Plea to open epilepsy units

A YOUNG Southsider who sufferers from epilepsy is calling on the HSE to open two new test centres specialising in the condition.

Yvonne Brennan (27), from Rathfarnham, urged the HSE to open the two epilepsy monitoring units (EMUs), which were refurbished at the end of last year at a cost of almost

?¬1 million, but remain closed.

Testing at EMU centres helps inform how those who suffer from uncontrolled epilepsy can be best treated. In November last year, work was completed on redeveloping and equipping new EMUs at Beaumont Hospital and at Cork University Hospital.

The new four-bed unit at Beaumont was intended to replace a previous two-bed unit, thereby doubling the capacity at the hospital to admit, evaluate and monitor patients with epilepsy. The two-bed unit in Cork is a new facility.

The HSE spent in the region of

?¬900,000 on the units. The test centres remain closed as a result of the HSE’s recruitment moratorium, which prevents the hiring of five nursing personnel and two technologists to provide a round-the-clock inpatient service at the centres.

Ms Brennan, who suffers from uncontrolled epilepsy and experiences unpredictable seizures, is currently on a waiting list to undergo an assessment at the centre in Beaumont Hospital. She said if the HSE rejects her second application for assessment in the UK, she may have to have the test done privately in Britain at a huge financial cost.

Describing the severity of her illness, she explained:

“I have a complicated type of epilepsy and it is hard to control. There is no pattern to it and that is why it is so dangerous.

“I

‘ve had plastic surgery on my face twice from bad falls. My front teeth are false; they were knocked out. I generally have hurt myself. It can happen anywhere, at any time.

?

In October, Ms Brennan applied to the HSE to undergo EMU assessment at a centre in the UK through the Treatment Abroad Scheme (TAS). However, she claimed her application was rejected because the HSE told her the assessment was available in Ireland.

“The HSE has said the centre should be opened some time in 2013 on a phased basis, so that is not really any help to me,

? she stated.

“This is not in any way reassuring. It is kind of life limiting, if you like. I have to put my life on hold until I get these tests done.

?

A spokesman for Epilepsy Ireland said it was highly concerned that the waiting lists for the assessments continues to grow, with between 200 and 250 people now awaiting admission for EMU monitoring.

“The consequences of keeping these units closed are very significant. There are as many as 130 epilepsy-related deaths in Ireland each year, and about 50 per cent of these are attributed to SUDEP (Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy),

? the spokesman said.

A spokeswoman for the HSE said it could not comment on Ms Brennan’s individual case. However, she added:

“Five staff nurses are required to deliver continuous 24/7 care in the new four-bed unit. Two of these nurses are due to start in these posts in the coming weeks.

“Beaumont Hospital is seeking to recruit the remainder of the required nurses, and will be fully supported to do so by the HSE, with the recruitment of these nurses being recognised as a priority. The unit will open on a phased basis as nursing staff come in to the post.

?