Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the findings in the Epilepsy Society's report, Premature mortality and avoidable deaths in epilepsy, published in March 2016, on the proportion of sudden and unexpected epilepsy-related deaths that were avoidable with appropriate treatment and better access to speciality care, if he will commission a National Clinical Audit on epilepsy-related deaths.

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 audit planned that covers all cases of epilepsy related deaths, the following NCAPOP audits and reviews are of relevance:

- The audit for paediatric epilepsy, which is being re-commissioned this year, covers the quality of health care 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 (RCPCH) 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 link:

www.npeu.ox.ac.uk/mbrrace-uk/topic-proposals