Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent steps he has taken to (a) improve epilepsy patients' access to neuropsychological assessment and care and (b) increase the number of clinical specialists in neuropsychological treatment.

No steps have been taken to raise awareness of epilepsy in public services and equip staff with appropriate first aid training. All employers should make an assessment of first aid needs appropriate to the circumstances of the workplace. This would include responding to situations requiring first aid including an epilepsy seizure.

For the majority of people with epilepsy, their condition can be well managed by routine treatment and as such, the provision of services for these patients is the responsibility of local clinical commissioning groups, which are best placed to manage services for local populations. For adults and children that require more specialist care, NHS England commissions services national. The adult specialised neurology specification can be found at the following link:

http://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/spec-services/npc-crg/group-d/d04/

The paediatric neurosciences specification can be found here:

http://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/spec-services/npc-crg/group-e/e09/

Specialised service specifications should be read in conjunction with other supporting documents such as the manual for prescribed specialised services.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance The diagnosis and management of the epilepsies in adults and children in primary and secondary care published in January 2012 sets out best practice for clinicians on the diagnosis, treatment care and support of people with epilepsy. In addition to drug based treatments, the guidance also recommends that a range of support that should be in place for people with epilepsy including access to psychological support. The Department does not have data on the number of clinical specialists in neuropsychological treatment.