Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to ensure the provisions of (a) education and (b) training to help midwives support pregnant women who have been diagnosed with epilepsy.

It is the responsibility of approved education institutions and practice partners to develop the specific content and design of midwifery programmes to meet standards set by the midwifery regulator, the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Employers in the health system are responsible for ensuring that their staff are trained to the required standards to deliver appropriate treatment for patients, including for pregnant women who have been diagnosed with epilepsy.

Guidance produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on epilepsies in children, young people, and adults, last updated in January 2025, has a number of recommendations for supporting pregnant women with epilepsy. The NICE guidance states that women and girls with epilepsy who are planning pregnancy or who are pregnant should be referred to an epilepsy specialist team for a review of their antiseizure medication options. Information should be shared between the epilepsy specialist team, a specialist obstetric team, and primary care professionals. Discussions should take place about the relative benefits and risks of adjusting medication, including discussing the balance between the risks of poorly controlled seizures and the risks to the baby when antiseizure medicines are taken during pregnancy, so that an informed decision can be made.