Planning services for epilepsy

Numbers requiring health services

Incidence1	40-70 per 100,000 per annum
Prevalence of active epilepsy1	400-800 per 100,000
Referrals with possible seizures292	52% of referred patients definitely have epilepsy
	21% possible/probably epilepsy
Mortality293, 294, 295	increased two to three-fold about 1,000 deaths in UK/year during or soon after a seizure, many due to sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) in young adults

Clinical Standards Advisory Group (CSAG) report (2000) ²⁹⁵
Services for Patients with Epilepsy: recommendations

General practice	identify lead GPs for epilepsy services
Hospital services	establish more epilepsy centres, appoint extra neurologists and epilepsy specialist nurses, make epilepsy centres a focus for local care, training and support improve awareness of, and equity of access to epilepsy surgery improve standards of care for epilepsy in A&E Departments commission specialty services at supra-regional level (specialised investigations, surgery, neuropsychiatry, inpatient care) establish paediatric epilepsy clinics improve access to epilepsy services for people with learning disability
Nurses	develop the role of the epilepsy nurse appoint nurses with learning disability experience
Services roles	clarify the roles of primary and secondary care improve communications between primary, secondary and tertiary care

Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network,
Elliott House, 8-10 Hillside Crescent,
Edinburgh EH7 5EA
Web contact duncan.service@nhs.net
Last modified 16/09/11
© SIGN 2001-2011