Top Defence Medical Services Roles Filled

His Majesty the King has approved the following three senior appointments in the Defence Medical Services (DMS):

• Brigadier Phil Carter KHP OStJ as the next Surgeon General (SG), in the rank of Major General, from August 2025
• Brigadier Antony Finn as the next Director Medical Personnel and Training in the rank of Major General, from November 2025
• Air Commodore Darren Ellison KHP as the next Director Defence Healthcare in the rank of Air Vice-Marshal, from June 2026

All three have had long and distinguished careers delivering health care to the Armed Forces as part of the Defence Medical Services.

Brigadier Carter has undertaken a variety of deployments throughout his career, including to Northern Ireland, Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan and Sierra Leon. In 2008, he was appointed as the first Commanding Officer of the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine Clinical Unit. He later became Commander Medical HQ in the British Army's 1(UK) Division and Commander Defence Primary Healthcare, before being appointed Head of Army Health in 2024.

As Surgeon General, Brigadier Phil Carter will be responsible for:

• providing specialist health and medical support advice to the Military Strategic Headquarters on behalf of the Director General of the Defence Medical Services.
• Force Design within the Defence Medical Services, ensuring the readiness of the medical capability supporting the Armed Forces
• directing medical research, medical innovation, and continuous quality improvement in Defence
• coordinating our international technical engagement with medical partners across NATO and the UK's broader alliances

Brigadier Phil Carter said:

At a time of reform across Defence, to be entrusted with the making sure that our armed forces deployed on operations have the medical support they need is a significant responsibility. I am looking forward to the challenge and enormously grateful that I will be working with such a dedicated and innovative specialist team.

Brigadier Antony Finn qualified as a General Practitioner in 2003. Following deployments to Afghanistan, Kenya and Iraq, in July 2010 he assumed command of 1 Medical Regiment and deployed to Afghanistan as Commanding Officer of the Close Support Medical Regiment. In 2012 he was promoted to Colonel as Assistant Director of Medical Operational Capability, before promoting to Brigadier in March 2019 as Commander 2nd Medical Brigade. From 2021-24 he was Head of Army Healthcare, and since August 2024 has been Commander of the Joint Hospital Group.

As part of his role as Director Medical Personnel and Training, Brigadier Antony Finn will be responsible for:

• leading strategic medical workforce planning for DMS, including training and placement, to support to support Strategic Command (soon to be Cyber & Specialist Operations Command) and wider Defence's people plan people plan and operational needs
• overseeing the development and delivery of high-quality individual training, to all entitled personnel involved in medical support to Defence
• delivering an optimally prepared and suitably qualified and experienced personnel (SQEP) medical workforce through the provision of high-quality placements within both the NHS and other providers

Brigadier Finn, said:

I am deeply honoured to be selected to be the next Director of Medical Personnel and Training. The Strategic Defence Review offers unprecedented opportunities for the Defence Medical Services and our partners. I look forward to exploiting these for the benefit of our patients, the medical workforce, Defence and beyond.

Air Commodore Ellison joined the RAF in 1999 as a medical cadet and has undertaken a variety of roles including deployments to both Iraq and Afghanistan. As a Wing Commander he was appointed as Officer Commanding Tactical Medical Wing in 2018, and then as Group Captain he served as Regional Clinical Director, Defence Primary Healthcare (DPHC) Northern Ireland Wales and West. In 2022 he was appointed Commanding Officer of the RAF Centre of Aviation Medicine, and then promoted to Air Commodore in Summer 2023 when he became Head Healthcare and Strategic Plans in HQ Defence Medical Services before being appointed Head of the Royal Air Force Medical Services and Head Health (RAF) in November 2024.

As part of his role as Director Defence Healthcare, Air Commodore Ellison will be responsible for:

• directing, overseeing and commissioning both primary and secondary military healthcare services in support of Defence outputs

• directing, managing and delivering primary healthcare and dentistry service delivery in the UK and all overseas bases

• maximising the medical employability and deployability of Armed Forces personnel across Defence

Air Commodore Darren Ellison said:

It is an honour and a privilege to be appointed as the next Director Healthcare for the Defence Medical Services. I look forward to working with both the whole DMS team, and colleagues across the Military Commands, to shape and deliver a service that ensures our patients continue to receive the highest standard of safe, effective healthcare they rightly deserve, and we provide the critically enabling healthcare outputs that meet the current and future needs of Defence.

Congratulating all three on their appointments, General Sir Jim Hockenhull, Commander Strategic Command (soon to be Cyber & Specialist Operations Command) said:

I am delighted to see these three promotions within the Defence Medical Services. Brigadier Philip Carter's appointment as the next Surgeon General, on appointment to Major General, Brigadier Antony Finn's appointment as the next Director Medical Personnel and Training, on appointment to Major General and Air Commodore Darren Ellison's appointment as the next Director Defence Healthcare, on appointment to Air Vice-Marshal. These selections will enable all to provide considerable support within DMS's transformation journey and the implementation of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR), I look forward to working with them and congratulate them on their promotion.

Director General of the Defence Medical Services, Air Marshal Clare Walton added:

I am delighted to see the announcement of these three crucial appointments. Brigadier Phil Carter, Brigadier Tony Finn and Air Commodore Darren Ellison all have extensive experience gained from multiple roles in the Defence Medical Services and are exceptionally well-placed to take on these critical positions. At a time of global volatility, their leadership will be pivotal in driving the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) forward to implementation, shaping the medical capabilities of the future, and embedding the One Medical Mindset, ensuring that Armed Forces personnel remain fit to fight and are fully supported in their recovery to fitness.