I was pleased to be able to sign the Epilepsy Consortium Scotland’s (ECS) pledge for equal access to care recently. There are over 54,000 people living with epilepsy across Scotland, including over five and a half thousand in my own constituency. I think it is important to ensure that when people need to access epilepsy care there is parity in what’s available to them no matter where they live.
The ECS is a collaboration of organisations and individuals in Scotland coming together to highlight epilepsy issues. It has been developed to inform the Scottish Government and other policy makers about areas of concern around health, social care and related public policy matters. They act as a collective voice for the wider epilepsy community in Scotland.
Epilepsy Consortium Scotland (ECS) Chair Allana Parker said “Each day eight people are newly diagnosed with epilepsy. Yet access to specialist clinicians and nurses can be a geographical lottery. This is why our members are now mapping epilepsy services run by health, education, social care providers, and the third sector. The postcode gaps will be shared with the Scottish Government and joint working agencies so we can assist them to redress this situation.”
Siobhan McMahon for Central Scotland 