INTERNATIONAL visitors from ten different countries have visited a tented field hospital and witnessed medics in North Yorkshire who will soon be on standby to be deployed anywhere in the world.

The 52-bed Army hospital in Dishforth, near Thirsk, will go on standby from November after being validated as a Vanguard Field Hospital.

The 34 Field Hospital, normally based in Strensall on the outskirts of York, will be able to establish a field hospital in challenging environments anywhere in the world within a few days’ notice.

Recently the tented field hospital received visitors from countries including the US, Pakistan and China and saw medics involved in a range of scenarios using hi-tech equipment.

Lieutenant Colonel Paul Reynolds, the Commanding Officer of 34 Field Hospital said: "I am immensely proud to lead a team that has come together and worked extremely hard to be able to produce world class healthcare in any environment anywhere in the world with only a few days’ notice. This includes not just the medical staff but also our support staff who have made our validation possible."

The complex houses four emergency beds, two operating tables, four Intensive Treatment Unit (ITU) beds and 48 general ward beds.

As part of the testing exercise the medics had to build the tented hospital which is normally stored in 78 containers and consists of over 100 tents. Next week will see them pack it up ready to be moved elsewhere.

Major Caroline Vincent, Officer Commanding of the clinical squadron said they practised for a year building up to the validation.

“We originally built a smaller hospital with fewer beds and we completed that ready to receive our first patient within 16 hours,” said Maj Vincent.

“Later we extended it to the current larger construction which has 48 ward beds, taking approximately another eight hours to build onto the original configuration.”