§ Mr. BaronTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the national misdiagnosis rates for epilepsy were in(a) adults and (b) children in the last year for which figures are available; [139786]
(2) what percentage of patients with epilepsy are seizure free. [139787]
§ Dr. LadymanWe do not collect information on the misdiagnosis rates for epilepsy. However, recent reports from the Clinical Standards Advisory Group, "Services for patients with epilepsy (2000)", and the Chief Medical Officer, "On the State of the Public Health (2001)", showed that around 20 per cent. of people referred to epilepsy clinics may be misdiagnosed and receive inappropriate and unnecessary treatment. In May 2002, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) made its report of the National Clinical Audit of Epilepsy Related Death available to local national health service clinicians and organisations to help them establish or review policies for the management of epilepsy and epilepsy-related death. NICE is also developing a clinical guideline for the diagnosis, 1111W management and treatment of epilepsy, which is currently due to be published in June 2004 and which will help address any shortfalls in current practice.
The new general medical services contract includes clinical quality standards for the management of epilepsy in primary care. Under the quality and outcomes framework being introduced from 1 April 2004 as part of the contract general practitioner practices will be rewarded for monitoring and managing people with epilepsy. This will include recording the percentage of patients aged 16 and over receiving drug treatment for epilepsy who have been seizure free for the last 12 months. The Joint Epilepsy Council's "National Statement of Good Practice" shows that around 70 per cent. of people with epilepsy have the potential to become seizure free.