This is something called a 'Compassionate Case', and it happens quite frequently as indicated by C130 Techie above.
There are different categories according to the reason for repatriation, with A being the most serious and I think it goes down to C.
I myself have been the beneficiaryas a Category B, and I was extremely grateful for the help I received getting back from the Falklands. Within 8 minutes of the door of the ac opening at Brize, I was being driven up the road towards Norwich by a nice man from my home unit. I was collected by a Mover and first off the plane, taken to the terminal and told to stand in a specific place for my bag to be brought to me. Sure enough it arrived about 2 minutes later, and I walked through a door to find my driver waiting for me.
Only a tiny fraction of them get into the papers, perhaps because the people who benefit don't necessarily want the publicity (as it should be).
I believe this type of repatriation is common across all the 3 Services, though I will stand to be corrected.