Helpline

Epilepsy Helpline

UK Epilepsy Helpline: 01494 601 400
Monday - Friday, 10am - 4pm

Extended opening from 2 April 2012: Monday - Friday, 9am - 4pm

Epilepsy Society's specialist helpline is here to help anyone affected by epilepsy. Calls are received from people with epilepsy, their families and friends, as well as professionals such as doctors, nurses, care workers, teachers and employers.

At present, we aim to answer 85% of calls to the helpline.  However, sometimes the line is busy. We give each caller the time to talk about matters of importance to them without any time limit. If you are unable to get through please keep trying; often the line is less busy in the afternoon.

All calls to the helpline are confidential.  If we hear from callers that there are particular problems that affect a number of people with epilepsy (eg with medication supplies or benefits), we will research these issues and ensure that this information is available on our website.  We also feed this information into current campaigns or articles.  At all times, the caller's identity remains confidential and unrecognisable.

The epilepsy helpline offers callers:

• up-to-date information
• an opportunity to speak to trained and experienced staff
• informal counselling 
• emotional support 
• written resources as available and appropriate 
• referrals to other agencies/bodies 
• a caller-led service 
• respectful listening 
• a call-back service to anybody who has financial difficulties and who cannot afford the call.

What the epilepsy helpline does not offer:

• it does not offer advice unless absolutely appropriate
• it does not offer the opportunity to speak with medically trained staff 
• it does not offer a service for visiting callers 
• it does not offer a 'drop-in' service 
• it does not represent individual cases, eg phoning doctor or employer on the caller's behalf 
• it does not offer a support service for legal issues 
• it does not offer professional counselling 
• it does not send information to anyone other than the caller. 

Callers to Epilepsy Society's confidential Epilepsy Helpline are line now being offered the opportunity to speak to an interpreter in over 150 different languages with Language Line Services (opens in a new window).  

• The caller will need to speak to a Helpline worker who will ask which language they need. If they do not have sufficient English to do that they could ask someone else to make the call.
• The Helpline worker will then take their telephone number and ask for their first name, the Helpline worker will then ask the caller to put down the receiver.   
• The Language Line operator will contact the caller and within a few minutes and introduce the Helpline worker 
• The caller will be able to talk to each other, through the interpreter.  
• All language line interpreters have signed confidentiality agreements.

All helpline workers are trained in taking Type Talk calls.

As we are a UK based charity we are only able to offer this service to those callers living in the UK.

Helpline evaluation - April to September 2011

Thank you to those who took the time to complete our recent evaluation of the helpline service.  We do take your comments very seriously and your feedback has helped us to understand your needs and how to develop the service.  For more information, please read the evaluation report (MS Word).