Epilepsy with Emergency Medication

Epilepsy with Emergency Medication

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Course Overview

Epilepsy with Emergency Medication Training gives learners a thorough understanding of epilepsy and seizure types, the specific knowledge and decision-making framework to recognise when emergency medication is required, and the practical, hands-on competence to administer buccal midazolam safely and in line with the individual’s prescribed care plan.

Buccal midazolam is a Schedule 3 Controlled Drug. It is prescribed for a named individual. It must be stored correctly, accessed promptly, and administered using the right technique at the right moment. Getting any one of those things wrong, in a situation that is already frightening and time-pressured, has serious consequences.

This course exists because the gap between having a rescue medication protocol in place and staff who are genuinely confident and competent to follow it is wider than most organisations realise. In delivery, the scenarios that surface are consistent and concerning. Care workers who do not know when to administer rescue medication because nobody has clearly explained the trigger criteria. A staff member attempting to administer buccal midazolam to an individual who has already come out of the seizure, with the individual, now post-ictal and frightened, pushing them away. Teams who know a service user has emergency medication but have never been shown where it is stored or tested whether they can access it quickly under pressure. Staff who have never physically practised the administration technique before the moment it was needed.

None of those failures are the fault of the care workers involved. They are training gaps, and this course closes them.

For face-to-face sessions, competency sign-off is available against the Epilepsy Nurses Association (ENA) framework, with documentation suitable for staff files.

This course is aligned with NICE guideline NG217 (Epilepsies: diagnosis and management, updated 2024), Epilepsy Action professional guidance, the Epilepsy Nurses Association, and the Resuscitation Council UK 2025 guidelines. It reflects the legal framework governing Schedule 2 Controlled Drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 and aligns with the expectations of the Care Quality Commission under Regulation 12 (Safe Care and Treatment).

Course Details

• Duration: Half a Day or Full Day, depending on group size and practical assessment requirements
• Delivery: In-person at your venue for the full course, including practical competency. Theory element available online via Zoom or Microsoft Teams
• Certificate: CPD-accredited certificate in Epilepsy Awareness with Emergency Medication
• Competency sign-off: Available on request for face-to-face sessions, against the ENA framework, with documentation suitable for staff files
• Validity: 2 years
• Group size: Up to 12 learners

Who This Course Is For

This course is right for any staff member whose role requires them to administer prescribed emergency rescue medication to an individual with epilepsy, including:

• Care assistants and support workers in care homes, supported living, and domiciliary care
• Senior carers and team leaders responsible for emergency medication protocols
• Personal Assistants supporting individuals via Direct Payments or Personal Health Budgets
• Special school staff and SEND support teams
• Supported living and residential care teams
• Nurses and clinical staff requiring a structured refresher with competency sign-off

Staff should only administer emergency medication where it has been prescribed for a named individual, where they are authorised under their organisation’s medication policy, and where they have received appropriate training. This course supports all three of those requirements.

For staff who need epilepsy awareness without medication administration, see our Epilepsy Awareness Training.

Why This Epilepsy Emergency Medication Training Matters

Status epilepticus, a prolonged seizure or a series of seizures without recovery, is a medical emergency. NICE guideline NG217 is clear on the clinical urgency: a tonic-clonic seizure lasting five minutes or more, or two or more seizures without full recovery between them, requires immediate intervention. For individuals with prescribed rescue medication, that intervention is buccal midazolam or rectal diazepam, administered by a trained and authorised member of staff while emergency services are called.

The decision to administer is not straightforward under pressure. It requires the care worker to accurately assess whether the seizure threshold has been met, to locate and access the medication, to know that it is prescribed for this individual, to administer it correctly, and to monitor the response while simultaneously managing the emergency. A care worker who has only read the protocol, without practising the technique or working through the decision-making under scenario conditions, is not prepared for that moment.

