Chair's Message

The Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The Society of Sports Therapists (The SST) are pleased to announce that Dr Christopher Holland and Keith Waldon have been elected as their new Chair and Vice Chair. Christopher is Head of Department for Sport Management, Therapy and Exercise at the University of Worcester and previously held the role of Vice Chair of The SST. Stepping up to take over the position of Chair, Christopher said: “I am truly delighted to be elected as Chair. I am passionate about serving our Society and its members, and I look forward to working to achieve our shared goals and aspirations. I hope to continue the work that has seen our Society become a more forward-thinking organisation, embracing innovation and progress for the benefit of all our members.” Christopher has already played a key role in major developments for The SST, including the appointments of CEO Simon Bowen and Head of Education Kate Williams, and in spearheading the new Research and Scholarship Task Team, on which he now leads. He himself has an active research portfolio that is internationally recognised. In supporting Christopher and the Board of Directors, Keith, the CEO of Up and Running Sports Injury Clinics in Portsmouth, will be able to call on his wealth of knowledge and experience with The SST. Keith was a major driving force in setting up the Universities and Colleges degree programme and he has mentored and employed many SST Graduate Members. Keith is a member of the Industry Recognition Task Team and his passion for The SST and Statutory Regulation for Sports Therapists in particular, remains as strong as ever. He said: “I am honoured and delighted to have been voted as Vice Chair by the Board of Directors. It is a position which gives me opportunities to use my contacts and knowledge of all things Sports Therapy. I look forward to serving The SST and our Members, to enhance the standing and opportunities for advancement of our profession”. After a year of transition, both Christopher and Keith recognise that there is much work to be done and they are both ambitious to work more closely with our Members, students, education partners and stakeholders. Now with a CEO and Head of Education in place to support the Board, together with the newly founded Task Teams and our experienced Head Office Staff, the future is looking bright.  

As we draw closer to the end of 2023, we are writing to Members with a brief round-up, some great news, and a look to the future for The SST. The SST is proud to have accomplished many things this year. With a growth in membership, and Members working at various levels of practice; in the NHS, the MOD, elite sport, Transplant Sport, in private practice, and in research and education, Graduate Sports Therapists have excelled in demonstrating they have the competencies required as MSK practitioners to be of great value across sport, exercise, health and fitness, both in the UK and internationally. This was recently recognised in the British Journal of Sports Medicine special edition in July, as well as with new pathways developed in collaboration with the Armed Forces and organisations such as Connect Health. In addition, Members showcased their expertise at various events, such as Elevate, Therapy Expo, the Academic Forum, and several webinars. On a personal note, we were proud Michael was re-elected to the Board by the membership, and then subsequently elected, by the Board of Directors, as Chair, with Chris as Vice-Chair. The congratulations and well-wishers have been lovely and have come from both within the organisation and from other industry stakeholders. Particularly pleasing was the following message from Sheilabye Sobrany, President of the Royal College of Nursing: “I am writing to congratulate you on the appointment of your new Chair of The Society of Sports Therapists. Michael Cole, is a valued colleague, he is well respected by many of my nursing and healthcare colleagues, up and down the United Kingdom; we are delighted at this news.” Extensive work in partnership with our CEO, Sally Steadman and the Board, has kept us incredibly busy but very proud of the work and progress we have made! Just some of the modernisation work Sally and the Chair have led on with the support of the Board and Head Office includes: an onboarding process for new Directors strategic planning, monitoring and reviewing, including PDRs recruitment for enhanced education and a new PR/Marketing tender updated Articles of Association, codes of practice, and a new Vision, Mission and Values commitment new Task Teams new draft levels of membership (tbc) enhanced Member benefits new online mini-forums for discussion with members and university partners joining the UK MSK Partnership Group continued collaboration with ARMA and the Community Rehab Alliance All of this and more are vital to ensuring that The SST is fit for the 21st century and acknowledges the reality that over the last decade the gap between us and our key competitors has narrowed. Whilst The SST began as the leading body in the UK, we need to do more to ensure that Members, employers and the public can articulate precisely why this is still the case. We are dedicated to this goal and realise that whilst change can be uncomfortable, we encourage Members to reflect on the words of development expert, Daniel Millman: “The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new”. With a Chair with specialism in EDI, we were especially proud when the Board approved the development of The SST’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategy, including the EDI Task Team – NEEDSs – which continues to inform and engage with policy, practices and members, most recently at the ‘Blacks Can’t Swim – Rewind’ screening at the University of East London. In addition, the second cycle of the Brian Bointon National Mentorship scheme for diversity is underway, as is the enhancement of data collection towards our diversity goals. These innovations came in advance of the HCPC’s recent renewed standards and, as such, place The SST as an industry leader. Lastly, we would like to acknowledge the contributions from new Directors Thomas Hames and Jen Wilson, who have been fantastic additions during a period of fast-paced change and much-needed progress at The SST. We also welcome onboard via co-option Member Jenie Owens who brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the Board, most notably with her clinical NHS role. With our growing Board of Directors and CEO, Sally Steadman, further exciting developments are on the horizon for our Members; the future is indeed bright. We look forward to meeting you at events and hearing about your achievements, ideas, and feedback. We are excited to see what more we can achieve together as a community of expert MSK professionals. Remember: We are Graduate Sports Therapists – expert practitioners valued by the NHS, the MOD, sports teams far and wide, and an ever-growing presence across the landscape of MSK health, exercise, fitness and sport. Be proud, be engaged, and be the awesome Graduate Sports Therapists that you are. Take care, festive wishes, and a Happy New Year Michael (Chair) & Chris (Vice-Chair) The Society of Sports Therapists

