§ Mr. McCrindleasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his policy 288W with regard to the treatment of epilepsy; whether this involves separate facilities or separate hospitals; and if he will make a statement.
§ Sir George YoungWith appropriate assessment and treatment, the majority of people with epilepsy are able to live independent lives in the community. For those whose epilepsy poses greater problems, there are three special centres, where short-term residential care is provided while the patients are assessed, and appropriate courses of treatment and rehabilitation are devised. For the small number who require it, longer-term residential care is available in local authority residential homes or in younger disabled units, depending on the needs of the individual patient. In addition, a number of people with epilepsy are accommodated in centres for epilepsy or "colonies", although in line with one of the recommendations of the Reid Report "People with Epilepsy", numbers of patients in colonies have steadily declined in recent years. The Department is currently funding a major research project which is evaluating services for epilepsy and its final report is expected later this year. It is hoped that this report will help to illuminate the Department's policy on the future development of services for people with epilepsy.