Paediatric Epilepsy Service - NGH

Epilepsy is defined as a tendency to have recurrent seizures and is the most common serious neurological disorder, with 70% of patients developing it by 20 years of age.

The overall goal of managing epilepsy is to enable the child or young person (and their family) to lead a normal life as free as possible from seizures. This is achieved through access to specialist paediatric epilepsy services which have effective links to schools, primary care, and other services.

The role of the epilepsy specialist nurse is highly-specialised, and aims to improve services for the child / young person with epilepsy. They have a number of functions, including:

• Increasing access to specialist services and resources
• Improving communication between the hospital and the community
• Improving communication between the hospital and family links
• Promoting multi-disciplinary follow-up of the child / young person

Referrals to the Epilepsy Service

Children and young people from 0-18 years of age (or up to 19 if still receiving paediatric care) with a diagnosis of epilepsy, can be referred to the epilepsy service. Babies and young children with recurrent and prolonged febrile convulsions may also be referred.