Central to the work we do is seeking positive policy changes for people with epilepsy and their families. While we are a small organisation, we have a proud history of achieving successes for the epilepsy community in Ireland.
These successes range back to when our organisation was in its infancy – when epilepsy was listed as a qualifying condition on the long term illness scheme – to more recent successes such as the introduction of a Free Travel scheme for those medically unfit to drive for at least a year and the introduction of deferred Leaving Certificate exams for students who may experience a seizure before or during these exams.
We have achieved these successes by working closely with the entire epilepsy community in Ireland– people with epilepsy, their families, and the epilepsy medical and research community – and by effectively communicating the challenges which people with epilepsy can face. Our approach in achieving these successes is to focus on a number of key issues affecting the epilepsy community nationally and to seek Government and state action on each.
The issues we are currently focusing on and seeking targeted action on are as follows:
- Enhancing Epilepsy Services & Infrastructure nationally to improve access to specialist services and treatments for the 45,000 people living with epilepsy in Ireland.
- Expanding the HSE’s Chronic Disease Management Programme to include epilepsy, encouraging collaboration between people with epilepsy and their GPs and reducing pressure on specialist services.
- Developing a National Strategy to reduce the estimated 130 epilepsy-related deaths in Ireland and taking targeted action to save lives.
- Making Ireland’s schools seizure-safe for the 10,000 children with epilepsy of school going age by ensuring all teachers are trained in seizure first aid and epilepsy awareness as part of initial teacher training.
- Ensuring Ireland’s 2022 commitment to implementing the WHO Intersectoral Global Action Plan on Epilepsy and other Neurological conditions is met and a cross departmental taskforce is established to progress agreed targets.
You can learn more about each of these individual campaigns, and how you may be able to get involved, within this section of our website.