Reid announces plans for NHS sports injury doctors

Health Secretary, John Reid has announced plans to train a "new breed" of NHS doctors to deal with sports injuries.

The new doctors will be trained in all aspects of Sports and Exercise Medicine (SEM) and will be able to not only treat sports injuries, but also help to prevent them.

The doctors will not only work in hospitals, but will also work with schools, community groups and professional sports clubs.

The Health Secretary said: "We are committed to making sure that the public is not only fit, active and healthy but has access to the right healthcare provision to support their lifestyle - we want to make the NHS not just a sickness service but a keep well service for patients and the public. By establishing the specialty of Sports and Exercise Medicine we are proving our dedication not only to supporting an active lifestyle but to raising the profile of the benefits of healthy living."

The most common sporting injuries include ligament and metatarsal damage, Achilles heel injuries, hamstring strains, sparined ankles, cramps and injuries to the back and knees. Around 700,000 people attended hospital casualty departments following a sporting injury in 2002.

Doctors who want to become an SEM specialist will have to undertake a comptency based training programme. It is hoped that a number of doctors could be fully assessed and awarded qualifications by as early as 2006.

The introduction of SEM trained doctors is being introduced as part of the government's campaign to improve the public's health, laid out in the Public Health White Paper, published last November. It included plans to promote physical activity, in order to help reduce the risks of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer.

Sports Minister, Richard Caborn, said: "Research shows that if we can increase adult physical activity by as little as 10% we could prevent 6,000 premature deaths a year. SEM doctors will play a big part in helping us hit this target."

The SEM doctors will also be able to offer disabled people advice on how they can safely increase their activity levels.

Commenting on the new plans, Chief Medical Officer, Liam Donaldson, said: "These NHS doctors will not only treat sports injuries but also look to improve the general health of the nation - setting exercise regimes and tackling the growing problem of obesity in children."

(KmcA)