Help to identify concussion

Lauren Macready, who is based at Leeds Children’s Hospital, is promoting the campaign which is being run during Action for Brain Injury Week (May 9-15) and hopes it will encourage teachers and pupils to learn more about concussion.

She is encouraging schools to get involved by downloading a concussion factsheet poster for their classrooms which has been created by The Children’s Trust - the charity which she works for and which is supporting the campaign.

Lauren supports children in the North Yorkshire area in their recovery following a brain injury, some of whom have had a concussion and experience ongoing difficulties.

Lauren said: “We hope the campaign will help teachers understand the complexities of a concussion, the symptoms and possible dangers.

“Concussions in children are usually from a fall or bump to the head in the playground or can be caused during sport. This can cause substantial difficulties which can be long lasting. This is why it is essential to get the right support in place for the child.

“A child doesn’t have to experience a loss of consciousness for them to have suffered a concussion. Parents, children and schools should be aware of the risks, know what to look out for and what to do next. Hopefully the campaign will help school staff know what actions to take if they think a child has suffered a concussion.”

To download a #ConcussionAware poster factsheet for your school visit: www.braininjuryhub.co.uk/concussion.

The Children’s Trust is the UK’s leading charity for children with brain injury. Visit thechildrenstrust.org.uk for more information.