Response to Government report into concussion in sport

The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee released it’s report today into concussion in sport and has highlighted that urgent action is needed by both Government and sporting bodies to address the long-term failure to reduce the risks of brain injury in sport.

The key recommendations relevant to grassroots sport are that:

  1. A coherent UK-wide protocol for concussion management across all sports is needed
  2. A Government led campaign to raise awareness of the protocol and educate all stakeholders involved in sport should be implemented
  3. There is a need to improve knowledge amongst doctors and enhance access to specialist care
  4. Systems to document concussions and brain injuries should be reviewed to ensure doctors have a full history available to better inform patient treatments

 

Meliora Medical Group fully supports the recommendations of the DCMS Committee and is pleased to see grassroots sport receiving the attention it deserves in a conversation that all too often only focuses on the elite level.

We are delighted that all of the areas that the DCMS Committee highlight as requiring improvement already form part of Return2Play’s service – education, early access to expert medical care, player injury passports and use of data to guide injury prevention strategies – and we look forward to continuing to refine the service we provide to ensure the organisations we work with can continue to provide safe sport.

Dr Sam Barke, Head of Sports Medicine at Meliora Medical Group and Return2Play, said of the report:

“As the report highlights, enhancing knowledge among all stakeholders involved in sport is the leading key to success in reducing risk and improving care – if the coach on the side-line isn’t able to identify a concussion then we fall at the first hurdle.  While sporting bodies have gone some way to try and address this, we know that knowledge remains poor and I hope that a Government led campaign will go some way to rectify this.

I am pleased to see that lack of knowledge among doctors has been highlighted as an area of concern.  This, in some part at least, is a reflection of sporting bodies having taken the lead on advising on management and, with that, there has been a “de-medicalisation” of the injury.  A change in this and acknowledgment that outcomes can be improved by access to early expert care is most welcome.”

The full report can be found here

More information about the concussion service that Return2Play offers can be found here