Epilepsy Services

Epilepsy Services Manager, Angela Pullen

• Email Angela

Angela is responsible for the Epilepsy Services Department, which provides a range of epilepsy services to people with epilepsy or an interest in the condition. With a team of eleven, the work of the department covers the following areas:

Research

• We offer an annual round of research funding for grants, studentships and bursaries.
• We commission research on identified research priorities.
• We support researchers by helping with recruitment of participants for research studies.
• We carry out surveys on current epilepsy issues.
• We are partners in a number of large scale research studies.
• We are actively promote patient and public involvement in research.
• We have a network of 50 service users who provide comment on research related issues for Epilepsy Action and external organisations.
• We work with research teams to ensure that the patient view is fully represented in their studies.

Sapphire Nurse Scheme

• This scheme provided healthcare trusts with grants to set up specialist nurse posts.
• We have placed 100 paediatric (child), adult and learning disability epilepsy specialist nurses to date.
• Sapphire Nurses deal with medical care, counselling, advice and information, training and audits.

Healthcare initiatives

• We provide a range of tools and education opportunities for healthcare professionals to help them to provide better care for people with epilepsy.
• We have produced a GP resource pack and tools for Primary Care Trust commissioners.
• We support trusts and commissioners who want to improve services by giving appropriate advice and information, and providing them with links to national guidelines and relevant papers.
• We carry out patient-centered reviews of epilepsy services for healthcare trusts.
• We are currently working to promote patient care planning

Advice and Information Services:

• Our freephone, text and email advice and information service is staffed by trained advisers. (Telephone helpline service - 0808 800 5050 - UK only. Email helpline - helpline@epilepsy.org.uk)
• We produce and stock a large range of booklets, fact sheets, books, DVDs and audiotapes for all age groups. Many of these can be ordered direct from the online shop.
• We offer a large, up-to-date source of epilepsy information on the website.

Online community

• Our online community, forum4e is a secure and supportive ‘virtual’ meeting place for people with epilepsy from all over the world.
• You can share experiences and support, swap information and make friends – all at the click of a mouse.