Concussion in sport

Culture, Media and Sport Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 3 Mar 2021 Closed: 23 Mar 2022 Parliament page
MPs will examine links between sport and long-term brain injury. The concussion in sport inquiry will consider scientific evidence for links between head trauma and dementia and how risks could be mitigated with two sessions, the first taking place on Tuesday 9 March.
8 Recommendations
13 Conclusions
1 Report
5 Oral sessions
2 Letters
5 Events
Activity timeline 14 events
24 Mar
2022
Correspondence
10 Dec
2021
Report published
22 Jul
2021
Report published
25 May
2021
Oral evidence
25 May
2021
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Wilson Room, Portcullis House
18 May
2021
Oral evidence
18 May
2021
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 8, Palace of Westminster
27 Apr
2021
Oral evidence
27 Apr
2021
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 8, Palace of Westminster
23 Mar
2021
Oral evidence
23 Mar
2021
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 8, Palace of Westminster
12 Mar
2021
Correspondence
Oral evidence sessions 5 sessions
25 May 2021
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Ben Dean · Department for Culture, Media and Sport Nigel Huddleston MP · HM Treasury
18 May 2021
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Dr Niall Elliott · Sport Scotland Dr Rod Jaques OBE · English Institute of Sport Phil Smith · Sport England Professor Alistair Burns CBE · NHS England Sally Munday · UK Sport Stewart Harris · Sport Scotland Tim Hollingsworth OBE · Sport England
27 Apr 2021
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Damian Hopley MBE · The Rugby Players Association Dr John Etherington CBE · Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine UK Dr Richard Sylvester · Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health Gordon Taylor OBE · Professional Footballers Association Paul Struthers · Professional Players Federation
23 Mar 2021
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Bill Sweeney · Rugby Football Union Chris Sutton Dawn Astle Dr Charlotte Cowie · The Football Association Dr Éanna Falvey · World Rugby Dr Mike Loosemore · TeamGB boxing and TeamGB snow sports Eleanor Furneaux Kyran Bracken MBE Monica Petrosino Professor John Fairclough
9 Mar 2021
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Dr Michael Grey · UK Acquired Brain Injury Forum Peter McCabe · Headway Professor Craig Ritchie Professor William Stewart Richard Oakley · Alzheimer's Society
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Third Report - Concussion in sport HC 46 22 Jul 2021 21 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
21 results
1 Conclusion
Third Report - Concussion in sport
Despite the need for acquired brain injury to be taken seriously by sport, the detail...
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 … Read more
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, … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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2 Conclusion
Third Report - Concussion in sport
The reality is that, for most people playing sport, there is no one to stop...
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 … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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3 Conclusion
Third Report - Concussion in sport
Doctors may not be able to rely on patients to remember previous concussions or head...
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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4 Recommendation
Third Report - Concussion in sport
We recommend that NHS England reviews the way in which it collates data about concussion...
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.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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5 Conclusion
Third Report - Concussion in sport
We are also concerned that the relative infrequency with which clinicians encounter this kind of...
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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6 Recommendation
Third Report - Concussion in sport
We recommend that NHS England, in collaboration with the Faculty of Exercise and Sport Medicine,...
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 … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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7 Conclusion
Third Report - Concussion in sport
The current organisational structures in sport mean that there is no overall responsibility to mandate...
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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8 Recommendation
Third Report - Concussion in sport
It is no longer acceptable for concussion to be addressed in this fashion.
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 … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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9 Conclusion
Third Report - Concussion in sport
We are concerned that UK Sport, uniquely in our evidence base, considers the Consensus Statement...
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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10 Recommendation
Third Report - Concussion in sport
We recommend a more precautionary approach is taken and a greater proportion of the money...
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 … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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11 Conclusion
Third Report - Concussion in sport
Football’s engagement with the issue of concussion, both in England and internationally, has taken too...
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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12 Conclusion
Third Report - Concussion in sport
The problems faced by both football and rugby are common to a multitude of other...
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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13 Conclusion
Third Report - Concussion in sport
The protections afforded by the state to workers apply as much to footballers and jockeys...
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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14 Conclusion
Third Report - Concussion in sport
Our inquiry into concussion has demonstrated that the long-term effects of acquired brain injury are...
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 … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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15 Recommendation
Third Report - Concussion in sport
We recommend that the Government immediately mandate the Health and Safety Executive to work with...
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 … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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16 Recommendation
Third Report - Concussion in sport
We recommend that the Government uses its power to convene interested parties and establish a...
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 … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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17 Conclusion
Third Report - Concussion in sport
We also recommend that the Government convene its own specialist group on concussion, drawing on...
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 … Read more
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
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18 Conclusion
Third Report - Concussion in sport
We find it difficult to see any downside of a coherent UK-wide protocol for concussion...
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, … Read more
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 … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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19 Recommendation
Third Report - Concussion in sport
Once this protocol is in place we recommend the Government deliver a comprehensive communications campaign...
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 … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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20 Recommendation
Third Report - Concussion in sport
We are concerned that there is history of the Government looking into issues of sporting...
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 … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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21 Conclusion
Third Report - Concussion in sport
It will never be possible to ensure that sport is one hundred percent safe.
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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Correspondence 2 letters
24 Mar 2022 To committee Letter from Gordon Taylor OBE, Chief Executive, Professional Footballers' Association, relating to concussion in sport, 4 May 2021
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12 Mar 2021 To committee Letter from the Chair to Tim Davie, Director-General, BBC, re mixed martial arts on the BBC, 12 March 2021
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