Claire Dexter, Advanced Physiotherapy Practitioner, deployed to Turkey following earthquake to support UK-Med with rehabilitation
Claire Dexter, an Advanced Physiotherapy Practitioner with the MSK CATS (Musculo skeletal – clinical assessment and Triage service) team, based in Buxton, has been the only national Physiotherapist training with UK-Med for many years. UK-Med is a frontline WHO-verified Emergency Medical Team (EMT) and delivery partner of the UK Emergency Medical Team (UK-EMT).
Claire was deployed to Turkey following the devasting earthquake, on 1st March to support the UK-EMT for three weeks.
This is the official UK team that respond to worldwide disasters/health crisis following invitation from the WHO and the country affected. Claire has been a member since 2016 doing many conversion courses for rehabilitation in low resource and disaster environments. Claire is usually on-call for two months a year to be deployed in a similar NHS release mechanism to military reservists.
Typically, as a physiotherapist on the team deployment would be in cases where there has been multiple crush injuries and amputations e.g. post-earthquake/civil war.
- Currently there is a type 1 medical facility deployed including a physiotherapist.
- Claire is based in Türkoğlu (Northwest of Gaziantep in Kahramanmaraş Province)
The UK-EMT type 1 hospital (all tented facility and tented accommodation) is set up in the grounds of the community hospital in Türkoğlu which was badly damaged in the earthquake and is no longer safe to enter.
The links below give further information about UK-Med/EMT:
UK sends world-class team of medics to Turkey to provide vital emergency treatment - GOV.UK