Phil Tittensor

Phil Tittensor is consultant nurse for the epilepsies at the Royal Wolverhampton NHS trust in the UK. I'm also an honorary lecturer at the University of Wolverhampton and chair of the Epilepsy Nurses Association (ESNA).
 
"Climate change is perhaps the biggest single challenge for humanity as we go forwards into the middle part of the 21st century. We have a part to play both as individuals and leaders in our fields. The impact of higher global temperatures and more extreme weather events could have a devastating effect on people with epilepsy. For example, we know that extreme temperatures induce seizures for people with Dravet syndrome.

Anecdotally, we hear from people with other types of epilepsy who also report problems in hot weather. We need to understand these risks better in order to ameliorate them, as far as that is possible. We also need to consider how we provide services and engage in scientific discourse, in order to minimise the carbon footprint associated with the treatment, management and scientific advancement of epilepsy. In the UK, the NHS is the world's first healthcare system to commit to a carbon net zero target. I am sure that this will be followed by other healthcare providers worldwide, and as a clinician helping people who can be directly affected by climate change, I am committed to the EpiCC initiative."