Where has the summer gone? We’d like to say a massive welcome to our new Society of Sports Therapists’ Student Members starting their degree programmes at our accredited universities, along with a very big welcome back to all returning students and staff. September saw our annual University Forum where we had the opportunity to network and share good practice across our programmes. It was fantastic to see so many Lecturers and Programme Leads in attendance. September also saw our Annual General Meeting. This year we said goodbye to Tom Cresswell who has been a Director for the last 3 years. We’d like to thank him for all his work for and on behalf of The Society of Sports Therapists. Michael Cole was re-elected to the Board along with two new additions to the Board – Jen Wilson and Thomas Hames. The Society would like to extend a welcome to each of our new Board members. Our big focus this year is to ‘MAKE MORE NOISE’. This message goes out to all of our students, graduates, employers, universities. Shout about the fantastic jobs, placements, connections you are making. Tag us in to your Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter posts. Contact us to tell us your stories, successes and challenges. We’re stronger if we are ALL doing this. Lynsey

I’d like to start this newsletter by thanking those who have renewed their membership to The Society of Sports Therapists, and to you all for your continued loyalty and commitment. I’ve asked a few people recently what they think the role of The SST is and the answer I repeatedly get is that it helps highlight CPD and job opportunities Important as they are, this is just a tiny part of the work that The SST does on your behalf. One of our key areas of focus is within education; ensuring universities teaching an SST accredited programme are fulfilling the competencies of Sports Therapy. Our role includes moderating these universities, providing support and guidance and also revalidating programmes. Some of you will be aware that we are currently reviewing the competencies. If this is something you would be keen to be involved in, please send me an email on lynsey.northeast@thesst.org by the 4th August. As part of your membership, you have access to a number of SSTExtra benefits with discounts and offers available from leading medical and performance suppliers in the sport and exercise arena. You can see more information and company details below. Access to the British Journal of Sports Medicine is free to Members – this month sees a BJSM special edition, edited by SST Members; something we are extremely proud of. The SST plays a key role in protecting Members’ rights and interests should things go wrong. If insured through The SST, experienced staff, officers and legal advisors are available to support and advise you should you encounter any issues. We also have a number of groups you can be involved in. The University and Colleges Liaison group aims to create a link between universities and the Board; enabling you to develop experience speaking to students and also expanding your academic network. For some (myself included), it has also provided a fantastic route into a career in lecturing. The Communications Group aims to develop initiatives to engage Society Members, creating and managing social media, website and email communication content, and providing useful resources for the Membership. Finally, we have the Network for Engagement in Equity, Diversity & Social-Structural Strategy (NEEDSs) group which helps us to consider and discuss various aspects of policy and practices, with the aim of supporting the Society towards improved Equity, Diversity, and Social-Structural relations. If you would like to get involved in any of these groups new members are welcome. Please email comms@thesst.org for Comms and UCLG or needs@thesst.org The SST is frequently involved in discussions with governing bodies and professional organisations. We aim to further develop career opportunities for our Members, and work tirelessly to ensure that Members are part of an organisation that will provide credibility, recognition and status. This past year you will have seen new Band 5 opportunities in the Ministry of Defence and also new locum positions. You may have also seen more opportunities in the NHS as Musculoskeletal Clinicians with graduate schemes developed with Connect Health and new roles in Vita Health. We continue to strive for increased recognition in sport and from Government. The SST is part of The Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA) and The Community Rehabilitation Alliance (CRA) both of which help to ensure policy, service and delivery of MSK care is to the highest possible standards. With these we are continually contributing to government strategy with the most recent example of this being the Governments’ Major Conditions Strategy Review. Membership of both organisations enables The SST to engage with individuals from other professional bodies and leading health organisations. You may have noticed a theme across each of my newsletters. My aim as the Chair of The SST is to try to encourage more member involvement. I’m incredibly proud to be a graduate Sports Therapist and of all the advancements the profession has made to date but this is where we need you. We need to continue to hear more about your success stories, where you have broken down barriers and created new pathways for the profession and we need to shout about them LOUDLY. This will be integral to the continued growth of OUR profession. I can’t wait to hear from you Lynsey

