The Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses (MUMN) organised a successful training conference in conjunction with the Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Malta and the Caritas Malta Epilepsy Association (CMEA) on 'Epilepsy and the Nursing Profession', on November 16.

The conference was well attended. Around 200 registered and student nurses as well as other health care professionals, such as social workers, pharmacists and carers from several state and private health institutions in Malta, participated. It was introduced by Paul Pace, MUMN president, and chaired by Dr Janet Mifsud from the University of Malta, and an adviser to CMEA.

The keynote speaker was Marianne Peachey, an epilepsy specialist nurse at Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust, who gave a overview of how epilepsy nurses worked in the UK in conjunction with the rest of the health care team. She also discussed practical aspects of the running of epilepsy clinics, teaching/training sessions on epilepsy and epilepsy audits and research. Other local speakers included Dr Doriette Soler, consultant paediatrician, Clarissa Captur, clinical pharmacist, Frans Ripard, nursing manager, and Mario Dimech, president, CMEA. They addressed the conference on the local situation and the facilities and services available to local nurses.

The Caritas Malta Epilepsy Assocation said that the conference emphasised the need of all stakeholders dealing with persons with epilepsy to be well versed in the care and management of this condition, which in turn has a significant favourable impact on the lives of families living with this condition.