Up to 500,000 people in the UK have epilepsy. Each of these individuals has unique needs, and 30 per cent will have continuing seizures and require ongoing specialist input. The epilepsy group at NHNN is the largest tertiary epilepsy service in the UK. Patients are assessed and treated by a wide range of professionals, including neurologists, neuropsychologists, nurse specialists, neuro-surgeons, neuro-psychiatrists and social workers. The group is integrated with the UCL Institute of Neurology [link] at Queen Square and the Chalfont Centre, where additional inpatient facilities and long-term residential care is provided. We have an active epilepsy surgery programme and through our links with the UCL Institute of Neurology, patients have access to the latest diagnostic and therapeutic advances. In all the NHNN [ link] Epilepsy Service receives 1,200 new referrals per year and has over 9,000 patients under active follow-up.
The NHNN epilepsy group also serves the local populations of Camden, Islington and Chelsea and Westminster. Other ‘local’ referrals come from the large number of people who work and study in these areas. The group aims to provide a first-class local epilepsy service with strong links to general practice, other departments in the hospital and tertiary care. Specialist clinics include a 'first seizure' clinic, an obstetric neurology clinic, refractory epilepsy clinics, telephone help lines and access to a specialist epilepsy counsellor.
We care for patients with epilepsy and possible epilepsy.
We have approximately 1,300 new referrals per year and waiting time for the first appointment is approximately four weeks.
- two epilepsy specialist nurses at NHNN
- one epliepsy specialist nurse at Chalfont
- an epilepsy counsellor at NHNN.
Appointments can be made to see the epilepsy specialist nurses in the outpatients clinic. They can also be contacted between appointments via a telephone advice line. There is an information stand in the outpatients department which is manned by volunteers. This contains a wide variety of information leaflets about various aspects of epilepsy and its treatment.
Two epilepsy specialist nurses at NHNN, one epilepsy specialist nurse at Chalfont.
Where appropriate, patients are seen at regular intervals in the outpatient clinics. At these appointments, treatment plans are reviewed and investigations planned where indicated. If there are problems between appointments, patients can make contact via the epilepsy specialist nurses telephone advice line.