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Croydon Business Excellence Awards

By Harry Black,

The Croydon Awards celebrates the successes and achievements of the boroughs local businesses.

We would like to congratulate all of the worthy winners, and are proud to have been Highly Commended at this year’s Croydon Business Excellence Awards, specifically under the Best SME category.

For more information and to see photographs of the evening please visit the Croydon Awards Website.

Return2Play partner with Sports in Schools

By Harry Black,

 

We are delighted to announce our new partnership with Sports in Schools. Led by former professional rugby player Matt Price, Sports in Schools work with community clubs and organisations to deliver children’s rugby and sports programmes across England and the UK.

We at Sports in Schools are delighted to be announcing a partnership with Return2Play. With our growing community departments with rugby clubs across the country and abroad, we recognise the importance of the safeguarding and wellbeing of our children within those communities and working with Return2Play enables us to further offer the very best care. I think the service and operation that Return2Play offer is fantastic and should be taken up by all education providers, sporting organisations and mums & dads. The well being of our children is paramount and I am thrilled to be able to offer this to our clients.– “M.Price”

For further information please click here for Sports In Schools website.

Concussion Awareness online training course with EduCare

By Harry Black,

We have recently teamed up with EduCare, whose primary focus is on ‘duty of care’, helping to keep children, young people and adults safe from harm. With over 1,200 EduCare courses completed every day, they are the market leader in developing and delivering highly engaging online learning courses in partnership with leading experts.

In conjunction with Return2Play, they have created an online concussion awareness and management course which is available to staff at schools as part of their EduCare for Education service and provides valuable information on how to recognise and manage a student’s concussion.

By the end of the course learners will:
  • Understand what concussion is
  • Recognise the signs and symptoms that may suggest a concussion has occurred
  • Learn what the immediate and ongoing management of concussion should be
  • Be familiar with the “red flags” that indicate an injured person should be transferred for urgent medical assessment
  • Be able to identify what the risks are following a concussion and how they can be minimised

For more information about the course please click here.

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Dr Sam Barke talks concussion protocol with The Times

By Harry Black,

Following the news that Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius sustained a concussion during last month’s Champions League, our Medical Director Dr Sam Barke spoke with The Times regarding concussion protocol in sport.

Football can learn a lot from professional rugby in the identification and management of concussion.– “S.Barke”

For the full article please click here.

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R2P contributes to All-Party Parliamentary Group discussion on Brain Injury in Sport

By Harry Black,

This week our Medical Director Dr Sam Barke took part in the House of Commons Brain Injury and Sport Roundtable with Chris Bryant MP.

Commenting on the subject Dr Sam Barke said:

Much progress has been made over the last few years. There is still more to be done to ensure high standard of care is provided to all and it is reassuring to see groups coming together to try and achieve that.– “S.Barke”

Please click here to read the full ESPN article.

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Welcome to our new ambassador Ben Gollings

By Harry Black,

Return2Play is delighted to announce former England 7s Captain Ben Gollings has joined the firm as a brand ambassador. Ben played an integral part in England’s 4 wins of Hong Kong 7s; has played in three Commonwealth Games; two World Cups and in excess of 70 IRB tournaments. He is perhaps best known for accumulating an astonishing 2,652 points for England which remains the current World Record. Ben also played in over 100 English premiership games for clubs Harlequins; Newcastle and Worcester in a career that ran from 1999-2013.

Speaking on the partnership, Ben Gollings said:

I am delighted to be an ambassador for Return2Play. R2P provide world class services on an area that is so important for future, present and past participants at grassroots sport. To be able to support the community through R2P is exciting at a time when we see injury and concussion play such a big part in sport. Neither need to stop people participating, but it is integral to get quality advice and support, which R2P does. I look forward to supporting R2P in its global development.– “B.Gollings”

Nick Somers, Return2Play’s CEO, added:

Ben joins us at an exciting time. R2P’s first international partnership came about in January with Hong Kong Rugby Union and we expect to announce similar deals with other National Governing Bodies later this year. Ben’s extensive global rugby address book and business development expertise will partner well with our existing ambassador, Elliot Daly, as R2P continues to lead the way in delivering world-class injury management solutions to grassroots.– “N.Somers”

 

R2P Partners with Lions Sports Academy to promote injury prevention

By Harry Black,

R2P are delighted to be working with Lions Sports Academ in order to offer our clients access to experts in safe training aimed at reducing rates of injuries. Prevention is always better than cure and we are excited to see how the work of Lions can improve the welfare of players.

For further information about the Lions Sports Academy, please click here for their website.

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Return2Play speak to The Times

By Harry Black,

Following the news that Dylan Hartley has been ruled out the England Rugby summer tour, our Medical Director Dr Sam Barke spoke with The Times about all things concussion, the importance of following medical advice and taking the time to fully recover.

