Children's Epilepsy
Children's Epilepsy
This page provides information about our Children's Epilepsy team, their services, and resources to help manage epilepsy.
Meet the Team
The Children's Epilepsy team supports children, young people and families living with a diagnosis of epilepsy.
The team consists of consultants and epilepsy specialist nurses, and provides support to patients and their families living in the Wakefield district and North Kirklees.
Wakefield and Pontefract
- Dr Scott (Consultant Paediatrician)
- Dr Richardson (Consultant Paediatrician)
- Carly Blackburn (Children’s epilepsy nurse specialist)
Dewsbury
- Dr Singh (Consultant Paediatrician)
- Diana Mackie (Children’s epilepsy nurse specialist)
What does our service provide?
We offer consultant-led epilepsy clinics at Pinderfields, Pontefract, and Dewsbury, supported by our dedicated Children’s Epilepsy Nurse Specialists (ESNs).
Our ESNs work closely with paediatricians to support children and young people living with epilepsy, helping them to lead healthy lives. The support they provide includes:
• school training for epilepsy and emergency medication
• emergency medication training for families
• epilepsy care plans tailored to the child’s needs.
• telephone advice line in between clinic appointments
• prescribing and providing advice regarding medication
• community visits, including home visits and school meetings
• transition clinics with consultant paediatrician (Wakefield)
• liaise with primary and tertiary care settings
• nurse led epilepsy clincs
• support and counselling for epilepsy management.
Epilepsy peer support groups
Our team hosts a support group on the last Thursday of every month for children and young people under the care of our epilepsy service, with a confirmed diagnosis of epilepsy. This is an informal space for children and their families to get together, share their experiences and meet other families. The venues vary from month to month across the area.
Future dates and venues
- 29 May, 4pm to 5.30pm, at Stanley Family Centre
- 26 June, 4pm to 5.30pm, at Stanley Family Centre
Useful information for patients
Patient feedback
Shelly's daughter, Ava, was diagnosed with Epilepsy, and both mum and daughter attend our support groups.
Shelly said: "My daughter was diagnosed with Epilepsy over a year ago now and this hit us very hard as parents, but I have been supported by Children’s Epilepsy Specialist Nurse, Carly Blackburn, enormously and she is now running epilepsy groups for families. My experience of these groups has been very positive, meeting other parents in the same situation as us. I now feel calmer and a little bit more confident in myself when dealing with my daughter's seizures. Sometimes you think it's just you dealing with it but once you realise that you're not alone it doesn't seem as scary. Also having contact with Carly out of clinic and being able chat once a month its just another great opportunity."
Ava added: "The meetings have helped me a lot. It's nice to hear other children talk about their experiences. I realised I wasn't the only one who is struggling."