Performance Health Framework SMARTER / STRONGER / FAIRER
2
1. Introduction The purpose of this framework is to explain the roles and responsibilities of the (QAS), Performance Health Unit including: The objectives The strategies and tasks The management and staffing structure The operational procedures and reporting requirements which support High Performance Programs at the QAS. It is anticipated that this framework will be used as a guide to assist: Management staff of the QAS Program Leaders (normally referred to as the Head Coach) Service Providers working with QAS Program Sports External Organisations understand what Performance Health does and how it operates. 2. Purpose The purpose of the Performance Health Unit is to: Assist Queensland athletes in gaining Australian Senior Team selection and achieving world class performance results, by delivering best practice athlete screening, injury prevention, injury management, health care and wellness programs Be the knowledge and resource hub for the prevention and management of illness and injury in elite athletes in Queensland 3. Performance Health Vision QAS Performance Health is the benchmark for excellence in the prevention and management of illness and injury in elite athletes and contributes proactively to the potential for sports programs and individual athletes to achieve high performance sport outcomes. 4. Performance Health Mission QAS Performance Health is committed to: Being innovative in its approach to facilitating athlete development programs, by becoming a best practice leader in the field of injury management, and by developing and implementing cutting edge injury prevention and risk reduction programs. Providing sports nutrition services that deliver optimum outcomes with regard to fuelling for performance whilst maintaining a focus on nutrition as a component of each athlete s general health and wellbeing Delivering sports psychology services that are specific to the needs of each athlete and program in terms of developing and maintaining a high performance mindset and focus, but with the capacity to provide support to individual athletes with health and wellbeing needs Maintaining a holistic view of athlete wellbeing and to the need to ensure that all services are delivered in accordance with international rules regarding doping in sport and with a primary focus on the health and wellbeing of the athlete. Responsibilities To Program Stakeholder: The Performance Health Unit determines its responsibilities depending on the level of agreed service between the QAS and the sports with which it partners or collaborates, as defined in the QAS High Performance Framework 2013: Tier 1 Sports (Olympic Sports) Tier 2 Sports (Olympic Sports) Tier 3 Sports (Individual Scholarship Holders) Tier 4 Sports (Non-Olympic Sports) 5. Objectives QAS Performance Health objectives to optimise sporting performance are to: Implement strategies to reduce and manage injury risk Implement strategies to optimize recovery from injury or illness, address psychological factors with the potential to limit performance and ensure that each athlete has access to sports nutrition support Work collaboratively with coaches to facilitate optimal athlete management Contribute to the holistic development of athlete wellbeing Facilitate and engage in QAS supported research projects designed to inform decision making in the area of performance health 3
Implement strategies to reduce and manage injury risk Screening Medical screening, including radiology and blood tests Musculoskeletal screening Nutrition screening Psychological profiling Injury risk identified Objective screening data, that is supported by research evidence, indicating an association with injury risk or a performance limiting health issue is highlighted and brought to the attention of the head coach Specific areas which may be addressed here include risk associated with biomechanical deficiencies impacting on skill execution and load management; concurrent medical issues (diabetes/ammenorrea/etc); nutritional deficiencies and limited development of a performance midset, among others Injury risk reduction program implemented Appropriate discipline specific interventions are undertaken to mitigate injury risk, with the cooperation and approval of the head coach Education Effective communication is the key Education should ensure that both the head coach and the athlete have the necessary information to allow them to manage training and competition loads with respect to the injury risk for that athlete Ongoing management Programs to address ongoing athlete injury risk are developed and implemented in consultation and with the cooperation of the head coach Sport Potential for improved performance capacity as a result of a reduction in training time lost and an increased availability for competition events 4
Implement strategies to optimise recovery from injury or illness, address psychological factors with the potential to limit performance and ensure that each athlete has access to sports nutrition support Athlete injury or illness event Acute injury or illness Chronic illness or injury Recurring illness or injury Investigations Investigations vary depending on the type, severity and nature of the problem, but may include clinical examination, blood tests, radiological examination, pathology testing and/or physiological, cognitive, nutritional or psychological analysis Investigations may also be undertaken collaboratively with sports scientists, strength and conditioning coaches or the head coach and may include things such as technical analysis of a specific skill or the impact of equipment on injury risk Development and implementation of management plan Individual athlete management plans, specific to the needs of the athlete are developed and implemented with the assistance and approval of the head coach and athlete Athlete review and coach feedback These programs are reviewed on a regular basis and upgrades or adjustment are made where necessary The coach is provided with feedback after each review, including details of any changes that have been made to an athlete management plan Modified/ adapted training Performance Health professionals work with the athlete, the head coach, sports science and strength and conditioning to facilitate the implementation of training programs designed to maintain fitness and skill without compromising the injury Sport Potential for improved performance capacity as a result of a reduction in training time lost and an increased availability for competition events 5
Work collaboratively with coaches to facilitate optimal athlete management Identification of an athlete at risk of injury Athletes with an injury or health risk will generally be identified through a screening process, which will either be carried out in detail at the start of a training cycle, or more briefly as part of regular athlete reviews Part of the screening process will involve a technical analysis of training or sport specific skills and will be conducted with the assistance of the head coach, strength and conditioning coaches and sports scientists Coach report and engagement Coaches are provided with a report on the athlete and the identified risk Coaches are then engaged in the process of collaboratively developing an effective management plan Regular athlete monitoring and updates The scheduling of athlete monitoring and update sessions is variable depending on the needs of the athlete and coach, the sport and the stage of the competition cycle Communication and collaboration with coaches Management of athlete injury and/or health risks require a collaborative, teamwork based approach and is achieved through developing and maintaining effective communication channels and working as part of a collaborative, respectful team Training Most injuries and/or health issues should not stop an athlete training, but will influence factors such as how they train and the duration/intensity and frequency of training sessions A collaborative work environment ensures that the athlete s training program addresses all their needs with respect to the limitations imposed by injury or illness Sport Potential for improved performance capacity as a result of a reduction in training time lost and an increased availability for competition events 6