May and June are incredibly hectic months for all our academic and student members. I’d like to start by saying a massive thank you to our academic colleagues for their hard work developing the future of our profession and I look forward to seeing some of you at our University Forum. Congratulations to our student members who are drawing towards the end of another year of your degrees. Those who are finishing this year – you have made it! We can’t wait to see pictures from your graduation ceremonies and hear your successes. It’s also an incredibly busy time for our members working in sport as many sporting seasons draw to a close. We’d love to hear how your seasons have gone and where you will be next season. Please ensure that you tag us into your posts. The 1st July is just around the corner – The Society of Sports Therapists’ annual renewal period. As your newly elected Society Chair, I am and have always been a proud member of The Society of Sports Therapists, As a Society we are continually striving for recognition of the skills and knowledge of our Members, with regular discussions taking place with key stakeholders, opening up new job roles as evidenced in sport, the NHS and the military. Our membership is such a key part of this and I would love to continue to have more engagement with you in the future. Following my previous newsletter, we received some fantastic good news stories from members working in Premier League football, Clinic Owners and as Advanced Musculoskeletal Practitioners within NHS settings. It’s always great to read these stories and it makes me extremely proud of what we are achieving as a profession. Professor Graham Smith has made the decision to resign from his role of President of The Society. I’d like to thank Graham for all he has done for The Society of Sports Therapists; without his vision, expertise and determination, the Society, and Sports Therapy as a profession, would not be what they are now. I personally am extremely grateful to be making a career out of doing something I love. The Society would like to wish Graham the very best. On a final note, I’d like to thank everyone for their good wishes in my appointment as Chair of the Society of Sports Therapists. I am really looking forward to representing you all.

Dear Members, I would like to start by thanking Dr Lynsey Northeast, Vice Chair of The Society of Sports Therapists (The SST), for the excellent Director’s Update last month. It was great to see the response from Members, sharing thoughts across our social media channels about their careers to date as Graduate Sports Therapists, all in support of International Women’s Day and the 2023 theme #Embrace Equity. In Rugby Union, we have seen the Men’s Six Nations finishing and the Women’s Six Nations underway. Concussion assessment and treatment are still very important topics of discussion, as we have seen instances of on-pitch assessments and removal from the field of play.  As Graduate Sports Therapists, we should be acutely aware of the potential detrimental effects of a player being allowed to continue if they have sustained a traumatic brain injury, whatever their sport, playing level or age. If you are working on pitch-side, court-side, or in other sporting arenas, I would urge you to keep up-to-date with the guidance and protocols for concussion assessment and treatment, and always put the participant’s health first in your decision- making process. On a different note, SST CEO Sally Steadman and I have just delivered the first webinar to final year students, who are due to graduate this academic year from SST collaborating universities. We talked about our Society and discussed the benefits of being a Member, and the exciting opportunities that await them. We will repeat this talk again on 11th April for the remaining students, and we will once again make sure that they hear about our awesome Society and the support that we can give to them. As we move towards April, I hope that you enjoy the lighter evenings and slightly milder weather, particularly if you are covering fixtures or rehabilitating players outside. Talking of better weather… I also want to send my best wishes to the British Transplant Sport Team who are in their final preparations ahead of the 2023 World Transplant Games in Perth, Australia. Society Member and SST Travelling Scholarship winner, Paddy Gaffey, will join the multidisciplinary therapy team which also includes SST members Harry Pitt and Louise Anderson, together with SST Honorary Member Sheila Leddington Wright and SST Member Thomas Hames, who will jointly lead the therapy team. It promises to be a phenomenal experience for all involved! We will keep you updated on theirs and the athletes’ progress. Kind regards, Kristian

