By Adam Brimelow BBC Health Correspondent

The government aims to raise awareness of epilepsy among health professionals and provide more information for patients.

But some epilepsy charities are concerned that the new action plan does not go far enough.

On Good Friday last year 16-year-old Darren Barratt from Didcot in Oxfordshire died suddenly and unexpectedly during the night.

He had started having epileptic seizures two years earlier, but his mother Amanda had no idea his condition was life-threatening.

"If we'd been told that maybe we could have looked out for something," she said.

The family is still coming to terms with the tragedy which took the life of an otherwise healthy young man.

But this was no isolated case. Every year in the UK there are around 500 sudden unexpected deaths from epilepsy - often as Darren died, at night during sleep.

The recent television drama, The Lost Prince, highlighted the stigma attached to epilepsy early in the last century.

Although attitudes have changed it's still a condition many people prefer not to talk about, even though it affects more than 300,000 people across the UK.

A government-funded report last year concluded that more than 40% of deaths from epilepsy were probably avoidable.

Lack of awareness

Dr Vicky Hamilton, who was Darren Barratt's GP, says his death made her want to do something to prevent this happening to anybody else.

She says although doctors are trained to recognise epilepsy, few of them appreciate how dangerous it is.

"The scale of the problem is obviously a lot larger than most of us, particularly GP's, realise," she said.

"And we are encouraged to pay attention to some other conditions which are important but which, in terms of mortality, are less significant."

Most people with epilepsy can be free of seizures with the right drug treatment.

But the government has acknowledged that this is an unglamorous branch of medicine.

Research suggests up to a quarter of cases are misdiagnosed.

The government's action plan aims to improve access to neurology services - with more than a million pounds funding over the next two years.

But the main focus is on raising awareness of epilepsy - with doctors workshops to improve best practice, and better information for patients.

More will die

Epilepsy charities have welcomed these measures, but most campaigners wanted much more.

Jane Hanna, from Epilepsy Bereaved, says the scandal of people dying unnecessarily will go on.

"With the best will in the world, it's very difficult to move anything forward unless there is some funding supporting it, and indeed unless they are given some direction that this is something the government considers must happen."

She says without this the health service will continue to operate on a wing and a prayer - relying on piecemeal local initiatives.

And she believes that after the long years of waiting, many carers and relatives of those who died will feel deeply disappointed by the lack of action set out in this government plan.