Following the impact COVID-19 has had on us during this year, we are pleased to announce we are now able to run Lubas courses again.
To ensure safety of students attending our courses while maintaining quality, we have had to make some significant changes to the way we deliver our training.
All our courses will now contain an element of blended learning, combining online theory with shorter, practical instructor led training sessions. This allows us to reduce/remove lectures and face to face teaching, with theory completed online prior to attending practical courses.
The number of students attending each course and the length of the face to face attendance on the courses will also be reduced e.g. a two-day Sports Trauma Management course will now include 1 day of online content, completed prior to attending 1-day of practical instructor led training. The learning objectives and course content will remain the same.
We will initially be advertising dates for some courses through September at our training centre in Cardiff. Priority will be given to anyone who has already paid to attend a course, suspended prior to lock-down and we will contact these customers directly with available dates, before publishing dates generally on our website.
For full information about how we aim to keep you safe during our courses, please follow this link to our COVID-19 policy: https://lubasmedical.com/covid-19/. The policy will also be sent to every attendee prior to booking onto a course.
Lubas will continue to provide updates via social media, our website and direct contact with customers.
Thank you again for your patience during this time. We look forward to seeing you soon!
Paul, Chris and the whole team at Lubas Medical.
Behind the Scenes at Cardiff City FC
Lubas Medical pitch side team assisting an injured player at Cardiff City.
How elite players are kept safe
The Medical Team at Cardiff City regularly receive praise & recognition from visiting teams for the quality of their set up.
Here's how Lubas fit in with the team, & how you can prepare in any sport, at any level...
1. The Medical Team
The Lubas pitch side medical team consists of 4 medics & an ambulance crew, all with professional qualifications & trained in Lubas Sports Trauma Management. Our purpose is to support all medical staff & manage any traumatic injuries to players of both teams & officials.
Each member of the team has a specific role in dealing with an injured player depending on the type of injury.
To function safely & efficiently, we work closely with Cardiff City's full time medical staff, led by the team physio & head of medical (Matthew May) and team doctor (Professor Len Noakes).
Everyone understands their role & responsibility within the set up. The visiting medical team are brought up to speed during a pre-match medical meeting before every game. Medical teams clarify the support that's available & the plan in the event of a serious (or multi-player) injury.
It's vital for player safety to run through these plans pre-match so both teams fully understand & clarify the procedures.
2. Planning & Communication
In addition to pre-match briefings, the Cardiff City medical staff & Lubas pitch side team run through monthly practical training together.
We run through various scenarios including spinal injury, lower limb fractures & cardiac arrest. We practice the management of injury & transfer to the medical room.
Scenarios ensure everyone in both the Lubas pitch-side team & Cardiff's medical staff fully understand their role during the management of a serious injury.
There is also a set procedure in place for our ambulance crew to quickly & efficiently transfer a player to hospital in an emergency. This has been utilised on several occasions.
3. Equipment
The Lubas team & the medical staff at Cardiff City work together to ensure all medical equipment required is available & fit for purpose.
There are 3 areas that require fully stocked medical equipment:
Pitchside (both with Cardiff's staff & Lubas team)
On the ambulance (which is equipped to NHS & UEFA standards)
In the medical room at Cardiff City
Individuals from the medical team share responsibility for checking the medical kit.
The kit includes emergency drugs & life saving equipment (such as defibrillators, airways, oxygen, fluids etc) & immediate trauma management kit (Entonox, splints, spinal immobilisation & extraction equipment etc).
The emergency kit must always be available, in the place it's needed, when required. All equipment is regularly checked between games to ensure working order & check expiries & stock levels.
4. Teamwork
Football is a team game both on & off the pitch. We've been very lucky to work within such a supportive & inclusive medical team at Cardiff City.
The team fully understands the importance of both player safety & staff welfare. The camaraderie created at Cardiff City only helps to develop trust & confidence in the medical staff to do their jobs.
There aren't many teams that offer the players, & their families basic first aid training. But we're fortunate to work with a group of players at Cardiff that understand the importance of the medical team.
We provide basic first aid training for players, coaches & their families to help enhance this understanding. This also give them the basic knowledge required if they ever need to deal with an emergency.
The togetherness & family spirit at Cardiff City was truly evident this year. The support shown for team Dr, Professor Len Noakes, in his learn CPR campaign following the tragic death of his daughter, was incredible.
It was a privilege to contribute & take part of the film he created. You can watch it below, but we encourage everyone to watch & share it here: https://www.facebook.com/OnlyTimeBook/
All of these elements are relevant in all sports at all levels. We transfer the same mindset into grassroots, local & amateur sports as we do at elite level.
The key is remembering that player safety is the most important element of pitch side medical care at all levels.
This blog will help you to analyse your own planning, communication, preparation & teamwork skills. Is there anything you can do to improve these skills in your medical team?
If you are qualified in Lubas Sports Trauma Management, FASE 1 or FASE 2, join our "Medics for Sport" Facebook group for jobs, experience & more information.