CQC Regulation 12 (Safe Care and Treatment) requires providers to ensure that care is delivered in a way that protects individuals from avoidable harm. For a service supporting people with epilepsy and prescribed rescue medication, that means ensuring staff are trained, competent, and can demonstrate that competence in a documented and auditable way. CQC inspectors look at training records, medication administration records, and whether staff can correctly describe what they would do in a seizure emergency. This course provides both the training and the evidence trail.

What You Will Learn

By the end of the session, learners will be able to:

• Explain what epilepsy is
• Identify the full range of seizure types
• Recognise seizure triggers
• Explain what status epilepticus is
• Apply the correct decision-making framework to determine when emergency rescue medication is required and when it is not
• Understand the legal framework governing buccal midazolam
• Administer buccal midazolam correctly, confidently, and safely
• Understand rectal diazepam as an alternative rescue medication
• Monitor the individual following medication administration and know when a 999 call is required
• Follow the individual’s emergency epilepsy protocol correctly
• Record medication administration accurately
• Communicate appropriately with families, carers, and healthcare professionals

Course Content

Content reflects NICE NG217, Epilepsy Action professional guidance, and the Epilepsy Nurses Association framework throughout. Topics covered include:

Understanding Epilepsy

• What epilepsy is and what it is not: causes, diagnosis, and the most dangerous myths
• The full spectrum of seizure types and what each looks like in real care settings
• Seizure triggers, individual risk factors, and how care plans reflect these
• Individual epilepsy management plans: how to read them, follow them, and contribute to their review

Recognising a Seizure Emergency

• When a seizure becomes prolonged: the five-minute threshold and why it matters
• Repeated seizures without recovery: recognition and response
• Status epilepticus: what it is, why it is a medical emergency, and what the clinical picture looks like
• The decision-making framework: how to assess whether emergency medication is required in the moment

Emergency Medication

• Buccal midazolam: what it is, how it works, and why it is prescribed
• Rectal diazepam: when it may be prescribed as an alternative
• Consent and legal considerations for medication administration
• Practical administration: hands-on simulation and technique in face-to-face sessions
• Competency sign-off against the ENA framework, with documentation available for staff files on request

Post-Emergency Care and Documentation

• Monitoring following medication administration: what to observe and what to record
• When to call 999 and what to tell emergency services
• Post-ictal care: supporting the individual through recovery with dignity and reassurance
• Accurate medication administration records and controlled drug documentation
• Communication with families, carers, GPs, and specialist epilepsy teams following an emergency
• Learning from incidents: how post-event review improves protocol and reduces risk

Links to Basic Life Support

• Core BLS principles and their relevance to seizure emergencies
• Airway management during and after a seizure
• When cardiac arrest risk increases in seizure emergencies

The Practical Element: Why It Cannot Be Skipped

Competency in emergency medication administration cannot be demonstrated through theory alone. Knowing that buccal midazolam should be administered into the buccal cavity is not the same as being able to do it correctly under pressure, on a person who may be post-ictal, confused, or frightened.

In face-to-face sessions, every learner practices the administration technique on a simulation trainer or, where appropriate, on each other using a suitable liquid to simulate the medication. They work through the decision-making process in real-time scenarios before the trainer observes and signs off on their competency against the Epilepsy Nurses Association framework.

On request, learners receive a competency document suitable for their staff file and for inclusion in CQC inspection evidence. This is the difference between a training certificate and a demonstrated competency record, and for a skill of this clinical significance, that difference matters.

The practical element and competency sign-off are only available in face-to-face delivery. Online sessions cover the theory and awareness elements only and do not include medication administration practice or sign-off.

How the Course Is Delivered

Sessions are practical, scenario-based, and built around the real decisions care workers face when supporting an individual with epilepsy in an emergency. The aim is confident, competent practice, not theoretical awareness.