Contribute to the holistic development of athlete wellbeing Wellbeing needs analysis A wellbeing needs analysis is undertaken to improve the understanding of lifestyle and/ or hidden health factors that may have the potential to either limit performance or place an athlete at risk of serious health consequences Identified areas of need Wellbeing factors identified range from issues such as a need for assistance in managing competing demands of sports and work/study through to complex mental health issues which may place an athlete at risk Development of programs Day to day wellbeing issues which will generally fall into the life skills category (limited financial management skills; difficulty managing study/work and training schedules; etc.) are generally managed through the ACE program When wellbeing issues are such that they are deemed to put the athlete at risk, their management is escalated to the attention of medical and sports psychology service providers Programs implemented When an athlete is deemed to be at risk, programs are implemented in accordance with the QAS Athlete at Risk Policy Programs reviewed and updated A comprehensive professional review is undertaken and is used to ensure that the Athlete at Risk Policy continues to provide the necessary structure for providers to effectively assist the athlete Sport The health of the athlete is the primary concern Whilst the ultimate aim is to ensure that athletes achieve their goals, this is not of concern until their wellbeing is such that they are no longer deemed to be at risk 7
Facilitate and engage in QAS supported research projects designed to inform decision making in the area of performance health Performance health factors that may limit athlete performance identified Performance health factors with potential to limit performance may be identified from any of the service provider discipline areas Collaborative research projects may also be developed with program coaches, sports science or strength and conditioning coaches, among others Research proposal Smaller research projects, such as may be conducted by service providers, require a 2 page Expression of Interest (EOI) which is submitted to the Centre of Excellence (COE) This is reviewed by 2 experts from the COE research network If approved, a full research proposal is then submitted and reviewed If accepted, the COE advises the Executive Director, who will then sign off on the project A memo is then circulated detailing the research to be undertaken and publicising the approval Research strategy Research projects are conducted in partnership with universities Universities advertise for students to conduct the research (Honours/Master/PhD) Ethics approval is sought from the university ethics committee Information management protocols, reporting requirements, code of conduct and other issues are addressed in the agreement between the COE and the university Research outcomes Research outcomes are provided to the QAS by the university at the completion of a research project Periodic release of information can be arranged with the university QAS service providers who facilitate research projects are generally included on the author list when papers are accepted for publication Actions Actions are developed in response to research outcomes The aim is to positively influence athlete illness or injury risk factors that may have the potential to limit performance Sport Potential increased capacity as a result of a reduction in training time lost or a potential increase in training capacity and an increased availability for competition events 8
6. Structure and Management Performance Health Senior Advisor Performance Health Advisory Group Approved Service Providers (3 tiers) Principal Sport Program Provider Sport Program Provider Title Performance Health Senior Advisor (QAS Employee) Performance Health Advisory Group Overview of role Leads and manages the day to day operations of the Performance Health Unit Oversees the appointment of practitioners to the Approved Service Provider Network Manages the delivery of Performance Health services to an allocated number of athletes from the QAS/NSO network Facilitates the participation of Service Providers in QAS supported research projects Reports to High Performance Director (Team 1). Provide support to the Performance Health Senior Advisor on an intermittent basis, when issues arise that require discipline-specific knowledge to formulate a management strategy Will generally be selected on the basis of their professional standing; their experience across a range of sports, and state or national team programs as well as their years of service to sport in Queensland Principal Sport Program Provider Provide service to one sport and coordinate local and regional management of discipline specific services to that sport Required to sign a service agreement A component of the role will generally require travel with the team Sport Program Provider Provide service to one sport and liaise with Principal Sport Program Provider in delivering discipline specific services to that sport Required to sign a service agreement A component of the role may require travel with the team 9
Performance Health includes Sports Medicine, Sports Physiotherapy, Sports Nutrition, Sports Psychology and Massage, which should be seen as individual elements contributing to the overall delivery of services designed to ensure that each athlete is able to achieve and maintain optimal Performance Health. This may involve, but not be limited to, conducting pre-participation screening, providing professional services to facilitate athlete preparedness to train and compete and/or managing injuries and illnesses as they occur. Sport specific factors (different sport surfaces; specific equipment; competition cycles; etc.) and generic sports factors (training volume; load; etc.) influence the approach taken in designing the best mix of performance health services for each individual athlete or program. Performance Health Influencers Sport Specific Influencers - training surface, equipment, etc Generic sport factors - training, volume, load, etc Managed High Performance Potential 10
Performance health works in a collaborative environment where professionals working in different disciplines engage with and support each other in ensuring that each athlete is provided with the highest level of care necessary to achieve optimal results. Coaches Massage Nutrition Psychology Physiotherapy Medicine QAS Program Sports The engagement of approved service providers to work with specific programs is coach driven and on a day to day basis coaches will liaise directly with their program service providers regarding athlete management. It is a requirement that all service providers, as part of their agreement with the QAS, fulfil the need to input required athlete management data into an NSO supported database on a regular basis. HPM Performance Health Senior Advisor Coaches Massage Nutrition Psychology Physiotherapy Medicine QAS Program Sports Discussions regarding the structure of the service provision model, preferred providers status and other organisational/ operational matters are addressed through the Performance Health Senior Advisor. 11
Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre Kessels Road Nathan QLD 4111 PO Box 956 Sunnybank QLD 4109 Phone: 07 3872 0200 Fax: 07 3872 0205 Email: qas@npsr.qld.gov.au www.qasport.qld.gov.au