A NEW treatment centre for people with brain and nerve conditions including epilepsy and multiple sclerosis has officially opened in Edinburgh.

The Department of Clinical Neurosciences has moved from the Western General Hospital to its new home on the Little France campus.

Outpatients needing an urgent face-to-face consultation are being seen in the new building. Routine, non-urgent appointments are not currently taking place except via video call due to Covid-19 restrictions.

NHS Lothian said inpatient services, including operating theatres for surgery, will move at a later date to allow these teams to support the virus response and the critical care ward at the Western General.

Once all services have transferred to the new site, specialists including neurologists and neurosurgeons will treat patients with disorders of the nervous system such as epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease or brain injuries.

NHS Lothian medical director Dr Tracey Gillies said the new building will enable the health board to “keep pace with changing science and technology”. It is on the same site as the troubled new Royal Hospital for Children and Young People.