Heswall sports and exercise specialist chosen as doctor for Team GB at 2020 Paralympics

Consultant Dr Jim Kerss, who runs a weekly clinic at the Spire Murrayfield Hospital in Heswall, will spend three weeks in Tokyo next summer tending to athletes and support staff as a sports medicine doctor to the ParalympicsGB team.

Dr Kerss has previously worked as first team doctor at Everton FC, and in swimming, athletics and rugby league.

He was also team doctor for the British Paralympic swimming team at the Rio Paralympic Games in 2016.

Dr Kerss told the Globe: “I am passionate about providing an elite level of healthcare to all my patients, irrespective of their ability or level of sport, physical activity and work.

"Whether I’m looking after a Paralympic athlete or somebody who enjoys running at the weekend but has had that enjoyment taken away due to injury, it’s equally important to provide an accurate diagnosis and individualised management plan to get that person back on track as soon as possible.

"In the national sporting arena, I work as part of a multi-disciplinary teams to provide the best holistic care available to athletes and I apply the same approach in my daily hospital practice, working alongside other healthcare professionals.”

Dr Kerss has also been selected as team doctor to the England netball squad at this year's Vitality Netball World Cup in Liverpool.

During the World Cup he will be courtside with the England team every day ready to assess and treat injuries and will work along coaching and support staff colleagues to make sure the England squad is in peak physical condition.

Dr Kerss added: “It’s a privilege to have the opportunity to work with these outstanding sports people and, in my own way, to contribute the teams’ success and represent my country.

"The experience I gain at each of the events will help to inform my work with patients on a day-to-day basis and they can be safe in the knowledge that we’re providing really leading-edge sports and exercise medicine.”