The National Assembly has been lauded for its new Epilepsy Strategy that is, apparently, the UK's first of its kind. I am always happy to see the Assembly being innovative and being the first to do good deeds - it makes me proud to be Welsh.
As a person who has lived with epilepsy for the past 30 odd years I am a bit under whelmed by what I have read about the Assembly's Epilepsy Strategy. It seems to be strategy to tell doctors to fiddle with sufferer's medication; this shouldn't need a new strategy. Good GP's should review anticonvulsant treatments at least once a year under present good practice guidelines (as my GP does).
It also claims to include measures to provide more hospital care closer to peoples' homes. The rare hospital involvement in my treatment has always been provided by my local general hospital, so I can't see how better hospital care can practically be provided any closer to my home. So-called quality treatments normaly involve centralising services, and centralising services for people whose disability usually prohibits them from driving is not a good idea!
As much as I would like to shout hoorah! Wales leads the world in services for people who live with epilepsy! From what I have read about the strategy, so far, it isn't going to make a blind bit of difference to my life!
I know little about epilepsy, but I know the University Hospital of Wales (Heath Hospital) in Cardiff is using someone I know of as a guinea pig (willingly) for some new medication they want to try out.
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