Delivery includes:

• Clear, clinically grounded explanation of seizure types, emergency thresholds, and the decision-making framework for medication administration
• Scenario-based work covering the situations most likely to cause hesitation or error, including recognising post-ictal recovery and knowing when not to administer
• Practical administration simulation with direct trainer observation and feedback
• Competency sign-off against the ENA framework in face-to-face sessions
• Review of the individual’s emergency epilepsy protocol, storage and access of rescue medication, and documentation requirements
• Time for questions, because this course consistently generates them once learners start working through real scenarios

Before delivery, we review your medication policies, documentation templates, risk assessments, and organisational procedures to ensure training is built around your setting rather than a generic framework.

Certification and Validity

On completion, learners receive a CPD-accredited certificate of achievement in Epilepsy Awareness with Emergency Medication, valid for 2 years.

For face-to-face sessions where competency sign-off has been completed, a separate competency document is available on request for inclusion in the learner’s staff file.

Two-yearly refresher training is required to maintain both the qualification and the practical competency. Given the clinical risk involved in emergency medication administration, we recommend building refresher training into your mandatory training cycle rather than treating it as optional. Care plans change, medication protocols are updated, and practical skills require regular reinforcement to remain reliable under pressure.

In-House and Bespoke Training

We adapt every session to your service, your medication policies, and the individuals your team supports.

Before delivery, we can:

• Review your current emergency epilepsy protocols and medication policies
• Incorporate your documentation templates and recording systems
• Align content with your specific risk assessments and care plans
• Ensure training reflects the actual rescue medications prescribed for individuals in your service

Course Location and Service Areas

We deliver in-house training at your workplace or chosen venue across Manchester, Greater Manchester, and the wider North West. We also deliver nationally, including North England, South England, London, and Surrey.

The full course, including practical medication administration and competency sign-off, is delivered face-to-face only. The theory and awareness elements are available online via Zoom or Microsoft Teams, where a refresher without sign-off is required.

All sessions are led by experienced Prima Cura Training instructors. Every trainer holds an Enhanced DBS certificate.

FAQs

Related Courses

• Epilepsy Awareness Training
• Basic Life Support (BLS) & AED Training
• Medication Administration Training

Book or Enquire

To book Epilepsy Awareness with Emergency Medication Training or request a quote for your team, use the enquiry form on this page or contact us directly. If you are unsure whether the full medication course or awareness-only training is the right option for your team, we will help you work that out before you commit.

Our Commitment to Quality and Compliance

At Prima Cura Training, all courses reflect current UK guidance and best practice.

All trainers are experienced professionals with relevant qualifications and ongoing CPD. Because many of the organisations we support work with vulnerable individuals, all trainers hold Enhanced DBS checks.

This course is reviewed against updates from NICE, the Epilepsy Nurses Association, Epilepsy Action, the Resuscitation Council UK, the Care Quality Commission, and current UK legislation including the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001, the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, and NICE guideline NG217 (Epilepsies: diagnosis and management, updated 2024).

You can read more on our Quality Assurance and Compliance page.

Reviewed by Stephanie Austin, Owner and Lead Trainer, Prima Cura Training | 25+ years in health and social care | 15+ years as a trainer | Last reviewed: April 2026 | Next review: April 2027

This page is for general guidance only and reflects current UK legislation, NICE guidance, and sector best practice as of the date of review. It does not constitute clinical, legal, or medical advice. Completion of this course does not independently authorise staff to administer emergency rescue medication. Staff may only administer buccal midazolam or rectal diazepam where it has been prescribed for the named individual, where they are expressly authorised to do so under their organisation’s medication administration policy, and where they have received appropriate training, including practical competency assessment. Buccal midazolam is a Schedule 2 Controlled Drug under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 and must be stored, recorded, and administered in accordance with all applicable legal requirements. It must not be administered to any individual other than the named person on the prescription under any circumstances. Emergency rescue medication must always be administered in conjunction with a 999 call for emergency services. Organisations remain responsible for ensuring their medication policies, governance frameworks, and staff authorisation processes comply with all applicable legislation and CQC regulatory requirements.

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