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The Secretary of State for Media, Culture and Sport - The Rt
Hon Andy Burnham MP – will today [Thursday 28 February 2008] be joined by
families, whose children or partners died suddenly whilst playing football,
at an event to raise awareness of sudden cardiac death in the young. |
Listen to / read speeches from this
event |
Today’s launch – to be held at No. 11 Downing Street
– will link the charity, Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY), The
Football Association, the Professional Footballers’ Association and
the Football Foundation.
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These
organisations will work together to highlight the opportunities for young
people to be tested for cardiac problems.
Mr Burnham – who has been in his new ministerial post for
just one month – became involved with the charity in 2002, shortly after
becoming an MP. He was one of the first members of the Cardiac Risk in the
Young All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG).
When 16 year old Daniel Young from Atherton collapsed and
died whilst playing football in September 2005 his parents [Dionne and
Craig] invited Mr Burnham to attend a CRY cardiac testing event funded by
donations from the community and he has openly pledged to help address the
issue of sudden cardiac death in the young, which currently claims the lives
of at least 8 apparently fit and healthy people, aged 35 or under, in the UK
every week.
The Rt
Hon Andy Burnham, MP, says: "I am all too
aware of the terrible impact that sudden cardiac death has on families
across the UK, particularly following the death of a talented and popular
young footballer in my constituency. |
The Rt Hon Andy Burnham MP |
“Today's
launch marks an important step as CRY continues to push forward cardiac
testing in the community, and take positive action to prevent these terrible
and often preventable deaths amongst young people.
“Joint
initiatives such as this, between health experts, and the world of sport can
really help us to make personal cardiac testing accessible to as many young
people as possible, and I applaud the ongoing work and commitment of CRY. I
also pay tribute to Daniel's family who have worked with CRY to ensure other
families have the support and information that they didn't. This campaign is
in memory of him."
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Dr Alan Hodson and Jennie Hambleton from
the Football Association (FA) |
The FA and PFA introduced a voluntary heart screening
programme for 16 year old players attached to a professional football club
over 11 years ago.
The Premier League also now undertakes bi-annual cardiac
testing for all professional players – including examinations for such
things as sounds, murmurs, pulse and arrhythmias. |
John Bramhall from the Professional
Footballers' Association (PFA) and Alistair Bennett from the
Football Foundation (FF) |
Medical experts and charity campaigners believe that making
screening available to a “grass roots level” could potentially save more
young peoples lives.
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CRY Founder and Chief Executive Alison
Cox MBE
speaking at the launch |
Chief
Executive and founder of the charity, Alison Cox MBE, says; “Andy has been a
fantastic supporter for many years. This reception today further
demonstrates his commitment to get something achieved in football and the
fact that we have to work hand-in-hand with the Government and leading
sporting organisations to reduce incidence of young sudden cardiac death.
She adds;
“We are delighted that the FA, PFA and Football Foundation will highlight
the issue of cardiac risk to the football community and inform people how
they can access heart testing if they want it, having weighed up all the
information and advice available to them.” |
CRY
expects to carry out cardiac testing on around 10,000 young adults this
year, either via its specialist clinics across the UK or its mobile
screening units that regularly visit sports clubs and schools. The simple 10
minute test involves a non-invasive ECG and, if necessary, a follow up
echo-cardiogram which is done at the cardiac testing event on the day. This
potentially lifesaving procedure is significantly subsidised by the charity,
costing each individual who wants the test just £35 for a thorough,
diagnostic test as well as peace of mind.
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This
compares to tests offered by private medical companies often costing
hundreds of pounds and therefore inaccessible to many individuals, schools
and non-professional clubs. It is hoped that new initiatives, such as the
one announced today, will help to increase the choice available to young
people.
Health
Minister Ann Keen adds; "Sudden cardiac death is a devastating conditon that
robs young people of their futures. But it is often preventable. That is why
raising awareness among families across the country so very important and I
would like to congratulate CRY for their tireless work in this area. It is
wonderful to see health experts and sporting organisations coming together
to offer potentially life saving tests for young people. I wish the
initiative every success and hope it continues to grow."
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Ann Keen MP with Andy Burnham MP |
Many of CRY’s celebrity patrons come from the world of sport, due to the
fact that so many sudden deaths have occurred whilst young, otherwise
healthy, people were taking part in the games and physical activities that
they loved.
Sir
Ian Botham, Sir Clive Woodard, Jeremy Bates, John Inverdale, Pat Jennings
and Rob Andrew are all long-standing supporters of the charity as well as
former professional footballer Andy Scott who was forced to retire from the
game in 2005 after cardiac screening revealed that he was suffering from the
potentially fatal condition, Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.
He says;
“There is clearly no reason why a young person should die when they are in
the prime of their career and fitness and today’s announcement marks an
ideal opportunity for all young players to be screened – it literally only
takes 10 minutes to save a life."
ENDS
Follow these links for photos of:
Speakers
CRY Patrons
Doctors & Medics
Various Guests
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Click below to hear the speeches made at the launch
(or click on 'Transcript' to open a
transcribed version of the speech in a Word document)*
* with thanks to Mel at The
Transcription Company UK (www.thetranscription.co.uk)
for producing these transcripts |
For
more information about the new initiative for voluntary testing in football
or to arrange an interview / photo call with any of CRY’s case studies,
please call Jo Hudson or Tracey Thompson on 020 8786 3860 / 0770 948 7959
jo.hudson@trinitypr.co.uk
Notes to editors
The
announcement comes 3 years – almost to the day – after of the launch of the
pioneering ‘Chapter 8’ of the National Service Framework for Coronary Heart
Disease (Arrhythmias and Sudden Cardiac Death, March 5 2005)
Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) is
a dramatic and or / spontaneous death that is thought to be (and
usually
is) caused by a heart condition and may have been brought on by exercise. In
about one in 20 cases of sudden cardiac death, no recognised cause can be
found – even after post-mortem. This is then called Sudden Arrhythmic Death
Syndrome (SADS). Many experts are now claiming that the actual number of
deaths could just be ‘the tip of the iceberg’ with many causes
being wrongly recorded as asthma, epilepsy or even drowning.
The response to today, CRY’s
initiative will be developed over the next 6 months and managed at CRY
cardiac testing clinics throughout the country. There will also be mass
cardiac testing events organized in response to any specific demand which
will be done in a similar way to the cardiac testings on the Isle of Man
where we manage 400 young people in one weekend and in our Northern Ireland
clinic where monthly clinics cover 200 people in 1 day.
CRY will be launching at
least 7 new clinics over the next year which will provide a network of
clinics throughout the country. The frequency of these clinics will be
monitored on a demand basis
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