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Epilepsy Services

My hon. Friend makes an important point. A great deal of prejudice and a lack of understanding still surround the lives of people with epilepsy. Although we are politely using the word ““seizures”” in this debate, the general public normally refer to them as fits. It is not a pleasant description, but in people’s minds, somebody having an epileptic fit falls down in the street and jerks about, and lots of people just walk past or turn away, not wanting to face it. We should be talking about education and understanding. One of the most important points about the integration, where possible, of disabled children into mainstream schools is that young people grow up understanding the limitations and strengths of their colleagues. A group of young epileptics in my constituency—in my home town of Hebden Bridge—now have a social group, and they see part of their role as ensuring that people in the town understand what epilepsy is. Of course, not all epileptics have grand mal seizures; some have small seizures that most ordinary people would not even notice. Epilepsy organisations have pointed out that primary care trusts often seem powerless or unwilling to implement improvements. The reasons given for non-inclusion in local delivery plans were that national targets took priority and left insufficient funding to put in place the necessary resources to enable the trusts and general practices to implement the NICE guidelines. Yes, serious investment of an estimated £150 million is required. However, in real terms that is only £340 per person with epilepsy, which is a small price to pay for their quality of life. In conclusion, I quickly remind the Minister of the report’s key recommendations: that the Government should urgently put in place a programme to increase the number of neurologists and other relevant clinicians to levels recommended by the Royal College of General Practitioners; that the Healthcare Commission should carry out as a matter of urgency an improvement review to assess formally the provision of epilepsy services in individual health care organisations; and that an action plan to improve services should be developed.