Early Support Concussion Service

• A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury
• Changes within the brain occur at a cellular or microscopic level, temporarily affecting brain function
• When a brain isn’t working as efficiently as usual, people may experience a range of symptoms and difficulties, and these vary between people

Physical signs - what you see:

• Loss of consciousness or non-responsive
• Lying on the ground not moving or slow to get up
• Loss of balance/coordination
• Disorientation/confusion
• Visible injury to face or head (especially in combination with any other signs)
• Grabbing/clutching of head
• Dazed, blank or vacant look

Cognition - what they say:

Examples include:

1. Unable to remember the injury or events around it
2. Repeated questioning
3. Poor concentration
4. Difficulty doing several things at once

Clinical symptoms - what they feel:

• Blurry vision
• Neck pain
• Dizziness
• Confusion
• Headache
• Sensitivity to light and/or noise
• Tiredness
• Problems with cognition
• Finding it hard to think or concentrate
• More emotional
• Irritability

Red flags - what requires hospitalisation:

• Complains of severe or increasing neck pain
• Increasing confusion or irritability
• Repeated vomiting
• Seizure or convulsion
• Double vision
• Weakness or tingling/burning in arms or legs
• Deteriorating conscious state
• Severe or increasing headache
• Unusual behaviour change

All appointments are available nationwide, provided online via video call.

We recommend accessing this service in the first week following a head injury to help guide your early symptom management however if you can still make a booking up to three months after you head injury if you are still experiencing symptoms.

It’s common to experience symptoms or find daily tasks harder after a head knock. Getting the right support early can speed up your recovery and help you feel better long term.