have a full Screening Medical.

Unfortunately, the Medical Centre can no longer accept registrations from families. Information on GP practices in the local area can be found in the ‘Welcome to RAF Odiham Book’, available from the HIVE in the Community Centre

Appointments and Enquiries

An appointment system operates for all services provided by the Medical Centre. Please book your appointments via the receptionist, on Ext 7322, during normal working hours. All urgent cases will be dealt with on the same day; however, routine cases may have to wait until the next routine clinic.

Useful Telephone Numbers

Medical Officers via Practice Manager

Practice Manager Ext 7053

Dep Practice Manager Ext 7485

Receptionist Ext 7322

Physiotherapist Ext 7569

Dispensary/Medical Stores Ext 7128

Urgent Consultations

Definition: A medical condition causing discomfort or disability which does not require an ambulance, but where the condition of the patient may deteriorate significantly before the next routine clinic if not seen.

After routine hours we have an ‘on call’ system. The duty doctor will generally be a Medical Officer from the RMC, but on occasion it is necessary for us to use the services of the local practices. If you require a doctor after hours or at weekends, contact the Duty Medic via the Guardroom on Ext 7459.

Other Services Available (All via the Receptionist Ext 7322)

Daily Consultations, Medicals, Inoculations, Physiotherapist, Ante-Natal Clinic, Well Woman Clinic and Chiropody.

Complaints and Suggestions

Any major difficulties that you may experience, relating to the RMC, should be addressed to the Practice Manager or the Senior Medical Officer in writing. You should not delay; tell us about your problem as soon as possible, so that it can be attended to promptly. If you have any suggestions that you feel could improve our services, please let us know.

Dental Centre

The dental Centre is located in the Regional Medical Centre and is open weekdays 0830-1200hrs and 1330-1630hrs. Bookings can be made on Ext 7236.

Service personnel are entitled to a check-up annually. A printed reminder, one month before dental fitness lapses, will be sent to individuals. A further reminder is sent once personnel become unfit.

Personnel requiring emergency treatment for pain relief should contact the Dental Centre as soon as possible and will normally be seen the same day. Families cannot receive treatment; however, details of local Dentists can be found in the Welcome Booklet issued by the HIVE.

Welfare

Padre

Chaplains have always had an important contribution to make in Force Development – both quietly behind the scenes and in the offering of short courses focusing on welfare and morale issue. The Chaplains’ Branch Mission Statement is “to represent the Kingdom of God and to promote its values, to meet the pastoral, spiritual and moral needs of the whole RAF community and to enable that community to practise its various faiths.” Our own Chaplaincy motto here at RAF Odiham is simply: “Helping to carry the load.”

As a result of this commitment RAF Odiham’s Padres Glyn Williams and Ashley Mitchell will be found out and about around the station in workplaces and crewrooms. They do want to be invited along regularly to section and squadron briefings (as well as beer calls - excellent for everyone’s morale!) to keep in touch with what is going on around the station and to make their unique and informal contribution to Force Development.

Welfare and Community Centre (WACC)

This can be found on the following link
http://www.rafodihamstation.co.uk/stationfacilities/hive.cfm

The Childcare Centre

In Early 2003 the Childcare Centre started to take form. The manufacturer, Rollalong, had made promises about construction dates and true to their word modules began to arrive on 14th January 2003. Before their arrival, OC Admin Wg (who at the time was Wg Cdr Horton) along with a couple of lucky children, took a trip to the factory near Ringwood in Dorset. Inside the factory they found what looked like a giant 3D jigsaw that was going to be assembled to make the Childcare Centre.

The Childcare Centre was sponsored by the RAF Benevolent Fund and has brought the Cedar Playgroup and Oscars Creche together under one roof.

Contact Details: 01256 701487
Website: http://www.thechildcarecentre.co.uk/
Contact Email: mailto:childcarecentre@btconnect.com

SSAFA Forces Help

We are the national charity helping serving and ex-Service men, women and their families in need. SSAFA Forces Help offers an all embracing service to the whole community at RAF Odiham. We deal with a broad range of social support issues, including:

• Family/Relationship/Personal difficulties.
• Stress/Anxiety/Depression.
• Debt/Financialproblems/Benefit advice.
• Illness/Disability/Special needs.
• Housing/Resettlement/Medical discharges.
• Bereavement/Loss/Grief.
• Equal Ops/Discrimination/Harrasment.
• Support Groups/Liaison with other Agencies.
• Childcare issues.
• Adoption.

Contact Details: 01256 702134 Ext 7217

Hive

HIVE Information Officers are not trained in welfare counselling. We are, however, able to offer initial support to individuals and can advise referral to those professional agencies best suited to the individual's circumstances, whether that be the Padre, SSAFA Social Worker, local solicitors, the local Citizens' Advice Bureau or indeed the Welfare team on Station. All HIVE staff are bound to a Code of Confidentiality