Epilepsy
(asked on 10th March 2016) - View Source
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to improve the life outcomes of people diagnosed with epilepsy; and if he will make a statement.
Information concerning the number of people diagnosed with epilepsy in each of the last 10 years is not collected.
NHS England is responsible for securing high quality outcomes for people with long term conditions, including epilepsy. Prompt diagnosis, treatment and seizure control is key to improving outcomes for people with epilepsy. Once diagnosed and receiving the right anti-epileptic drugs the majority of people with epilepsy can achieve good seizure control. In its guideline, Epilepsies: diagnosis and management, published in 2012, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends the people having a first seizure should be seen as soon as possible by a specialist with training and expertise in epilepsy.
For those whose epilepsy cannot be satisfactorily controlled or whose condition cannot be appropriately diagnosed NHS England commissions specialised neurological services nationally:
www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/d04-neurosci-spec-neuro.pdf
NHS England has published adult and paediatric specifications setting out what providers must have in place to offer specialised care for patients with neurological problems, including epilepsy:
www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/e09-paedi-neurology.pdf
In addition, NHS England also commissions a national Children’s Epilepsy Surgery Service, designed to improve the uptake and access to surgery in those children for whom surgical control or amelioration for their epilepsy is a possibility:
www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/e09-child-epilepsy-surg.pdf
Regarding clinical audit, the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership commissions, develops and manages the National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme (NCAPOP), on behalf of NHS England, Wales and other devolved administrations. Whilst there is no specific morbidity audit planned that covers all cases of epilepsy, the following NCAPOP audits and reviews are of relevance:
- The audit for paediatric epilepsy, which is being re-commissioned this year, looks at the quality of healthcare services for children and young people with epilepsy in the United Kingdom. The audit is managed by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and the first audit report can be found at the following link:
www.rcpch.ac.uk/news/variation-care-children-epilepsy-revealed-first-uk-wide-audit
- The 2013 review report into cases of mortality and prolonged seizures in children and young people with epilepsies that was managed by the RCPCH. The report is available at the following link:
www.rcpch.ac.uk/child-health-reviews-uk/programme-findings/programme-findings-chr-uk
- The recently commissioned National Mortality Case Record Review; Programme for England and Scotland which aims to improve understanding and learning about problems in care that may have contributed to a patient’s death:
www.rcplondon.ac.uk/news/rcp-hosts-pioneering-national-mortality-case-record-review-programme
- The Maternal, Newborn and Infant Clinical Outcome Review Programme will be undertaking a review of cases of mortality and morbidity for pregnant women with severe epilepsy that will report in December 2017. This will be carried out by MBRRACE-UK at The University of Oxford. Further information can be found at the following: