Our clinics and services

Epilepsy Clinic

The clinic offers a thorough assessment and review of management options for people with an existing diagnosis of epilepsy .The service is suitable for patients who require specialist care or who have not achieved full seizure control. 

First Seizure Clinic

The clinic provides rapid assessment and treatment of patients over 14 following their first suspected seizure. We aim to schedule an electroencephalograph (EEG) as soon as possible after presentation to RBWH emergency with first seizure, preferably within 48 hours. A first seizure clinic appointment for these patients will be made within 2-4 weeks. Patients referred from their GP will usually have an appointment within 4-6 weeks. Patients are counseled about driving and occupational restrictions and seizure precautions, and families are educated about first aid treatment of seizures.

Complex epilepsy clinic

This clinic caters to complex epilepsy patients who maybe be considered for epilepsy surgery or other advanced treatments. The patients are followed by an epilepsy consultant as well as senior epilepsy nurses who provide information and support for their journey.

Transition Clinic

The epilepsy transition clinic seeks to achieve the goals of transition; to smoothly transfer the care of a young person from the paediatric to the adult health care world.

The RBWH transition clinic consists of neurologists and nurses who have extensive experience in transitioning young people. Close links between the adult and children’s hospital  systems help maintain continuity. The clinic is supported by dedicated neuropsychological and psychiatric services.

Women and Epilepsy Clinic

The clinic provides a specialized service for the specific issues related to women with epilepsy throughout their entire lifespan. This includes contraception in the reproductive years, planning to conceive, pregnancy, the post partum period and beyond the childbearing ears. Clinicians in the epilepsy program are involved in the Australian Pregnancy Registry of Antiepileptic Drugs.

Neuropsychiatry Clinic

The RBWH Comprehensive Epilepsy Program offers a dedicated neuropsychiatry clinic. Neurological and psychiatric conditions interact in complex ways and a neuropsychiatrist is trained to assess and treat these conditions.  People with epilepsy have higher rates of mental health concerns, such as anxiety and depression, than the general population, and special expertise is beneficial to optimally treat psychiatric disorders in patients with epilepsy taking anti-epilepsy medication. Some seizure-like events can have a psychological component and require specific psychological strategies to successfully treat.

The evaluation of patients who may benefit from epilepsy surgery requires careful pre-surgery and post-surgical psychiatric assessment and counselling to obtain optimal outcomes.

Dietitian Clinic

A patient may be referred by their consultant to a specialist dietitian regarding possible dietary treatment of epilepsy.  Some patients with epilepsy who are not responding to pharmacological treatments may be considered for specific dietary therapy, in particular the modified ketogenic diet. The dietitian works in conjunction with the epilepsy specialist to provide a dietary plan suitable for them. They will provide information, detailed planning, appropriate monitoring and support for this group of patients.