Resources and Customers
The Institute of Naval Medicine is unique in maritime and general occupational health in the United Kingdom in the range of specialised facilities and staff from appropriate disciplines working together on a single site. Our most recent major investment has been integration and modernisation of Health and Hygiene Division's laboratory services to provide the high standards essential to occupational and environmental health, especially in the submarine service.

We are on target for National Charter Mark for the Medical Records Department and UK Accreditation Service certification of the Environmental Medicine Unit and Health and Hygiene Division laboratories and plan to gain these marks of distinction in 2000. While most work is in support of the Fleet, with much focused on the Royal Marines and Submarine Service, tasks are undertaken for other authorities and Agencies of the Navy Department and for the Army, RAF, DSTL, QinetiQ and other commercial organisations.

Much of the strength of the Institute lies in knowledge, skill, experience, hard work and flexibility of its staff; the collaborative and synergistic relationships between its Divisions and externally as we supplement in-house expertise with deep specialists from universities, and especially our close links with our Customer and the efforts taken to appreciate their requirements. To that end medical and scientific staff spend much time with Service operational and command staff and in the field developing task specifications and gaining experience of the working environment to ensure that aims, requirements, service conditions and constraints are fully appreciated. Liaison continues after the work has been delivered to check that the output meets requirements and fulfils a need. INM is not an "ivory tower".

The high volume of quality outputs achieved reflects the enthusiasm and application of the staff to meet and resolve challenges to the health, safety and personnel effectiveness of the Royal Navy.