It is far more common than people realise for players to suffer delayed symptoms, which can occur up to 48 hours after a concussive injury. This is why education and awareness are so important in rugby because the medics know to keep a close eye on a player in the hours and days after a match, even if concussion is not initially diagnosed.– “S.Barke”

Please click here for The Times article.

Return2Play launches new service for touring teams – “Doctor on Tour”

By Harry Black,

16 April 2018

Return2Play is excited to announce the launch of a new service which will ensure players receive the highest possible standards of care, even when touring abroad.

The service – named “Doctor on Tour” – came about following discussions with partner schools who were seeking ways to enhance the medical support they have while touring.

Dr Sam Barke, Medical Director of Return2Play, commented:

We are delighted to be able to expand our services and further commit to helping organisations provide the highest level of care to their players. Feedback from our partner schools is that managing injury or illness while on tour is one of the issues that causes staff the most worry. It is our hope that this service provides both staff and parents with the peace of mind that players will be well looked after, wherever they are in the world.– “S.Barke”

Initially, two levels of support will be offered. The first – “Remote Support” – will provide a 24/7 line to UK doctors for immediate medical advice and webcam assessments of injury or illness. The second – “On Tour Support” – will enable touring sides to take a doctor on tour with them.

For further details on the new service please visit www.doctor-on-tour.co.uk

To introduce the service, Return2Play is offering discounts for tours taking place between June and August 2018. To request a quote, please contact hello@doctor-on-tour.co.uk or fill in the form on the website.

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Return2Play to be the Official Medical Partner of the Rosslyn Park 2018 HSBC National Schools Sevens

By Harry Black,

Retun2Play are pleased to be the Official Medical Partner to the world’s largest school rugby event, the Rosslyn Park 2018 HSBC National Sevens. The tournament takes place from Monday 19th March until Friday 23rd March.

Commenting on the partnership Dr Sam Barke, Medical Director of Return2Play, said:

We are delighted to once again be partnering with Rosslyn Park National Schools 7s as Official Medical Partner. We look forward to being part of the tournament, seeing some great rugby and working with the organisers to ensure that all players receive the highest level of medical care if injured.– “S.Barke”

Return2Play is the leading sports medicine provider to schools. We believe players of all ages and ability should have access to the best medical care without delay. Our innovative technology ensures players are supported from the day of injury until they are fit, able and confident to return to sport. Return2Play’s technology, alongside our consulting, education and immediate care services gives schools the peace of mind that they are providing their players with gold-standard care at all times.

For more information about this event please click here for the RPNS7 website.

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Medical Director’s Blog – Concussion: Teachers have an important role to play

By Harry Black,

Updated January 2020

By Dr Sam Barke

in 2018, Scotland Sport released new guidance on the management of concussion (click here) – an update that can be applauded for a number of reasons.  Firstly, the fact that a country has produced guidelines that are applicable to all sports – something that I have previously discussed the relevance of (see Concussion: It’s Not a Rugby Injury).  And secondly, because there is a far stronger focus on returning to “normal activity” – which for children includes returning to the classroom – before returning to sport.

 

Involvement of academic staff
This is something we at Return2Play have been talking about for a while.  We advise our partner schools to engage all staff in education, not just the sports department, and to make sure teachers are informed when one of their pupils sustains a concussion.  Part of this is because there are clearly benefits of everyone having increased awareness – concussions don’t only occur on the sports field –  but also because teachers have an important role to play in recovery.

 

Children struggling through
When our doctors see children in clinic who are still suffering symptoms a few weeks after a concussion the story is often the same.  They had concussion but symptoms weren’t too bad so they went to school the next day.  They didn’t feel great but struggled through.  The next day the same again but slightly worse and so on and so on.  Often these are low severity symptoms, but significant ones -particularly in terms of impact on learning – such as headaches, difficulty concentrating, a “fogginess”.  Kids aren’t good at flagging these symptoms – sometimes they haven’t even realised they are linked to the concussion – so teachers (as well as parents, of course) have a hugely important role to play in recognising the issues early.  The earlier it is recognised; the earlier interventions can be put in place; the better the outcome will be.

 

Graduated Return to Learn
It seems obvious really.  On your route to returning to sport, the first step is returning to normal life.  We happily prescribe a gradual return to sport so why would we not prescribe a gradual return to learning?  It is this that Sport Scotland have tried to do in their guidelines (see below).  It may not be perfect, and it may not suit every child, but the principle is certainly right and it’s an excellent start.

