Media

Press Releases

2009

Monday 27 April 2009

LITTLE AND LARGE CHAMPION EMPLOYERS WIN EPILEPSY AWARD

Glasgow small firm Russell Hamilton Business Systems Limited and the Scottish Parliament have each won Epilepsy Scotland’s Employer of the Year Award. Both organisations give exemplary support to staff with this common neurological condition. Russell Hamilton director David Irving and Scottish Parliament head of HR Strategy and Policy, Mary Nicol received an award trophy before 300 corporate guests attending the charity’s Wag of Wags Dinner in the Glasgow Marriott Hotel.

This response follows findings from a newly-released study that suggests children born to women taking the anti-epileptic drug (AED) sodium valproate are more likely to have a lowered IQ at three years of age.

Epilepsy Scotland chief executive Lesslie Young commented: “These two winners showcase the finest examples of how policy put into practice supports staff with epilepsy. This year’s shortlist of caring and responsible employers, great and small, provide practical and tailored help. The result is epilepsy is no longer a barrier in the workplace.”

With only 11 employees, Russell Hamilton took first place for creating an epilepsy policy with their employee Lee McNulty and his family. David Irving said: ” We knew nothing about epilepsy but Lee was the outstanding candidate for the job. We gave him a flat screen monitor, laptop and broadband. We arranged lifts to take him to clients when he couldn’t drive. Home working and flexible hours are available when he has a seizure and staff know how to help him. If Lee is late for work, we call his mobile and check he is well.”

The Scottish Parliament has 500 employees, three of whom have epilepsy. It lifted the top award for its range of support for epilepsy. Mary Nicol said: “We would make and have made reasonable adjustments at work such as adjusting lighting and room temperature. We also offer home working with flexible start/finish times or reduced working hours.

We ensure discretion and privacy following a seizure. There’s an on-site doctor and nurse. We provide extra support, for example, being accompanied to a meeting. We train colleagues about epilepsy. We take the person home in a taxi after a seizure and stay with the person until a member of their family is able to come home or until he or she feels able to be left on their own. We also have a phased return to work policy with additional paid special leave to ease any financial burden. These measures help people to feel safe and supported while at work.”

The judging panel included Dharmendra Kanani, Director of the Big Lottery Fund Scotland, Dave Moxham, STUC Deputy General Secretary, Rory Mackail, West of Scotland Chair of the Federation of Small Businesses and Carole Symington, South East Edinburgh Branch Chair of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. They agreed that Russell Hamilton was ‘a classic case of small is beautiful’ in their approach to epilepsy. They praised the Scottish Parliament for being ‘a beacon of good practice for others to follow.’

Ends

Notes to editor

  1. Award photos available with: Epilepsy Scotland’s chief executive Lesslie Young, winners Russell Hamilton director David Irving and Scottish Parliament head of HR Strategy and Policy, Mary Nicol, and judges Rory Mackail from the Federation of Small Businesses and Carole Symington of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
  2. Each short-listed organisation offers inspiring measures to enhance the working life of employees with epilepsy. Companies nominated included John Lynch and Company (Fife), Pensions Service (Dundee), River Island (Edinburgh), Sainsburys (Kirkintilloch), Standard Life (Edinburgh), and the Stroke Association (Edinburgh) and West Lothian College. For more examples please contact Allana Parker (details below).
  3. Dozens of organisations across Scotland also applied for our epilepsy Best Practice Certificate because they follow the guidelines set by the Disability Discrimination Act.
  4. Epilepsy Scotland works with people living with epilepsy to ensure that their voice is heard. We campaign for improved healthcare, better information provision and an end to stigma. This common serious neurological condition affects one in 130 people. We represent nearly 40,000 people with epilepsy in Scotland, their families and carers. Our freephone Helpline (0808 800 2200) offers advice, support and information. People can email us at (enquiries@epilepsyscotland.org.uk), text 07786 209501, or download information from our website: www.epilepsyscotland.org.uk.
  5. This is the fourth Employer of the Year Award for epilepsy – an award unique in the UK. Studies have shown that a person with epilepsy is twice as likely to be unemployed as someone without a disability (JEC Epilepsy Taskforce: Burden of Epilepsy - a health economics perspective 1999). Research has also revealed that people with epilepsy may take fewer seizures when employed and can have better than average work attendance rates (NSE: Epilepsy, a guide to employment 2002).
  6. We offer epilepsy training courses so that organisations can equip staff to recognise and deal effectively when someone has a seizure.
  7. For more details please contact: Allana Parker, Communications Manager on: 0141 419 1701 or 07884 012 147.

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