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Written question asked by John Baron (Conservative) on Friday, 12 December 2003, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 17 December 2003. It was answered by Stephen Ladyman (Labour) on Wednesday, 17 December 2003 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Dept of Health

Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what provisions in the National Service Framework for long-term conditions will address the needs of long-term epilepsy sufferers; what progress he has made in addressing the concerns raised in the National Sentinel Clinical Audit of Epilepsy-related Death, published in May 2002.
Answer

Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what provisions in the National Service Framework for long-term conditions will address the needs of long- term epilepsy sufferers; [144703] (2) what progress he has made in addressing the concerns raised in the National Sentinel Clinical Audit of Epilepsy-related Death, published in May 2002. [144704] Dr. Ladyman: In February 2003, we published an action plan for epilepsy services which addresses the key recommendations in the National Clinical Audit of Epilepsy Related Deaths audit and the Chief Medical Officer's 2001 Annual Report on epilepsy. This will be complemented by two key initiatives, which are planned for publication next year. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) is developing a clinical guideline for the diagnosis, management and treatment of epilepsy, which it plans to publish next July. It is also looking at the clinical and cost effectiveness of new anti- epilepsy drugs in children and adults and plans to publish an appraisal in the new year. These will help address any variations in clinical practice and contribute to the improvement of services. We are developing the national service framework (NSF) for long-term conditions, which will focus on improving the standard of general neurology care across England for people with conditions such as epilepsy. The NSF will address a range of key issues, for example: the need for equitable access to a range of services; good quality information and support, for patients and carers; the ability to see a specialist and get the right investigations and diagnosis as quickly as possible; and, maintaining independence and quality of life. We currently plan to publish the NSF late next year for implementation over 10 years from 2005.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
415 c992W; 144703;144704
Session
2003-04
Subjects
Diagnosis Health services Epilepsy Medical treatments Standards Clinical audit
Link
View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk