1 in every 300 people screened by the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) will be found to be carrying a life-threatening condition. This gives every grassroots sports’ organisation in the country the opportunity to save a life. Many clubs have already established a holistic cardiac health and wellbeing programme for members and their coaches and volunteers aged 14-35, making them highly regarded for their standards of care.
The overall survival rate in the UK for an Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) is less than one in ten. 30% of these deaths are premature and performing CPR can more than double the chances of survival in some cases.
The first thing any grassroots club can do is to improve health and wellbeing policies with a commitment to harness the action points below. Incorporating these standards into an annual review will lead to positive outcomes and bring clubs to best in class. I have been working with Cambridge University Sports Club to establish sustainable protocols to ensure that their student body is protected from sudden cardiac risk and with the right mindset, it is really easy to do.
Follow T.E.S.S. and SCREEN YOUR TEENS.
Action 1 – TRAINING. Get in touch with your local St John’s Ambulance and invite them in at least once a year to educate your membership, coaches, parents and volunteers around the use of CPD and AEDs (Defibrillators). The Resuscitation Council UK or CRY can provide training materials
Action 2 – EQUIPMENT. Consider investing in an AED if you don’t already have one. Here is an example of a defibrillator for your club.
Action 3 – SCREENING. An ECG takes 5-10 minutes, is not invasive as it is conducted while the patient is lying down and involves no radiation. It takes less than a minute to read an ECG report by a well-trained professional. You should aim to offer your members and staff (aged 14-35) access to cardiac screening every year with each member checking their heart health every 2-3 years. These conditions can emerge at any time and won’t necessarily be evident at the first time of screening. Regularly signpost members to existing CRY screenings by following the www.testmyheart.org.uk website for upcoming events in your area using social media. Or you can club together with other local clubs of any sporting affiliation to fundraise for screening days to be delivered to your local area by CRY’s mobile facility. Fundraising is hard work but can be a real force of good for any community and the best thing is that your community will be keen to give because they are also the key beneficiaries. Contact CRY’s Screening Team Manager, Natalie Stevens at CRY on natalie@c-r-y.org.uk to organise a special screening event. Promote your activities on your social media to raise awareness and raise your profile.
Action 4 – SUPPORT. If any of your club members or a family member experiences a loss due to sudden cardiac death, be there for them. You can signpost them to CRY’s bereavement services if they need further support.
My daughter’s friends from Uni have set up a campaign called Clarissa’s Campaign for Cambridge Hearts to raise funds for screening days. This was the article published by the BBC. They have now raised £55,000 which will see 800 youngsters screened and the programme is ongoing.
[Updated 22 Oct - new article on the BBC Website here and BBC Sounds interview here.]
I did an interview with Gabby Logan earlier this year as she lost her brother when he was 15 to a sudden cardiac arrest. He was due to sign for Everton the following day and was playing football with his dad Terry Yorath when it happened. Gabby has sporty children who have recently been screened and she has endorsed the importance of preventative heart health. You can access a clip to the interview here:
Recently the Faculty of Sport and Medicine UK partnered with CRY to validate their approach to detecting heart conditions in young people through screening.
Finally, if you or your members are remotely anxious about promoting heart health screening, please rest assured that saving a life is so much more important than nerves around detecting a condition. Finding a condition does NOT rule out future exercise. A lifestyle needs to be adapted but a life will be saved. The booklet below contains some wonderful case studies of people’s attitude to screening and receiving a diagnosis. You can download a copy here.