NHS Lothian
Principal Hospitals
- Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh (ERI)
- St John’s Hospital, Livingston
- The Royal Hospital for Sick Children (The ‘Sick Kids’)
- The Western General Hospital, Edinburgh
Both ERI, St John’s and the ‘Sick Kids’ hospitals have an A&E Department.
Children and Young People
Children and Young People with serious head injuries are likely to be cared for at the Royal Hospital for sick kids. This service has now moved base to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh
Neurosurgery & non-surgical care
Neurosurgery, if required, is likely to take place at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.
Care for people with significant head injuries will be provided within the Department of Clinical Neuroscience which is housed within the ‘Sick Kids’ building on the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary site.
Contact: Department of Clinical Neuroscience
50 Little France Crescent,
Edinburgh,
EH16 4TJ
Tel no: 0131 536 1000
After the neurosurgical episode of care is complete, the patient may be referred to an outpatient follow up, referred to community support such as CRABIS in West Lothian or to the Astley Ainslie for rehabilitation. If the patient is exhibiting challenging behaviour as a result of their ABI, they may be referred to the Robert Fergusson unit in Edinburgh.
Rehabilitation
The Astley Ainslie Hospital provides rehabilitation services for adults with acquired brain injury, stroke, orthopaedic injuries, limb amputation, and a range of other neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis (MS), or other progressive neurological disorders, polyneuropathies and neurological cancers.
The Acquired Brain Injury rehabilitation service is provided by a multidisciplinary rehabilitation team in a 40 bedded unit at Charles Bell Pavilion. This includes the Scottish Brain Injury Rehabilitation Service (SBIRS) which provides tertiary referral services for patients in those health board regions that do not have local access to inpatient brain injury rehabilitation or for patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness. The inpatient team includes physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and neuropsychology.
Though the service is predominantly targeted at the 16-67 year age group, patients in older age groups, who have similar needs are frequently admitted.
Contact: Rehabilitation Service
Astley Ainslie Hospital
133 Grange Loan
Edinburgh
EH9 2HL
Tel no: 0131 537 9039
Email for neurological referrals – AAH.Neurorehabilitation@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
Email for all other referrals – RehabServices.AAH@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
The Robert Fergusson Unit at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital is sited in a purpose built 20-bed unit. The unit provides a national service for the assessment and rehabilitation of patients with complex needs following an ABI, it specialises in the assessment and treatment of behavioural and neuropsychiatric sequelae of ABI, in particular significant/severe behavioural difficulties and aggression.
It is a national NHS neurorehabilitation service for patients (18-65yrs). Referrals can be made to one of medical team (Dr Langrell, Dr Welch and colleagues) and a visit to the patient will then be arranged. If, following initial assessment, it is felt that the patient would benefit from a period of assessment and rehabilitation in the unit, then the referring clinician must seek approval from the host Health Board, who will be responsible for funding this.
Contact: Robert Fergusson Unit
Royal Edinburgh Hospital
Morningside Terrace
Edinburgh EH10 5HF
Tel: 0131 441 8631 or 0131 441 8637
Community Support
The Community Rehabilitation and Brain Injury Service (CRABIS) provides multi-disciplinary assessment and rehabilitation within the home or community setting to individuals over the age of 16 who live in West Lothian and who have a physical disability and/or acquired brain injury. The service also provides follow up and early intervention as required to individuals who have suffered a mild head injury. They must also have a diagnosed neurological condition.
The service’s core aim is to improve the individual’s independence, level of function, participation and quality of life.
CRABIS is funded by Lothian Health and West Lothian Council and the service is delivered by an experienced, multi-disciplinary team, including:
- Occupational therapists
- Physiotherapists
- Clinical psychologists
- Speech and language therapists
- Rehabilitation assistants
Contact: Community Rehabilitation and Brain Injury Service (CRABIS)
Strathbrock Partnership Centre,
189A West Main Street,
Boxburn, West Lothian EH52 5LH
Tel: 01506 524149 Option 2
Email: loth.crabiswl@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
Website: www.westlothianchcp.org.uk
Out-patient / Community Services at the Astley Ainslie Hospital
The Neurorehabilitation Outpatient Service aims to provide a specialist interdisciplinary neurorehabilitation outpatient service for patients with complex neurological needs and their families. The service aims to provide timely access to specialist, flexible, coordinated and effective interdisciplinary outpatient services for adults with neurological rehabilitation needs within Lothian. Patients may be seen on a 1:1 basis, for joint assessment/treatment or in a group.
The service also provides specialist interventions in the following areas: spasticity management, neurological splinting, functional electrical stimulation, vocational rehabilitation, cognitive assessment and rehabilitation and assessment of motor processing skills. Patients may be seen in clinics, at home, at work or in community settings.