 

Change in mindset
We’ve come a long way in a relatively short period of time when it comes to our understanding of concussion, our acknowledgment of the risks, and our implementation of guidelines.  This has been led by the sporting world and, understandably, the initial focus was “how can we safely get people back to sport?”.  In the majority of settings this is now being done well and so it is right that a slight refocus should happen so that we look more closely at how we maximise people’s recovery away from sport.

 

We now accept that, after a concussion, missing a few weeks of sport is in the long-term interest of the player. But the same theory should be applied to the classroom. Missing a few days of school to allow optimum recovery and a quick return to full academic ability is in the interest of all.

 

To read the other blogs in the concussion series, please follow the links below.

Concussion: Back to Basics

Concussion: There’s no recovery fast track

Concussion: It’s not a rugby injury

 

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Peter Scott – Life in Hockey

By Harry Black,

We spoke with Peter Scott, a young and talented England International Hockey player who made his international debut in March 2017 against Germany. Having played hockey since he was 5 years old, Peter now represents Team Bath Buccaneers, Bath University and is contracted to England. With all of this and a degree to juggle, Peter has a very unique view on the amount of support provided from grassroots to elite international levels.

 

Congratulations on reaching the national indoors final with Team Bath Buccaneers. Losing such a narrow final to 12 times champions East Grinstead must have been difficult but was a great achievement to push them so close. What do you need to do next year to lift the trophy?

Yes it was an incredible achievement for us, it was the first time in the club’s history that we have even made the finals weekend so to make it to the final was pretty special. We were certainly the underdogs going into the finals but I think we more than proved ourselves to be a quality indoor team able to compete with any of the top teams. Regarding next season, the team just needs to maintain the solid structure that made other teams struggle against us this year while adding slightly more quality with our finishing going forward and well put ourselves in a solid position to challenge for the top spots again.

 

Where does reaching the final rank amongst your sporting achievements?

It is definitely up there as one of my highlights so far. The atmosphere in the Copper Box made it a great event to be a part of and celebrating winning our semi-final on shuffles was a great feeling.

Sport provides so many opportunities and chances to learn not just the sports themselves but also vital transferable skills that can be used in everyday life– “Peter”

 

What was the highlight of your school sporting career?

I think the highlight of my school sporting career was playing in the Sainsbury School Games in 2014. It was good to have a taste of what an event like that is like and I feel like I learned a lot from that tournament that I have taken forward into future tournaments.

 

When you were at school who did you look up to the most, who inspired you?

Barry Middleton was always someone who I looked up to. His work ethic was always something that was talked about by other coaches and watching him perform so consistently at international level was always something to aspire to. Harry Martin is also someone who inspired me whilst I was at school. His selection for the Olympic Games at such an early age was something that inspired me to focus on hockey and work hard to be in the position I am in now.

 

Did you face many challenges juggling international hockey whilst doing a degree?

Yes it has been quite tough to get the right balance between hockey and university over the past couple of years, although I have been lucky to have quite a lot of help from both the university and GB hockey who understand the commitments I do have and quite often provide alternative options for me.

 

Why do you think sport is important for young people?

Sport provides so many opportunities and chances to learn not just the sports themselves but also vital transferrable skills that can be used in everyday life. Things like team work and communication are two things I have significantly improved over the past few years and they have given me more confidence in not just my sporting life but my social life as well. Especially for young people who are constantly learning, I think sport provides a great platform to grow these skills.

 

Have you ever been out of play due to injury, and if so how did you find the experience of being injured?

Fortunately I have not.

 

Have you noticed many differences from the management of injuries at club hockey level to international level?

Yes, the management of players is significantly stricter at international level. With the support staff around the GB group, any injury is managed straight away with physios and doctors always on hand if needed at training sessions and competitions. When a player is injured they are in the gym every day rehabbing and doing what they can to get back to fitness before a steady inclusion back into the hockey sessions (depending on the injury).

 

Concussion is a huge talking point at the moment, and many are being put off playing high risk concussion sports. Do you think the awareness of the injury is high enough in Hockey?

I think the awareness of injury, especially serious injuries such as concussion is high in hockey. For example, short corners (arguably the most dangerous aspect of hockey) have been analysed significantly and therefore the protection worn by the players during these instances has increased over the past few years. I also think that the awareness of injury from general play has increased over the past few years and the ‘protection of the players’ is often something that is talked about when decisions are made on the pitch by the umpires.

 

Are you surprised to learn that Return2Play’s data shows Hockey to be one of top three highest risk sports for concussions?

I am not surprised about this due to the nature of the game but I don’t think it is something you can easily escape, especially in open play, as the sport is just so unpredictable, particularly at lower levels of the game.

 

Finally, if you could tell your younger self anything what would it be?

Make sure to keep working hard ‘behind the scenes’, that’s where the marginal gains are made that can have a massive impact on where you will be in the future.