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This week saw the publications of the Joint Epilepsy Council of the UK and Ireland's online parliamentary report: "Wasted Money, Wasted Lives".

A long list of failures in the care and treatment of people with epilepsy has resulted in around 400 avoidable deaths a year and '189 million in wasted funds, according to the report of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on epilepsy published this week.

Wasted Money, Wasted Lives, a hard-hitting report, supported by the Joint Epilepsy Council of the UK and Ireland, into the human and economic costs of epilepsy in England, condemns continued government failure to meet the needs of people living with the condition.

The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Epilepsy, chaired by Baroness Gould of Potternewton,was launched to spread awareness of the nature of epilepsy amongst Parliamentarians and to raise the political profile of epilepsy and related problems. The secretariat is provided by the Joint Epilepsy Council (JEC), an umbrella group of 21 epilepsy organisations, operating across the UK and Ireland.

Officers of the group are: Chair: Baroness Gould of Rotternewton; Vice-chairs: Cheryl Gillan MP,
Norman Lamb MP, Lord Smith of Leigh; Treasurer: John Battle MP; Secretary: David Cameron MP.

You can read the report in full at
www.jointepilepsycouncil.org.uk/wasted_money_wasted_lives.pdf

JEC Member Helplines

Further information on all aspects of epilepsy can be obtained by contacting the helplines of the following Joint Epilepsy Council member organisations:

Epilepsy Action
Freephone telephone no. 0808 800 5050
Email: helpline@epilepsy.org.uk
Opening hours are:
9am ' 4.30 pm Monday to Thursday
9am ' 4pm Fridays (all UK times)

Epilepsy Bereaved
Telephone no. 01235 772852
Open 24 hours per week and 24 hour answering machine available.
http://www.sudep.org/

National Centre for Young People with Epilepsy (NCYPE) Enquiry Line:
Telephone no. 01342 831342
helpline@epilepsy.org.uk
Email: enquiry@ncype.org.uk
Opening hours are 9.30 ' 12.30 Monday to Friday

Please also see the BBC online reports in our news archive at http://medneg.michelmores.com/news