The Army's Trauma Risk Management Team has won the Mental Health category in this year's Military and Civilian Health Partnership Awards 2009. 

From a shortlist of 24, eight winning individuals and teams were announced at a ceremony in Edinburgh, attended by The Duke of Gloucester, Defence Minister Kevan Jones and Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

This year's awards have been hosted by the Scottish Government - one member of a partnership comprising the Ministry of Defence, the Department of Health, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety for Northern Ireland.

It is notable that of the shortlisted nominations, the team was one of a very few non-medical initiatives to be selected.

Trauma Risk Management (TRiM) training is being given to large numbers of deploying troops in order to improve awareness of psychological trauma. This increase in awareness is designed to reduce the stigma associated with mental health and encourage those in distress to seek help where necessary.

OC of the Team Major 'Skid' Dorney explains: "Trauma Risk Management  is a peer-delivered support system, which is designed to identify various risk factors in service personnel after traumatic incidents. TRiM is not therapy or counselling, nor is it a medical initiative.

"Soldiers are usually reluctant to talk to strangers when they are in difficulty and invariably it is their mates that they turn to for help.  For this reason TRiM is delivered by trained personnel already in the unit - the well-known 'Buddy Buddy System'."

The Army's TRiM training is delivered by a dedicated team of non-medical personnel consisting of seven experienced Warrant Officers and a late entry Major; all are from various regiments and all actively involved in the organisation and training of Army personnel, both Regular and TA.

They are based at the Army Medical Directorate in Camberley, Surrey, with a cell in Germany. The team delivers detailed and intensive training to non-medical personnel enabling them to recognise signs and symptoms of stress in soldiers.

The TRiM team are:
Major Richard Dorney - 1BN Grenadier Guards, WO2 Mark Davies - 1BN Grenadier Guards, WO2 Nicholas Shannon - Royal Artillery, WO2 John Hamilton - 1 Yorkshire Regiment, WO2 Phil O’Connor - The Queen's Royal Hussars, WO2 David Harrison - 16 Regiment Royal Artillery, WO2 Richard Harris - Royal Artillery (Germany), WO2 Alan Lee - Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers (Germany).

Pictured: Front: WO2 Alan Lee and WO2 Phil O'Connor. Back: WO2 Richard Harris, WO2 Mark Davies and Major Richard Dorney.