Epilepsy unit 'among most advanced'

Feb 7 2012

A new epilepsy treatment centre will be one of the "most advanced" in the world, the charity creating it has said.

The first sod was cut to mark the start of work on the £6.4 million Quarriers Scottish Epilepsy Centre, on the former site of Elderpark Primary School in Govan, Glasgow.

The construction work has been helped by a £40,000 donation from Boyd Tunnock, managing director of Tunnock's Bakery. He joined the charity's chief executive Paul Moore to cut the ground.

Mr Moore said: "We have been involved in epilepsy services for over a century and currently assess more than 100 people each year, with some of the most complex forms of the condition.

"The building we have out at Bridge of Weir is starting to look a bit tired. It's not fit for what we want. It's not world class, so we decided we'd build a world-class centre.

"We are doing this with donations from some of the wealthiest people in Scotland, who have been incredibly generous and are allowing us to create one of the most advanced epilepsy centres in the world.

"It will be a centre of excellence and enable the charity to be at the forefront of assessment and diagnosis of epilepsy in the UK and further a field."

The centre will be completed in a year, replacing Quarriers' assessment centre in Bridge of Weir, and will be able to treat more people, Mr Moore added. The Joint Epilepsy Council, an umbrella charity, estimates Scotland has 54,000 people living with the disorder.

Christine Cameron, who has had epilepsy since childhood, believes the new centre will be important in helping more people cope with the disorder.

The 35-year-old from Airdrie said: "I've been in the unit about four times, sometimes for up to eight weeks. The centre at Bridge of Weir has been good but the new centre in Govan will be far better because it's more accessible. It will be very important. It will sort people's lives out and give them confidence and the right medication to deal with the problem."