Charlotte Cotterill

My PhD studentship was funded under the NIHR ARC Urgent and Emergency Care Theme, and I recently passed my Viva with minor corrections. My thesis explored how epilepsy could be managed by primary care to provide whole-person, patient-centred care in addition to specialist treatment. This approach championed generalism while taking a pragmatic stance on the significant burden of current epilepsy care in the UK, where access to neurology services is varied, with long waiting times. I explored the contributions of both GPs and GPs with extended roles in epilepsy through interviews, service mapping, and document analysis, which I triangulated into a model of care for ‘primary care epileptology’. The findings offered insights into how new roles can address fragmented health services and provide important psychosocial care for people with epilepsy. Recommendations for a greater role for primary care in epilepsy guidelines, as well as improved medical education and access to accredited CPD courses, would support further primary care involvement in epilepsy care