Letters to the Editor: Action on epilepsy is crucial

The Children and Young People’s Health Outcomes Forum has published its report recommending a number of improvements to healthcare for young people (‘Integrated care records essential to prevent health system failing children, forum says’, cypnow.co.uk, 27 July).

Young Epilepsy was one of the organisations that participated in the forum. We welcome the fact the forum has recognised that more can and should be done to improve the healthcare of children and young people. This is particularly important with epilepsy, which is often misunderstood and can have an enormous impact on the lives of those who have the condition.

We therefore strongly support the proposals for additional outcome indicators relating to epilepsy. We would, however, echo the forum’s conclusion that the implementation of these recommendations is crucial.

Action on these points will go some way towards achieving a consistently high quality of service across the UK, which is something that children and young people with epilepsy and their families need and deserve.

Alan Cruickshank, head of strategy and policy, Young Epilepsy


Extend milk consultation
The government announced it was to consult on the nursery milk scheme in June, with the consult-ation concluding in September.

At the School and Nursery Milk Alliance, our members are concerned that with most of the consultation period taking place over the school summer holidays and busy first weeks of the autumn term, there is likely to be a knock-on effect on the number of settings, schools and staff who submit responses to the government.

For a consultation such as this, it is vital that the voices of the early years and school sectors are heard as they are the end users who will be affected by changes to the administration of the nursery milk scheme. It will be impossible to judge what the effect of any changes will have on children, their nutrition and the demands on setting staff without this input.

We would welcome the Department of Health extending the length of the consultation by six weeks to allow staff adequate opportunity to contribute. The scope of the consultation will be severely hampered if it does not receive feedback from early years and school settings, and risks becoming a cost-cutting exercise that pays insufficient attention to child welfare.

Jon Thornes, interim chairman, School and Nursery Milk Alliance