17.04.13
Epilepsy audit shows half of children not seeing specialists
Variation in care for young people with epilepsy has been mapped across the UK in the first national audit for the condition.
The Child and Maternal Health Observatory and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health have launched an interactive map of the UK, showing how each epilepsy unit scores against each of the 12 standard indicators, allowing units to compare performance and a graph highlighting the average score for each indicator.
The tools will help units to interpret data more easily and are accompanied by a set of action plans and useful resources to improve services.
The Epilepsy12 Audit found that 54% of children with epilepsy are not seeing an epilepsy specialist nurse, 40% are not seeing a paediatric neurologist when indicated and 35% do not have a complete firs assessment.
Paediatrician and project lead for the Epilepsy12 Audit Dr Colin Dunkley, said: “These tools will allow units to better understand how they are performing compared to best practice with the ultimate aim of raising the standards of epilepsy care for children.
“There’s no doubt that epilepsy care in the UK is getting better but there remains too many gaps in provision. So it’s important to fill these gaps, learn what’s working well and reduce the variation.”
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