Local Aberdeenshire business AB15 has responded to the recent closure of the only in-person epilepsy support group in Aberdeenshire by funding the service part-time for a year. The group will re-start on May 10.  

Epilepsy Scotland, who run the support group, were forced to shut down the service in February of this year because they had been using their reserves to keep the service going and that was not sustainable.  

The funding provided by Derrick Thomson and Bob Keiller at AB15 will give Epilepsy Scotland time to engage constructively with Local Authorities (LAs) and local health boards to hopefully secure longer-term funding for this vital social support service that works in conjunction with clinical care to improve confidence, mental wellbeing, and tackling social isolation. 

Epilepsy Scotland CEO, Lesslie Young, says “We are delighted that Derrick and Bob have provided support to their local community in this way. It was an enormously difficult decision to shut down our Aberdeenshire Support Group earlier this year, because of the essential service it provided. However, it was always our intention to secure funding to restart the face-to-face group.   

“The generosity of Derrick and Bob is remarkable and warmly welcomed. However, the reality is, social support services delivered by third sector organisations contribute significantly to clinical and social care delivered by the NHS and LAs by improving the wellbeing of service users.

“Being able to better manage their epilepsy results in improved confidence, better mental health, and being less socially isolated which in turn results in clinical services being used less, ultimately saving the NHS time and money.

“This intrinsic link between clinical care/social care and social support is why we feel strongly the NHS and LAs, who know this to be true, should be acknowledging their responsibility and contributing significantly towards the cost of this service. 

“We will be engaging with LAs and local health boards over the next year to secure longer-term contributions from them for this absolutely essential service.” 

Derrick at AB15 says “We are very happy that we can provide this support at a critical time for this amazing organisation and that it goes someway to keeping that vital support alive”   

People living with epilepsy in the Aberdeenshire area who are interested in joining the in-person support group can get in touch via our helpline 0808 800 2200 or they can email contact@epilepsyscotland.org.uk