At the heart of our service is our outpatient department (you may know it as OPD). This is generally where most patients first meet us.
Most of our consultants run clinics for outpatients – in fact we run upwards of 300 clinics per week – between Beaumont, St Joseph’s Hospital and our satellite clinic in Omni Shopping Centre in Santry.
You may be referred to an OPD clinic for a specialist opinion by your GP (Family Doctor) or by another hospital consultant. You may also be referred to OPD after a visit to our ED and the doctors there they feel you need further treatment, or you may have been an inpatient in the hospital and need to come back for a review.
A GP referral is sent to the relevant consultant or specialist medical or surgical team in Beaumont Hospital via HealthLink, the national referral service. Once we receive and review the referral you will be placed on our OPD waiting list.
Referrals by post are also accepted, but these may result in delays to your appointment. It is always a good idea to ask your GP for a copy of the referral, in case you need to follow up on your appointment date or if you have any questions.
Once the hospital receives your referral it is triaged (reviewed) by the consultants team. This means that the consultant will determine who needs to be seen most urgently, and appointments are given on that basis. We may send you and your GP an acknowledgement letter confirming that we have received your referral.
Our specialties can have long waiting lists, and appointments for consultants can vary greatly. But rest assured we will schedule your appointment for the earliest possible date. You will receive an appointment letter usually within a month or two before your appointment date.
This letter will outline the specialty and consultant you will see along with the location and details of the clinic you will need to attend (which could be either Beaumont, St Joseph’s Hospital in Raheny or our satellite clinics in OMNI Shopping Centre in Santry). Please follow all the instructions you are given and contact the clinic secretary if the appointment date does not suit you. Contact details will be at the end of your appointment letter, or on the reminder text that is sent to you.
If you need an interpreter to help you at your appointment please contact us on the number provided at the end of your letter
On the day of your appointment please do not arrive any earlier than 10 minutes before the appointment time on your letter. If possible, you should attend unaccompanied. If you have any special requirements for assistance please contact us in advance. If this is your first visit to the hospital, you will need to be registered by our Admission Team where your details will be taken and you will be provided with a hospital chart.
Every patient is under the care of a Hospital Consultant. However, another doctor on the team may see you at your appointment, or discuss your medical condition and treatment with you. Each clinic also has a team of medical, nursing and therapy staff. New patients attending the clinic for their first visit are will always be seen by a consultant or senior registrar if possible. Please bring your appointment letter or card with you, and details of any medication you are taking.
If this is a return visit, please proceed to the clinic you are due to attend and check in with the Clinic Secretary. This is a good time to let us know if any of your details have changed – such as address, mobile number, GP or next of kin – it’s very important that that we have all your current details as we can only send letters or texts to you at the address or phone number that we have on file.
Patients are seen in order of their appointment time, not their arrival time. Sometimes there may be delays due to emergencies elsewhere in the hospital. If this happens, your patience and understand is appreciated.
Various tests may be required by the consultant before you are seen, like blood pressure, weight/height, urine test, blood test and more. There is a possibility that you may attend other departments within the hospital for other tests e.g. x-ray, cardiac tests. This will increase your time spent at the clinic. You will be fully informed by the clinic nurse if you require any of these tests.
When your consultation is done, the doctor will let you know if a further appointment or investigation is required. If it is, please check with the clinic secretary before you leave, to get your follow up appointment. If the clinic is busy, we may post a return appointment to you.
Our outpatient clinics are very busy and there are often other patients waiting for appointments. If you receive an earlier appointment from another hospital or wish to cancel or reschedule your appointment with us please let us know well in advance.
If you fail to turn up for your appointment and do not cancel beforehand, another appointment may not be automatically made for you and a decision may be taken to return you to the care of your GP.
Contact the clinic secretary so that the appointment can be given to another patient. You will find the number of the clinic secretary on the bottom of your referral letter or you can find it here.
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