MEDICAL RISK ASSESSMENT TYNEDALE 10K ROAD RACE

1.  Background

The Tynedale 10K road race has been organised under UKA License by volunteers from Tynedale Athletic Club on the first Wednesday in July for the last 25 years, the last 2 under the current race committee. It has been brought forward to the 27th June this year due to issues with the availability of the race HQ. It is expected that there will be between 350 and 400 participants this year. A large percentage of entrants are typically registered as local athletic club members. Entries are by electronic entry circulated to local clubs and on the club website. Late entries will also been taken on race day. The course is unchanged from recent years, starting at Ovington and finishing at Tynedale Country Park.

The race has a reputation as a fast course with a downhill start, traditionally popular with more experienced and competitive local club runners many of whom are known personally to the race committee and will return for a number of years. It also attracts a number of entries from unattached (i.e. non club) entries, recreational runners and novices. The race is staged initially on open carriageways (with partial road closures), with marshal control junctions and crossings and maximum of 1 1/2 mile intervals (martial 7-8 between Ovingham and Woodcroft road, Wylam) around the course. The last approximate 2 miles of the course is not on open carriage way but a combination of small roads and country park with difficult or not access to vehicles. The finish is in Tynedale Country Park beside the riverside.

Bottled drinking water is provided at 5k and at the finish. No sponge stations are provided. Changing, toilet and hot drinks/pie and peas are available at Ovingham school.

Communication between marshals is by mobile phone, with reliable network coverage over the entire course route.

Medical services have always been provided by the local St Johns Ambulance branch. Accident and emergency departments is approximately 12 miles by road to Hexham and 15 miles to Newcastle, and there is a reliable service from the local NHS Ambulance service. In the past five years there has been no requirement for first aid to the competitors. There have been no fatalities, resuscitations, or hospital transfers.

The race finish with be chip-timed using a single finishing funnel in the country park. Whilst ambulance access is not available at the finish vehicle access is only 200 metres away.

Volunteer marshals etc. are from the organising club plus their family and friends.

2.  Recommended Provision – Matrix Table 2

Based on ‘standard criteria’ for:

·  Race distance under 11k (10k race)

·  Race with runners of between 350 - 400

Recommended minimum provision at set out in Matrix Table 2:

5 first aiders from a CQC registered medical provider

Covered first aid posts at finish and on course optional

·  Mobile provision 1 AED

·  No paramedic, doctor, nurse, or dedicated medical control required

·  First aid manager required

·  Sweeper car required (until Wylam) remainder of course to be covered by a marshal on a bike sweeping up from behind with mobile AED cover for this section.

The race has been staged in its current form and by the current organisers for many years. Casualty rates at previous races have been low or non-existent. Unattached entries, recreational runners and novices provide a higher risk to more experienced club runners with lower and untested fitness levels. There is lower injury risk of minor injury (tripping etc.) generally associated with the more experienced club athletes. A higher proportion of older ‘veteran’ club runners also reduces the risk of sudden cardiac failure (often associated with younger competitors) but increases the risk of cardiac arrest due to cardio/vesicular disease (often associated with older people) which often responds well to swift intervention by CPR and AED.

The last part of the course has either difficult access or is inaccessible to ambulance between Wylam and the finish at the Country Park (2 miles approximately). Provision must be made for medical services to reach and extract any casualties occurring at these locations. Mobile provision by CQC registered medical provider (with AED facilities) to cover this section.

3.  Tynedale 10k Medical Risk Assessment

1. What are the hazards / 2. Who may be harmed and how / 3a. What are you already doing (i.e. pre event controls) / 3b.What further action is required ( event day controls) / 4a. Action by who / 4b. Action by when / 4c. When completed
GENERALLY / SEE NOTES ABOVE
MEDICAL
Assessment of appropriate medical cover / Competitors spectators and volunteers / Provide first aid and medical services in accordance with the UKA Good Practice Guide to Medical Services / See medical plan / Race committee / Before start of race
Event arrangements and profile unchanged from previous years / Low casualty rate experienced in previous years is a good indicator of likely demand and minimum cover recommend in the Guide would be appropriate. / Race committee / Before race day
Anticipated competitor numbers / Competitor numbers last year were 430. CQC provision to be within matrix table 2. / Race committee / Before race day
Use of event team volunteer first aiders / St Johns ambulance to be engaged as CQC registered medical provider with 4 first aiders and 2 mobile response rider with AED availability. / Race committee / Before race day
Check ability of local A&E hospital to receive casualties from event / Hospitals notified and confirmed capable to receive any serious casualties. / Race committee / Before race day
Check ability of local NHS ambulance trust to attend and evacuate critical casualties / Ambulance service trust notified and confirmed capable of attending and evacuate casualties on 999 call if required. / Race committee / Before race day
Ensure capability to deliver BLS (minimum) response within 8 minutes of receipts of report of injury by the event or medical team / No collapses reported in previous years but race committee has decided to provide AED’s for mobile response to primarily cover the second half of the race where accessibility for ambulance is difficult or impossible. See below for reporting procedures. / CQC mobile AED cover to station themselves at 2 mile point and at marshal point 20 in the countryside park and contactable by mobile phone. Both to follow on at rear as race passes. / Race committee / On race day
Procedures to ensure first aid in place before race start / Contact phone numbers in exchange in event of problems. / St Johns ambulance to report to Andrew Turnbull (race committee) at school HQ, 30 mins before race start. Race will be cancelled if first aid team do not attend. / Rachel Chinnery / Before start of race
Ensure effective reporting of casualties by marshals etc. / Marshalls will be deployed at regular intervals around the course (maximum 1 mile interval). All volunteers to be briefed on reporting of casualties to the first aid manager. / Race committee / Before and during race
Ensure medical team can access & extract any casualties occurring at inaccessible locations / Last 2 miles of the course have difficult or no accessibility to ambulance. / CQC registered provider will have mobile coverage with AED facilities extraction would be available on stretcher by ambulance service. / Race committee / Before and during race
Layout & management of finish area to provide easy access for medical team to identify, treat & evacuate casualties / Ambulance access will be available within 200 metres of the finish experienced marshals to be provided in finish area. Co-ordination of activities to be agreed in advance with medical team. / Race committee / Before and during race
Use public address system to communicate race day instructions to competitors / Pre-start briefing with race day final safety instructions to be provided by start director to assemble competitors. Sprint finishes will be discouraged. / Race committee / Before race
Transport of exhausted runners / Blankets and cold drinks and mobile phone provided. / Vehicle access up to Wylam. Cycle response units will be stationed at two points on the course and will follow as the last runner passes. Note adult competitor’s only so no child protection issues. / Race committee / Before and during race
Monitor / First aid manager to report any serious injuries or hospital transfer to the race committee as soon as possible on race day, followed by formal written summary of casualties – based on UKA post-race return form. / Race committee / During and after race
De-brief & review / Race committee to arrange post-event medical team de-brief meeting and review. / Race committee / After race
Review date / 1 week after race date

Medical Plan

·  6 first aiders from CQC registered medical provider (St Johns ambulance) 2 to be stationed at halfway point at Wylam. 2 to be at the start then move across to the finish area. In addition we will have two first aiders with mobile on bikes with AED facility’s. One to be positioned at mile 2 and one to be stationed at marshal point 20 in the countryside park. Both to follow the last runner as the race passes. This will give us quick response time to any incidents that may occur in this area of poor accessibility (placement of first aiders as set out by St Johns ambulance). First aiders to be contactable by mobile phone. Contact to race committee if needed.

·  Marshals to be briefed on reporting casualties, including meeting emergency ambulance on arrival on access points.