Epilepsy12 organisational and clinical audits report, England and Wales (2020-22)
The National Clinical Audit of Seizures and Epilepsies for Children and Young People (Epilepsy12) has published its latest report on combined organisational and clinical audits for England and Wales. Based on data relating to 2020-22 (cohort 4), it found that more children and young people with epilepsy are receiving input from epilepsy specialist nurses and paediatricians, but there remain some children without such access (and rates of wider involvement from other key health professionals remain low).
More specifically, the proportion of children and young people diagnosed with epilepsy who received input from a paediatrician with expertise within the first year of care increased from 88% in cohort 3 to 91%. However, only 21% were seen within 2 weeks of referral, as recommended by NICE guidelines (with 13% waiting more than 16 weeks). Other key findings include:
- Some children and young people with epilepsy may be missing out on, or having a delayed identification of, mental health conditions, and ‘anxiety’ in particular may be under-reported
- There was a higher proportion of children and young people diagnosed with epilepsy living in the most deprived areas (most deprived quintile), compared to others
- Few children and young people had evidence of a school Individual Healthcare Plan (IHP), with the documented use of school IHPs having increased little since cohort 1 (5% increase).
This report also contains examples of the work of the Epilepsy12 Youth Advocates group, who champion ways to improve care for children and young people with epilepsy.
Read the full report: You can read the report by clicking on the link below.
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