Recommendations & Conclusions
21 items
1
Conclusion
Third Report - Concussion in sport
Despite the need for acquired brain injury to be taken seriously by sport, the detail of which we will come onto later in this Report, both written and oral evidence to this inquiry support the health benefits to people through mass participation in sporting activity. An active lifestyle promotes overall …
Government response. As acknowledged in the July 2021 report of the DCMS Select Committee’s Inquiry into Concussion in Sport,1 the health benefits to people through mass participation in sporting activity are tangible, including the potential of reducing the risk of dementia in …
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
2
Conclusion
Third Report - Concussion in sport
The reality is that, for most people playing sport, there is no one to stop them except themselves, their friends, teammates, and family. That is how far down the knowledge and awareness of concussion and how to respond to it must reach to ensure people seek the necessary help and …
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
3
Conclusion
Third Report - Concussion in sport
Doctors may not be able to rely on patients to remember previous concussions or head traumas, especially if these happened at different times playing different sports. They must instead be able to rely on robust information that should be collated on a patient’s records.
Government response. The Government agrees in part with this recommendation. NHSX will continue to work with NHS England, NHS Improvement and NHS Digital to improve data quality and reporting by recommending the creation of codes for concussion resulting from sport. The adoption …
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
4
Recommendation
Third Report - Concussion in sport
We recommend that NHS England reviews the way in which it collates data about concussion and concussion-related brain injury and ensures that doctors have a full history available to better inform patient treatments.
Government response. The Government agrees in part with this recommendation. NHSX will continue to work with NHS England, NHS Improvement and NHS Digital to improve data quality and reporting by recommending the creation of codes for concussion resulting from sport. The adoption …
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
5
Conclusion
Third Report - Concussion in sport
We are also concerned that the relative infrequency with which clinicians encounter this kind of condition suggests that many of them are likely to be out of date with regard to the best possible practice in treating these patients and getting them the necessary specialist treatments.
Government response. The Government agrees in part with this recommendation. NHS England and NHS Improvement will work with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), Health Education England (HEE), the Faculty for Sport and Exercise Medicine, the Royal College of …
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
6
Recommendation
Third Report - Concussion in sport
We recommend that NHS England, in collaboration with the Faculty of Exercise and Sport Medicine, within the next twelve months, prepares a learning module on the best practice for treating and advising those who present with concussive trauma and ensure that all General Practice and Accident & Emergency practitioners take …
Government response. The Government agrees in part with this recommendation. NHS England and NHS Improvement will work with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), Health Education England (HEE), the Faculty for Sport and Exercise Medicine, the Royal College of …
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
7
Conclusion
Third Report - Concussion in sport
The current organisational structures in sport mean that there is no overall responsibility to mandate minimum standards for concussion and head trauma or to assess whether protocols are followed. The system allows sports to be funded as long as their protocols look good on paper with no effort put into …
Government response. The Government agrees with this recommendation. We will work with UK Sport and Sport England to explore how to ensure sports in receipt of public funding make use of the new set of shared concussion protocols which are to be …
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
8
Recommendation
Third Report - Concussion in sport
It is no longer acceptable for concussion to be addressed in this fashion. We recommend that the Government mandate UK Sport to take a governance role in assuring that all sports it funds raise awareness on the dangers of concussion effectively. Those sports should not only have good protocols to …
Government response. The Government agrees with this recommendation. We will work with UK Sport and Sport England to explore how to ensure sports in receipt of public funding make use of the new set of shared concussion protocols which are to be …
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
9
Conclusion
Third Report - Concussion in sport
We are concerned that UK Sport, uniquely in our evidence base, considers the Consensus Statement by the Concussion in Sport Group as a satisfactory basis for concussion protocols. We recognise the value in the Consensus Statement that provides a baseline for what the science can say for certain and identifies …
Government response. The Government agrees with this recommendation. We will work with UK Sport and Sport England to explore how to ensure sports in receipt of public funding make use of the new set of shared concussion protocols which are to be …
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
10
Recommendation
Third Report - Concussion in sport
We recommend a more precautionary approach is taken and a greater proportion of the money spent on elite sport is focussed on protecting the athletes who are at the core of UK success in sporting endeavours. We also recommend that UK Sport fund a chief medical officer to attend events, …
Government response. The Government agrees in part with this recommendation. The Government believes that the welfare of athletes should be of paramount importance, and that sports in receipt of public funding should look to lead the way in upholding the highest standards …
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
11
Conclusion
Third Report - Concussion in sport
Football’s engagement with the issue of concussion, both in England and internationally, has taken too long and its current prominence is due to the campaigning of organisations like the Jeff Astle Foundation and prominent spokespersons like Chris Sutton. We would have expected the Football Association, as the National Governing Body, …
