Mini & Junior guidelines 10 of 11

10. Youth rugby injuries


Emergency Procedure Guidelines for dealing with accidents and incidents
These guidelines apply to all youth rugby coaches and other youth rugby volunteers at Amersham & Chiltern RFC (the “Club”) who are required to familiarize themselves with the guidelines and apply them. The procedures outlined apply not only to accidents and injuries sustained at the Club’s ground but also when youth players are at away matches or on tour.

These guidelines may be amended from time to time by the Club.

Dealing with incidents/accidents
When dealing with an incident/accident in which a youth player is injured:
• Stay calm but act swiftly and observe the situation. Is there danger of further injuries? If so, try to minimize the danger.
• Listen to what the injured person is saying.
• Alert a first aider who should take appropriate action for minor injuries. (Remember - when training or playing matches at the Club’s ground on Sundays, as well as the first aiders in each age group, the age group/section which is “on duty” should have a first aider providing additional cover for all age groups – see “Duties” listing on Minis Fixtures page for who is providing cover when.)
• In the event of an injury requiring specialist treatment, call the emergency services. Keep the injured person warm and keep onlookers at bay.
• DO NOT move someone with major injuries. Wait for specialists from the emergency services.
• Deal with the rest of the squad and ensure that they are adequately supervised.
• Contact the injured person’s parent/carer.
• If the injured person is taken to hospital, ensure that all his/her personal belongings are collected up and returned to the injured person or his/her parent/carer in due course.

What constitutes an accident/incident?
There is no all-encompassing definition of what constitutes an injury/incident that necessitates the completion of a Youth Rugby Injuries Report Form – a common sense approach is needed. It is therefore suggested that a Form is always completed where the injured person:
• needs to have blood cleaned off or strapping etc applied before playing on after an injury
• appears to have suffered a dislocation or a broken bone
• appears to be concussed in any way or has had a head knock of any sort
• sees a doctor or physio or similar following the injury.
The above list is not exhaustive – if in doubt, a Form should be completed.

After the incident/accident
The AGO (or, if the AGO was not present at the time of the incident/accident, the age group’s most senior coach present) must complete a Youth Rugby Injuries Report Form and, if necessary, notify Rob Elms (Chairman of Minis’ Rugby) at the Club (robelms@sky.com) or Richard Clifford (Chairman of Junior Rugby) at (richard.clifford@campionwillcocks.co.uk) of certain serious incidents/injuries.

Accident/Incident Injury Report Form
A copy is available for download here.
• a supply should be held by all AGOs and all First Aiders.
• a further supply of the forms can be found in the First Aid room of the Clubhouse.
• a form must always be completed in respect of an injured A&C youth player.
• a form must also be completed in respect of an injured youth player from a squad visiting the Club’s ground for training, a game or a tournament if either an A&C First Aider has rendered assistance or an ambulance has been called to the Club’s grounds (whether or not an A&C First Aider has been involved).
• the original of a completed form must be sent to the Mini/Junior Chairman (as appropriate) and a copy kept by the AGO with the age group’s records.

Notification to Huw Thomas
It is a mandatory RFU requirement that certain injuries/incidents are reported to the RFU promptly. To meet this requirement, reportable matters must be notified to Huw Thomas (Club Chairman) at the Club (huwthomas@ntlworld.com) within 24 hrs. Reportable matters re A&C players are:
• any head or neck injury
• an injury that results in admission to hospital as an in-patient after a game/training has finished and is game/training related
• any injury which prevents a player from playing or training for 8 weeks or longer
• deaths which occur during a game or within 6 hrs of the game finishing.
• Ensure that arrangements have been made to replenish any first aid supplies used.
• In the case of a serious injury, ensure that the injured person or his/her parents are contacted for ‘updates’ and arrange visits if appropriate.
• Ensure that the injured person does not resume playing until fit to do so.
Accidents/injuries at the Club’s ground NOT involving a youth player

If such an incident occurs, injuries can be recorded in the Club’s Accident Book which is kept behind the bar.