Members, It only seems two minutes ago since I wrote the December message, and the festive period has come and gone. As January draws to a close it is full steam ahead for The Society of Sports Therapists. In the previous Chair’s message I mentioned that one of the key strands in The SST’s  strategy  is education. As part of our continued work with Higher Education Institutions, we provide moderation to support examinations and to ensure the quality of our Graduate Sports Therapists; our future colleagues. Moderations take place during institution examination periods, and while this does vary slightly, they typically happen in December, January and May. Therefore, I would like to ask if any Member feels they may have suitable industry and/or academic experience, and want to support The SST with moderations, please send an up to date CV to education@thesst.org. In exchange for your expertise and time, you will be supported by our Education Officer, Howard Piccaver, and receive a financial reimbursement for any visits that you complete. We are also piloting a mentorship (Dr Brian Bointon Mentorship Programme) to support recent Graduate Sports Therapists, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds . We believe that the mentorship will help mentees to develop, making better decisions and gaining new perspectives in their lives and careers. Finally, I hope that you have a productive and prosperous 2023. Kind regards, Kristian

Members, I am delighted that I am writing this message as your newly elected Chair of The Society of Sports Therapists, which comes after a very busy couple of weeks of events. I would also like to congratulate Dr Lynsey Northeast on her appointment to Vice Chair. So what has been going on? On the 23rd November, I travelled to the TherapyExpo in Birmingham to listen to some of our fantastic Members speak. I was blown away with the quality of talks on the various topics and would like to extend my congratulations to everyone who was involved. I would also like to thank Society President, Professor Graham Smith, for his chairing of many of the talks. A week later, on 29th and 30th November I was with over thirty-five academic colleagues at the University Forum 2022 in London. The talks had the aim of informing the development of future Graduate Members, including open discussion sessions and an opportunity to network. We heard about the inclusion of psychology of injury in the Sports Therapy degree programme from Dr Emma Moseley, the impact of Sports Therapy research and new ways forwards from Professor Matt Greig, and the increasing healthcare employment opportunities within Connect Health for MSK clinicians from Andrew Cuff. A key announcement was made by Major Stephen Chappell, from the Ministry of Defence, who confirmed that Membership to The Society was now accepted for applications into Exercise and Rehabilitation (ERI) roles. Further discussions were facilitated by Dr David Rhodes and NEEDSs‘ Chair Tyrone Cassius. It was great to see and speak to so many colleagues, I hope that they enjoyed it as much as I did, and a big thank you to the speakers who provided so much thought-provoking content. On the evening of the 29th we also had our Annual General Meeting where was saw the election of Dr Chris Holland to the Board and the re-election of Keith Waldon. Congratulations to you both. We also saw Dr Kevin Campbell-Karn step down from the Board. We are grateful for the time and effort that he dedicated to the Board over the last 7 years, spending the last 13 months as Chair. We all wish him well in the future. In the evening we hosted the Presidents dinner where Professor Graham Smith said a few words, Members and Academic colleagues mingled, and we even managed to watch some of the England football game! I hope that those who stayed for the dinner enjoyed themselves. So what can you expect from your new Board, Vice Chair and Chair? We will be meeting regularly to discuss and make decisions on matters important to the strands of membership, education and communication. We will also be be supporting Sally Steadman, CEO, to deliver projects as the Society continues to develop and improve for the benefit of the Members. As you can see from the talks at the University Forum, we are making great strides forwards. Finally, if you are celebrating Christmas, I hope that you have a wonderful time and I look forward to representing you, the Members, in my role of Chair of the Society of Sports Therapists. Kristian Weaver

Hello and welcome to all of our Members. As May gallops towards June, the team here at The Society have been working on many aspects to help our Members, current and future, and I am excited to share one of them with you today. Renewals will soon be upon us (1st July), and more details will be sent to you in due course. In recent years, the Directors have considered the setup of The Society and there had been discussions about the need, in the future, for a CEO to manage the business and help take us further towards our vision for The Society. With Professor Smith stepping down as Chair and Director in 2021, it was seen as an opportunity to develop this position as we continue to grow and evolve. I’m excited to inform you all that the ink is barely dry on appointing our new CEO, and in our next newsletter we will share some insights about her and how she will be working with Head Office, the Directors, and the Members as we push on evermore towards our vision. I am sure you will all look forward to discovering more and will give her a warm welcome. This renewal period will be my first as your Chair. Looking back at our past renewals, we have had a steady growth in our membership each year cementing our place as a continually growing profession. When I consider the reasons why I joined the Society upon graduating in 2002, and why I continue to be a Member now, I do hope these echo some of yours. I’d love to hear from more of the Members about why they joined, and from students who will soon be graduating about why they are thinking of joining. I was asked these very same questions by some students only last week. My response was, I hope, short and meaningful: I like to know I have a professional body behind me. I like to know I have people working on my behalf in areas I may not even know I need them to work on. Our strength is, and always will be, in who we all are as a collective of like-minded people who set out on a journey to provide the best care we could offer to people with a musculoskeletal injury. I’m proud to add MSST to the letters after my name and to tell every patient I see: “Hello, my name is Kevin, I’m a graduate Sports Therapist, how can I help you today?”