For more information about the rehabilitation service please go to:
www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk/Community/EdinburghCHP/Services/Pages/RehabilitationServices.aspx
The Astley Ainslie Hospital Guide can be found here:
www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk/MediaCentre/Publications/HospitalCare/Documents/AstleyAinslieHospitalGuide.pdf
Contact: Rehabilitation Service
Astley Ainslie Hospital
133 Grange Loan
Edinburgh
EH9 2HL
Tel No: 0131 537 9204
Email: RehabServices.AAH@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
Third Sector Support – Adults
Edinburgh Headway Group aims to empower and enrich the lives of adults who have survived an acquired brain injury. They do this by providing high quality person-centred rehabilitation services which support both adults with brain injuries and their carers.
They help people improve their cognitive, physical and emotional abilities to improve their quality of life and help them re-join their communities. Their Day Service provides an important part of their rehabilitation work enriching the quality of life for their service users whose opportunities to get out of their homes may be very restricted and many activities inaccessible.
They offer practical and emotional support to members and their families. Their Carers Project provides support to unpaid carers via social events, peer groups and offers training and information. Their new Brain Injury Carers Support Project supported by the City of Edinburgh Council, also provides a 1:1 service enabling adults with an acquired brain injury to take part in activities in the community with a trained volunteer. This aims to provide valuable respite opportunities to carers who are resident in Edinburgh.
They are committed to raising awareness about ABI to the wider public, the media and Parliament. Their external training programme provides Acquired Brain Injury Training to individuals and professionals.
Contact: Edinburgh Headway Group
Unit 4, 27 Peffer Place, Edinburgh EH16 4BB
Tel: 0131 370 0393
Email: office@edinburghheadway.org.uk
Website: www.edinburghheadway.org.uk
Headway East Lothian aims to support and improve the quality of life for people in East Lothian with acquired brain injuries, their families and carers. They provide adults with acquired brain injury (ABI), their families and carers opportunities to access advice and information, and resources to help them cope with challenges and remain together as families.
Headway East Lothian encourages members to socialise, support each other and share experiences and advice. This involves regular meetings, activity sessions, social events and outings. They offer access to therapeutic activities and workshops aimed at enhancing physical and mental wellbeing. These include music and arts and crafts activities. They also help members build coping strategies to help deal with financial stresses.
Through a range of activities, Headway East Lothian strive to empower members to manage their own condition and develop confidence in their own abilities. The service is entirely led by members, each with unique experiences of living with ABI, which they can offer to the group.
Contact: Joyce Cattanach, Development Worker
Headway East Lothian
The Bleachingfield Centre, Countess Crescent, Dunbar EH42 1DX.
Tel: 07895 193 974
Email: headwayeastlothian@live.co.uk
Website: www.headway-eastlothian.org.uk
For more information on local third sector support, see http://www.hiid.org.uk/
Third Sector Support – Children and Young People
When a child acquires a brain injury it can have a devastating effect on all the family. The Child Brain Injury Trust is a UK-wide charity that supports families and professionals working with children and young people who find themselves in need of more information about what has happened. More details about how their staff in Scotland can help can be found here:
Contact: (For correspondence only)
Child Brain Injury Trust
101 Rose Street, South Lane, Edinburgh, EH2 3JG
Tel: 01313 572388
Email: https://childbraininjurytrust.org.uk/contact/
Website: https://childbraininjurytrust.org.uk/
Enquire is the Scottish advice service for additional support for learning. They aim to:
- raise awareness of children’s rights to extra support in school
- help families and schools work together to ensure children get the support they need
- provide advice to children and young people who might be struggling in school.
They offer lots of ways to access help including a telephone helpline, guides, factsheets and outreach work. All the information and advice provided is independant and impartial.
Contact details can be found here.
Website: https://enquire.org.uk/
Cerebra are a national charity dedicated to helping children with brain conditions and their families discover a better life together.
Cerebra
The MacGregor Office, Jolly Tar Lane, Carmarthen, SA31 3LW
Helpline (freephone): 0800 328 1159
Telephone: +44 (0) 1267 244200
Email: enquiries@cerebra.org.uk
The Scottish Centre for Children with Motor Impairments (SCCMI)
Based at the Craighalbert Centre in Cumbernauld, SCCMI provide educational and therapy services for children and young people throughout Scotland affected by cerebral palsy and other neurological conditions, which result in disorders of learning, movement and communication.
Scottish Centre for Children with Motor Impairments
The Craighalbert Centre, 1 Craighalbert Way, Cumbernauld, G68 0LS
T: 01236 456100
E: sccmi@craighalbert.org.uk
Website: http://www.craighalbert.co.uk/
For additional local third sector support, see: http://www.hiid.org.uk/
Updated: 19/08/2021
