Concern over epilepsy imbalance

Epilepsy is the tendency to have recurrent seizures

Children suffering epileptic seizures could wait up to six months in some parts of Scotland to be seen by a specialist, research has found.

A report from Epilepsy Scotland revealed that the wait in Glasgow might be one or two weeks, but in the Western Isles it could be up to 26 weeks.

It said many youngsters are referred to general paediatricians rather than those with expert knowledge.

Campaigners want more investment in epilepsy training and staffing.

Ten Scots are said to be diagnosed with the condition every day, with two or three children and teenagers among the new cases.

A spokesman for the Scottish Executive said: "We recognise the concerns raised by this report about patchy provision of services.

"We are committed, along with Epilepsy Scotland, to the development of a paediatric epilepsy managed clinical network which will help tackle these concerns."