Government response. The Government agrees with these recommendations. The actions set out in this report demonstrate the level of ambition held by this Government to ensure sport is as safe as possible for all participants. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and …
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
12
Conclusion
Third Report - Concussion in sport
The problems faced by both football and rugby are common to a multitude of other sports which do not have the same media attention or the same resources to apply to possible solutions. One of the biggest problems is the apparent lack of clarity on who is responsible for driving …
Government response. The Government agrees with these recommendations. The actions set out in this report demonstrate the level of ambition held by this Government to ensure sport is as safe as possible for all participants. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and …
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
13
Conclusion
Third Report - Concussion in sport
The protections afforded by the state to workers apply as much to footballers and jockeys as they do to miners and construction workers. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 was a landmark piece of legislation to protect the health of workers and, along with subsequent Regulations, places a …
Government response. The Government agrees in part with this recommendation. The Government supports greater and more accurate recording of sports concussion incidents but believes that other organisations are better placed to collate and use this information than the Health and Safety Executive …
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
14
Conclusion
Third Report - Concussion in sport
Our inquiry into concussion has demonstrated that the long-term effects of acquired brain injury are not simply those events that lead to a diagnosis of concussion. Therefore, any impacts that impair clear thinking or involve a heavy impact could contribute to acquired brain injury.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
15
Recommendation
Third Report - Concussion in sport
We recommend that the Government immediately mandate the Health and Safety Executive to work with National Governing Bodies of all sports to establish, by July 2022, a national framework for the reporting of sporting injuries. Within a year of the framework being published, all organised sports should be required to …
Government response. The Government agrees in part with this recommendation. The Government supports greater and more accurate recording of sports concussion incidents but believes that other organisations are better placed to collate and use this information than the Health and Safety Executive …
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
16
Recommendation
Third Report - Concussion in sport
We recommend that the Government uses its power to convene interested parties and establish a single research fund that will co-ordinate and fund research. The allocation of funds should follow the model of the research councils to ensure it is seen to be independent and excellence-driven and to ensure that …
Government response. The Government agrees with the intention behind this recommendation of simplifying access to research funding. However, we do not believe it is necessary to establish a single fund for research into concussion in sport, as there are already medical research …
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
17
Conclusion
Third Report - Concussion in sport
We also recommend that the Government convene its own specialist group on concussion, drawing on campaign groups, relevant scientific expertise and sporting institutes to assess, every four years, the emerging science on this issue. This group should take a broader view of the existing science than the Concussion in Sport …
Government response. The Government agrees with this recommendation, and will task the “sports concussion research forum” to undertake this role, and define its full brief and reporting timeframe.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
18
Conclusion
Third Report - Concussion in sport
We find it difficult to see any downside of a coherent UK-wide protocol for concussion and recommend that the Government look to the Scottish model and then work with the devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to develop, in the next 12 months, a UK protocol for concussion …
Government response. The Government agrees with this recommendation. The Sports Ministers of the four home nations have discussed this proposal and agreed in principle to develop a shared set of protocols, common across all four nations based on the Scotland model. This …
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
19
Recommendation
Third Report - Concussion in sport
Once this protocol is in place we recommend the Government deliver a comprehensive communications campaign to ensure that everyone involved in sport, from the athletes to coaches and doctors, is aware of best practice. This campaign should signpost where people can find the most current, well-evidenced advice on what action …
Government response. The Government agrees with this recommendation, and will task the working group involved in the development of the protocols to develop a communications campaign to ensure participants at all levels of sport are aware of the key messages around concussion.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
20
Recommendation
Third Report - Concussion in sport
We are concerned that there is history of the Government looking into issues of sporting safety and failing to follow through with practical interventions that would Concussion in sport 33 make a difference to the safety and health of those participating. The reports of the 2002 Working Group and by …
Government response. The Government agrees with these recommendations. The actions set out in this report demonstrate the level of ambition held by this Government to ensure sport is as safe as possible for all participants. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and …
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
21
Conclusion
Third Report - Concussion in sport
It will never be possible to ensure that sport is one hundred percent safe. It should, however, be expected that participants are aware of the risks involved and that there is a precautionary approach to risk management. The Government cannot avoid taking a proactive role in ensuring that this occurs. …
Government response. The Government agrees with these recommendations. The actions set out in this report demonstrate the level of ambition held by this Government to ensure sport is as safe as possible for all participants. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and …
Department for Culture, Media and Sport