A review of neuropsychological services in the United Kingdom for patients being considered for epilepsy surgery

We report a review of the current practice of neuropsychologists working within epilepsy surgery services. The aim of the review was to examine areas of diversity and consensus across current national service provision and to examine progress in service delivery since a previous survey in 1994. Sixteen centres provided information via a questionnaire on three areas of clinical practice: pre- and post-surgery neuropsychological protocols; the intracarotid sodium amytal protocol; patient and family expectations and psychological health, in addition to examining aspects of the context of clinical practice such as the role and experience of the psychologist and future service priorities. Findings of the review suggest that, whilst progress has been made towards fulfilling the recommended guidelines for services, there remain a number of areas for development in terms of the provision of a consistent nationwide service delivery approach. Cognitive assessment and the ICSA procedure remain essential components of the neuropsychology service. Assessment of psychological health and quality of life is now carried out by a growing number of centres, although these remain areas for further development. Consensus was found in terms of the need to establish centres of excellence, and to develop appropriate training for neuropsychologists in the field.