Referring a Patient

Referring a Patient

The NRH accepts referrals from Medical Consultants, Physicians and GPs for Adult and Paediatric Patients requiring complex specialist rehabilitation services in the following areas of specialty:-

• Acquired Brain Injury, including Stroke and other Neurological Conditions
• Spinal Cord Injury (traumatic and non-traumatic)
• Limb Absence (congential and acquired limb loss)

Referrals can be made to both the Inpatient and Outpatient services at the NRH.

For hospitals where NRH Consultants or Liaison Service specialists are in attendance, advice and consultation on referral is available.

Alternatively, for further information, referrers may contact the NRH Central Referrals Office (CRO) at:

Email: referrals@nrh.ie

Telephone: 01 235 5349

Post: Central Referrals Office, National Rehabilitation Hospital, Rochestown Avenue, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, A96 RPN4.

Referrals for all NRH Clinical Programmes are accepted from the following sources:

• Acute Hospitals
• GPs
• Community Agencies

All referrals will be assessed on an individual basis however, in general, patients being referred should:

1. Be medically stable.
2. Have consented to the referral (or next of kin if the patient is unable to give consent).
3. Have the potential to benefit from specialist Inpatient or Outpatient Rehabilitation, through the utilisation of a single or Interdisciplinary team approach within a specified timeframe.
4. Have medical, physical, social, behavioural, psychological or vocational needs related to the neurological injury or disease process which cannot be met in an acute hospital, community or home rehabilitation setting.
5. For the Brain Injury Programme, patients should either be under 65 years, or referred by a geriatric medicine specialist.

In order to meet the required minimum standards for patient information and referral procedures, only complete referrals can be processed.  A complete referral comprises of:

• A fully completed NRH Referral Form
• Full clinical information and reports

Referrals will be acknowledged within seven working days of receipt of same.  An NRH Consultant will review the referral and the outcome will be communicated to the referrer within a further ten working days.  If the services delivered at the NRH are considered suitable to meet the clinical needs of a referred patient, the patient is listed for admission to the relevant NRH Inpatient, Outpatient or Liaison Service as appropriate.

Incomplete referrals cannot be processed and will be returned to the referrer for completion.

In some cases, on receipt of the fully completed referral form, there may be a requirement for further assessment or information about a previously existing health condition or concern.

Please download the NRH Referral Form here.

The NRH is a fully publicly funded voluntary hospital and operates on the ethos of providing high quality care and treatment to patients irrespective of background or status, but on the basis of clinical need.