Operation Rescript

Background

COVID Support Force

Timeline

March

• On 15 March 2020, a critically ill patient with COVID-19 was transported via Chinook helicopter from the Isles of Scilly to Newquay Airport.
• On 16 March, 10,000 British military personnel were placed on standby in the event the outbreak escalated.
• On 18 March, scientists from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory began providing hazard assessment, microbiological testing and operational analysis support to the Government dealing with COVID-19.
• On 19 March, a further 10,000 British military personnel were placed on standby to form the COVID Support Force, launched as part of Operation Rescript. Military exercises, including overseas in Canada and Kenya, were cancelled to free up personnel for the support force. The Royal Air Force began using Birmingham Airport to practise transferring Coronavirus patients to local hospitals via helicopter.
• On 20 March, General Sir Nick Carter ordered the armed forces to prepare for a "six month" operation and to be on an operational footing by April.
• On 21 March, military planners began aiding the NHS in planning for a field hospital in East London.
• On 22 March, a critically ill patient was transported from the Gilbert Bain Hospital in Shetland to an intensive care ward in Aberdeen via an Airbus A400M Atlas aircraft of the RAF. A repatriation flight of British and EU citizens also took place in Cuba.
• On 23 March, Joint Helicopter Command was placed on standby to assist with the transportation of people and supplies.
• On 24 March, soldiers from 101 Logistic Brigade delivered personal protective equipment to St Thomas' hospital in London. Plans were also confirmed for a field hospital in East London, later named NHS Nightingale Hospital London, which would be staffed by the NHS with support from the military. Further field hospitals were also reportedly under consideration.
• On 27 March, Puma helicopters were stationed at Kinloss Barracks alongside Chinook and Wildcat helicopters to provide assistance to the NHS in Scotland and Northern England. Three further bases, RAF Benson, RAF Odiham and RNAS Yeovilton also came into operation, with Benson covering the Midlands and Odiham and Yeovilton covering Southern England.
• On 28 March, personnel from 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment, 256 Field Hospital and Royal Engineers assisted in the construction of NHS Nightingale Hospital London in East London. The military also assisted with the construction of a field hospital in Manchester, named NHS Nightingale Hospital North West.
• On 30 March, the British Army began helping transform the SEC Centre in Glasgow, Scotland into a field hospital.

