Epilepsy Society response to government online platform Change.NHS.uk

There are more than 600,000 people in the UK with epilepsy, that’s more than 1 in 100 of us. For one third, their seizures do not respond to available drugs and they live with ongoing seizures. This is distressing for them, and their families and friends.

We welcome the Government’s ambition of realising three big shifts in healthcare as part of its 10 Year Health Plan – hospital to community, analogue to digital and sickness to prevention. 

Epilepsy Society response

Chief Executive Officer of the Epilepsy Society Clare Pelham said, “We especially welcome the emphasis on prevention. And an important aspect of prevention for people with drug resistant epilepsy, is research. The UK leads the world in this area. Targeted investment to accelerate the effective treatments that are almost within the grasp of our amazing researchers would result in happier, healthier lives for people with epilepsy.

It would also reduce the burden on the NHS of expensive diagnosis, ineffective treatments and repeated hospital admissions. Healthcare research is central to the prevention theme. It is a genuine “spend to save” investment. And investment in research would also reinforce the leadership position of UK science.

We call on the government to recognise that healthcare research is a vital piece of the NHS jigsaw. Investment in research will give hope to the hundreds of thousands of people with epilepsy of happier, healthier lives. And bring an end to the grave loss to the country of their talents and all that they might achieve if their seizures were controlled effectively.”