Sports Medicine - Future Challenges

Future Challenges

The challenge remains for SEM to establish itself within the UK medical community, particularly the NHS. SEM is the first medical speciality to be created ex nihilo, ‘out of nothing’. Whereas other medical specialities have emerged from others, i.e. Cardiology emerged when practicing general physicians decided to concentrate on, Heart conditions, SEM has not emerged from any other speciality, and therefore most of its practitioners do not practice within the NHS. Instead most SEM specialists work for Sports teams or Private Clinics.

In September 2009, the UK Department of Health took a SEM specialist, Dr Leon Creaney, on secondment from the London Deanery to tackle this specific issue. The specific projects include developing a business case to clearly elucidate the advantages of SEM services for the NHS, and the development of a National Centre of Excellence in Sport & Exercise Medicine.