ACC has funded the Axis Sports Concussion Centre of Excellence (SCCoE) pilot programme since 2017. Its funding will end on 31 December 2019.

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Axis Sports Medicine Specialists (Axis) has enjoyed the opportunity to implement the ACC Sports Concussion Guidelines, reflecting best practice for sport-related concussion treatment, under the pilot programme over the past three years at our Auckland clinics.

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From a clinical standpoint, we believe the pilot has been successful and we have collected a large amount of prospective data. This data has influenced our current practices, and we believe will have an impact on the way that concussion is treated in New Zealand and globally.

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Axis is committed to continuing our work in concussion following the pilot by sponsoring the Sports Concussion Clinic in the short term. However, we are actively looking for a research partner to help support this initiative to ensure its long-term survival. We believe that this is important, both to secure a pathway for early access to care for our referrers and patients, but also to ensure that this important clinical research continues.

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In the interim, please continue to refer patients as per your usual practice. Patients will be eligible for our Sports Concussion Clinic for acute injuries sustained through sport or activity. At this stage the service will continue to be free for these patients.

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ACC has advised that they are looking to incorporate some of the learnings from the pilot programme into primary care nationwide. Going forward, ACC will look at how primary care can be supported to help improve the early assessment, management, and referral of clients who suffer a concussion through the implementation of a nationally scalable clinical pathway and concussion assessment tool.

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Visit the Concussion Clinic page.