Practical support for inpatients

Before you arrive

To help us prepare for your stay, we’ll contact your GP and the clinician who referred you for more information.

Normally you’ll be seen by our Epilepsy Nurse Specialist at an out-patient clinic prior to admission. Your care and treatment will be planned at this clinic along with the length of your stay.

If you are unable to attend the centre, we will call you to discuss any specific requirements you may have. We will then write to you to confirm your admission date.

It is important to let us know about the medication you are taking before you arrive. You must bring seven days’ supply of any medication in the original boxes.

During your stay

When you arrive, you’ll be allocated a named nurse who will meet with you on a regular basis to discuss and plan your care. You will receive a routine health check from a local GP.

Our specialist multidisciplinary team meets weekly to review your treatment and progress. The doctor may decide that you need a longer or shorter time than originally planned. This will always be discussed with you before any decision is made.

The assessment process

You will be assessed according to your specific needs. The diagnosis of epilepsy is based on finding out what happens before, during and after a seizure. It’s important for us to gather as much information as possible from relatives and carers who have seen your events.

Tests include EEG (Electroencephalography) and video telemetry (video monitoring and EEG together) which provides information about your seizures. We also use additional monitoring including CCTV and video cameras.

Practical support for patients at The William Quarrier Scottish Epilepsy Centre includes:

  • Opportunity to speak to medical, nursing or support staff in confidence.
  • Assistance with activities of daily living where required.
  • Qualified nursing and support staff available 24 hours a day.
  • Advice on how to manage your seizures
  • Advice about how to claim NHS travel costs to and from the centre.

Facilities

  • 12 single en suite bedrooms, two with adjoining carer’s bedrooms
  • A large sitting room
  • A quiet lounge
  • Dining area
  • An activity room
  • An open central courtyard and designated patient smoking area
  • Choice of menu at mealtimes as well as light snacks and drinks. Please let us know if you have any dietary requirements.
  • Daily laundry service for your personal clothing

Each bedroom has a TV and the facility for a wired internet connection. Please note that there is no WiFi due to interference with medical equipment.

The general purpose activity room is equipped with TV, Wii, basic gym equipment and two patient PCs. Activities including arts and crafts also take place here.

Visiting times are 11am to 8pm daily.

What should I bring with me?

  • Clothes and footwear suitable for wearing to exercise sessions or using fitness equipment.
  • Front-fastening tops and a loose-fitting woolly hat for wearing during EEG monitoring.
  • Old clothes for participating in art classes.
  • Coat hangers. We provide some hangers, but you may wish to bring more if you require to hang up more clothing.
  • Your preferred brand of laundry detergent and fabric softener. We provide a basic laundry service, but we do not provide an ironing service so you may wish to bring non-iron clothing.
  • Your preferred brand of tea/coffee/juice.
  • Reading materials, quiz books, arts and crafts materials, jigsaws and games. A small selection will also be available at the centre.
  • Games console or games for use on the communal Wii. If you wish to bring your own console for use in your room, we can provide a TV to connect it to. Please note that you will also have to bring all required cables and controllers for the console.
  • Personal electronic equipment such as hairdryers, mp3 players and electric shavers. There are electric shaving points in all en-suites.
  • Laptop or PC. There are two PCs for patient use, and you are welcome to bring your own laptop. There is a standard Ethernet connection available in your room – please note that there is no WiFi access available in the inpatient section. You can bring a network dongle but we cannot guarantee the quality of reception within the unit. – does this interfere with the medical equipment as stated above? You may also wish to bring your own headsets/earphones to use on the PCs. If you would like to watch Netflix or equivalent, or use Skype to contact friends and family, please ensure that these programmes have been downloaded to your personal laptop before you come to the centre.
  • Enough toiletries, cigarettes, sun cream, phone credit, writing materials, stamps and other essentials to last the duration of your stay. There is very little or sometimes no opportunity to go out during your admission.

Please note:

Due to health and safety considerations, there are no plugs allowed in the inpatient bathrooms. This may be a consideration for gentlemen shaving.

All electrical equipment will be subject to visual inspection on admission. If staff deem it unsafe, you will not be able to use it during your stay.

Use of electrical equipment is limited during EEG monitoring. This will be fully explained if you require to be put on EEG monitoring.

Phone signal reception varies within the unit. The William Quarrier Scottish Epilepsy Centre is not responsible for the quality of reception within its building or grounds.

Read our Patient Participation Strategy, or access the Easy Read version.