The TUH Outpatients’ Department runs over 100 clinics across 30 Adult specialties, this excludes nurse, technician and Allied Health Professional clinics. The Department holds consultations with approx 132,000 patients every year. Clinics are scheduled to run from 8:30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday weekly, with morning & afternoon sessions. The Hospital only accepts GP referrals through the HSE National eReferral system called Healthlink, by post or by hand to our Out Patients Department.
PLEASE NOTE From Monday, January 13th 2025 the Central Referrals Office (CRO) in the Hospital will only accept out-patient referrals from GPs via Healthlink. If a GP sends a referral to the CRO in TUH via post or email, the referral will be returned to the GP and they will be advised to create the OPD referral via Healthlink.
Accessing our outpatient clinics
To obtain an appointment within the TUH Outpatient Service, a patient must first have a referral from one of the following sources of referral.
- General Practitioner (GP)
- Emergency Department
- Consultant to consultant
- Inpatient referrals originating from an admission
- Other Hospitals or Health Centres
- National and regional specialist clinics including National Cancer Control Programme
How are referrals submitted?
GP Referrals can be submitted to the department electronically via Healthlink.
What happens after we receive the referral?
The referral is assessed by the consultant team and issued with a priority. The priority is based on clinical need. An appointment date is issued based on the clinical priority. Note that waiting times vary depending on the specialty.
If referral is routine priority, the patient is added to a routine waiting list and will be notified of the routine priority. Confirmed appointment dates are issued six to eight weeks before the confirmed date. Please be aware that different specialties have different waiting times for their waiting lists.
If referral is urgent priority: The Patient is added to an urgent Outpatient waiting list and an appointment will be offered in chronological order. Please be aware that different specialties have different waiting times for their waiting lists.
The following services will accept direct referrals from GP’s:
| Service / Clinic Name | How to Refer? |
| Cardiology Diagnostics | Referrals can be sent by post and healthlink. No current change to existing practice. |
| Colposcopy | Referrals are sent directly to the Colposcopy service in TUH. Healthlink referrals are not accepted. |
| Rheumatology - Rapid Access | Send referral directly to Rheumatology Registrar |
| Rheumatology - Giant Cell Arthritis | Send referral directly to Rheumatology Registrar |
| TIA RASP Service | Send RASP Proforma referral by email to RASP@tuh.ie |
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