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Epilepsy

What we do

Our nationally and internationally renowned academic and clinical epilepsy unit provides care, support and information for people with epilepsy, both newly diagnosed and long-standing. Many patients with complex epilepsy are referred to us from other centres to benefit from our expertise.

We see patients in our general neurology and specialist epilepsy clinics and liaise with other specialties and GPs to provide all-round care including investigations, diagnoses and the latest treatments, plus information and support.

We are part of the neurosciences department. Our team consists of neurologists, neurophysiologists, neurosurgeons, epilepsy nurses, EEG technicians, epilepsy counsellors, neuropsychologists and neuropathologists. They work closely with paediatric epilepsy specialists and a specialist consultant obstetrician/gynaecologist. They also collaborate with cardiac physiology to assess undiagnosed blackouts and with neuropsychiatry for dissociative seizures.

We carry out presurgery assessment, including invasive monitoring, and many epilepsy surgical procedures for patients whose medication is unsuccessful and who still have frequent seizures. We also carry out trials of new medications.

We have close links with our academic department which researches the latest technology to help us to diagnose, assess and treat epilepsy. Our unit is very experienced in epilepsy surgery and has a long record of assessing anti-epileptic drugs. We offer vagal nerve stimulation (VGS) and more recently have been investigating direct brain stimulation for epilepsy as well as specialised assessment of the electrical activity of the brain.

Preparing for your appointment

If you have undiagnosed or new onset fits/blackouts: it is important that someone who has witnessed your seizures comes with you to your clinic appointment. If this is not possible, please try and obtain a documented account from a witness or provide their contact details. In addition, bring a list of your medications and be ready to tell us your medical history starting from your early childhood.

If you have been diagnosed as having epilepsy: please bring a list of medications and an account of your seizures and the dates on which you had them to your clinic appointment. If this is your first appointment with King’s epilepsy service, please bring information on all the previous treatments and investigations you have had or how we can obtain this later.

While you are waiting to be seen by us, do not drive if you are having blackouts. This is a legal requirement. Also consider your own safety and avoid putting yourself at risk.

Location

First floor, Willowfield Building, King’s College Hospital, Bessemer Road, SE5 9BG

Contact Details

  • Epilepsy outpatient appointments: +44 (0)20 3299 6804
  • Epilepsy Surgery Co-ordinator: +44 (0)20 3299 8305

Patient information leaflets

TitleFile SizeLink
Epilepsy and seizures175 KB
Stress management for people with epilepsy177 KB

Conditions we treat

We treat patients with:

  • suspected epileptic seizure
  • complex epilepsy
  • ongoing seizures
  • controlled epilepsy considering withdrawal.

We also offer clarification of diagnosis and pre-conception counselling for women of childbearing age with epilepsy.

We assess patients for possible epilepsy surgical treatment, for example, resective surgery/VNS/DBS (referral by neurology consultants only) and provide assessment of autonomic function (referral by consultants).

What is required before referring a patient

  • Where possible, please include a detailed witness account of the patient’s seizure/episode.
  • In new onset cases or cases undergoing review of diagnosis, ask the patient to bring a witness to the appointment.
  • Provide information about all previous investigations if done elsewhere and any current or previous treatment for seizures and response.
  • Indicate that you have advised the patient about safety issues and driving regulations pending the appointment.

Booking a patient at King’s

Routine Referrals

For routine referrals, post the referral letter to:

Epilepsy Service
Neurology department
9th Floor, Ruskin Wing
Kings College Hospital
Denmark Hill
London SE5 9RS

The Epilepsy Surgery team accepts tertiary referrals only. For more information about referrals phone the Epilepsy Surgery Co-ordinator on 020 3299 8305.

Emergency Referrals

Patients requiring emergency care should be advised to attend their local Emergency Department.

For urgent outpatient neurology appointments, refer patients to general neurology to be seen in the emergency neurology clinic, as appropriate.

Patients known to one of the neurology or epilepsy consultants requiring urgent advice or an appointment should be referred to the individual consultant. If they are not available, please contact the on-call neurology registrar via King’s main switchboard, tel 020 3299 9000.

Other Queries

For general Epilepsy enquiries, contact King’s main switchboard on 020 3299 9000 and ask to speak to a neurology secretary.

For queries about epilepsy surgery, please contact the Epilepsy Surgery Co-ordinator on 020 3299 8305.

Key Clinical Staff

Name Role
Dr Monique Cloherty Consultant Clinical Neuropsychologist
Mr Irfan Malik Consultant Neurosurgeon
Dr Nandini Mullatti Consultant Clinical Neurophysiologist
Mrs Gaynor Murray Epilepsy Surgery Pathway Coordinator
Prof Mark Richardson Paul Getty III Professor of Epilepsy in Neurosciences