  April

• On 1 April 2020, 80 personnel were deployed to drive and take calls for South Central Ambulance Service. The Royal Navy also announced that three Merlin helicopters from RNAS Culdrose would be available to transport patients, supplies and personnel across South West England. Military personnel also began helping transform locations across Cumbria to facilitate 500 additional patient beds. Two British Army Wildcat helicopters delivered "key personnel" to Leeds General Infirmary. Military planners, including French military personnel, were deployed from NATO's Allied Rapid Reaction Corps in Gloucestershire to London.
• On 2 April, a further 3,000 reservist personnel joined the COVID Support Force, bringing the total number of personnel involved to 23,000.
• On 3 April, the armed forces helped plan and construct NHS Nightingale Hospital Birmingham in Birmingham and NHS Nightingale Hospital Harrogate in Harrogate to help ease the pressure on local hospitals dealing with coronavirus. Military personnel also worked with the NHS and Surrey County Council to transform Headley Court, a former defence medial rehabilitation centre in Surrey, into a temporary hospital.
• On 5 April, a 40-strong detachment from the Scots Guards began transforming three buildings into wards at St. Mary's Hospital in the Isle of Wight.
• On 6 April, two hangars at RAF Upper Heyford were converted into morgues to handle a rise in coronavirus deaths.
• On 8 April, the Ministry of Defence announced 60 military personnel had begun receiving training to support the Welsh Ambulance Service, in addition to driving oxygen tankers to support the NHS and setting up field hospitals. Military personnel also began assisting the East of England Ambulance Service.
• On 9 April, British Army and Royal Marines liaison officers provided support to NHS Lothian and British Army personnel assisted at a drive-thru coronavirus testing centre in Glasgow, Scotland. The Isle of Wight Rifles also began supporting the coronavirus response in the Isle of Wight.
• On 10 April, the Government announced the construction of two field hospitals, NHS Nightingale Hospital Exeter in Exeter and NHS Nightingale Hospital North East in Washington, for coronavirus paints, with the armed forces assisting with the planning, construction and staffing of both.
• On 11 April, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy helicopter crews took part in medical evacuation training alongside NHS staff at Thruxton Aerodrome. Chinook, Puma and Merlin helicopters took part in the exercise.
• On 12 April, the COVID Support Force had responded to 76 requests for assistance from government ministries with 2,680 personnel deployed from a total of 23,000 on standby. 2,300 vehicles were also in use as temporary ambulances and to transport personnel and supplies in 34 locations across the country. Chief of the Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter described the military's assistance to the NHS as the "single greatest logistic challenge" he had come across.
• On 14 April, British Army personnel began assisting with COVID-19 testing at a testing site in Wembley.
• On 16 April, following its completion with military assistance, NHS Nightingale Hospital Birmingham became operational, staffed by military medics alongside the NHS.
• On 20 April, a temporary hospital built with the help of military personnel was opened at Cardiff's Principality Stadium. Named the Dragon's Heart Hospital, it was the second-largest temporary hospital in the country.
• On 21 April, NHS Nightingale Hospital Harrogate opened following the completion of its construction with military assistance. 4th Regiment Royal Artillery were among the units involved. Military medics helped with staffing, alongside the NHS. Military advisors assisted with the design of a second Nightingale facility in Northern Ireland at the former HM Prison Maze site. Engineers from all three armed services began 3D printing vital components for personal protective equipment used by medical staff whilst dealing with COVID-19. The units involved included the British Army's 22 Engineer Regiment, the Royal Navy's Engineer Naval Reservists and the Royal Air Force's Chinook Support Centre.
• On 22 April, the Royal Air Force flew in some of the delayed personal protective equipment from Turkey. Other RAF flights were on standby to deliver the rest. Elsewhere, RAF Leeming helped trial a COVID-19 contact tracing phone application. A Royal Air Force Puma HC2 helicopter helped transport a critically ill patient from the Isle of Arran to a hospital in Kilmarnock. The RAF also transported NHS officials to NHS Nightinhale Hospital North East in Sunderland and personal protective equipment to NHS Nightingale Hospital Harrogate in Harrogate.
• On 24 April, two Royal Air Force aircraft delivered more delayed PPE from Turkey. The British Army also worked with eBay to help source free personal protective equipment.
• On 26 April, the military began deploying at least 96 mobile testing units to help reach the government's target of 100,000 coronavirus tests per day. These units were deployed to police stations, fire stations, care homes, prisons and benefit centres, as well as hard-to-reach areas. Elsewhere, personnel from RAF Henlow, RAF Honington and RAF Marham began supporting the East of England Ambulance Service by taking calls and driving ambulances.
• On 27 April, military planners and engineers helped deliver a field hospital in Bristol, named NHS Nightingale Hospital Bristol, to relieve pressure on nearby hospitals dealing with the outbreak.
• On 28 April, the Royal Air Force transported a coronavirus patient from Belfast to the East Midlands in the first such flight to occur from Northern Ireland during the pandemic. Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defence instructors from the British Army helped test personal protective equipment in four hospitals in Scotland, including Glasgow Royal Infirmary.
• On 29 April, scientists at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in Porton Down trialed mosquito repellent for its ability to fight coronavirus.

  May

• On 1 May 2020, 1,500 military personnel were involved in carrying out coronavirus tests at 92 mobile testing units across the country. On the same day, the Government announced it had passed its 100,000 coronavirus tests per day target and praised the "best of the best" in the military for its assistance.
• On 6 May, 2,000 personal protective equipment items had been produced by Royal Navy personnel based at RNAS Culdrose.
• On 14 May, military personnel, including units from the Royal Engineers, assisted with the construction of a temporary hospital in Exeter named NHS Nightingale Hospital Exeter.
• On 15 May, 20 personnel from RAF Odiham began supporting the South Central Ambulance Service as co-responders.
• On 18 May, the Royal Logistic Corps helped deliver personal protective equipment to NHS trusts across the country, working from an NHS supply hub in Daventry, Northamptonshire.
• On 20 May, the COVID Support Force was reduced by 12,500 personnel to a force of 7,500. 162 MACA requests had been responded to, in addition to 29,100 coronavirus testing kits being delivered to 191 facilities.
• On 27 May, the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in Porton Down had produced 21,000 units of fit test solution used to test the fit of face masks. The laboratory had also helped speed up the decontamination of vehicles used by ambulance services.

  June

• On 12 June 2020, the three RAF Puma helicopters deployed to Kinloss Barracks ended their coronavirus support in Scotland and returned to RAF Benson.
• On 17 June, the RAF completed a two-month conversion of two BAe 146 transport aircraft into platforms capable of transporting coronavirus patients.
• On 18 June, the RAF transported a coronavirus patient from Northern Ireland to England via an Atlas aircraft.