Referral Guide for Psychiatrists

Making an enquiry

We encourage psychiatrists to get in touch with us if they have any queries about suitability of their patients, or the referral process. Our telephone number is on the contacts page, and email addresses for the staff are also available. We also have a specific email for queries.

If you do contact us, it is extremely helpful for us to have some details of the patient you are calling about. We acknowledge that some people may be wary of giving details when making a 'casual' enquiry but at least having a name allows us to track individuals through the referral and assesment process. For example, it is useful to know if it takes 3-6 months after an initial enquiry before we receive a referral. Long delays might reflect funding applications which occur in Primary Care Trusts out with Scotland.

Referral Guidelines

  1. Referrals are accepted from consultant psychiatrists only.  All referred patients should have a nominated consultant psychiatrist who will retain clinical responsibility for the patient during the assessment process. Psychiatrists working in the private sector are referred to the information on transfer of care.
  2. Referrals are accepted on the understanding that the referring consultant retains overall clinical responsibility for the ongoing care of the patient, including the implementation of any treatment recommendations made by the service.
  3. Referrals are accepted from throughout the UK and Ireland. We would recommend that referrals from outside of the UK are only made following prior discussion.
  4. All referrals require a formal letter detailing current circumstances, clinical history, a summary of previous treatments, and the current treatment plan. We require referral letters to be sent by post (not e-mail).
  5. We will be pleased to discuss any preliminary queries about referral by telephone, or by e-mail.
  6. To facilitate the assessment process, we require timely access to all relevant clinical case records (psychiatric / general medical / clinical psychology). All case records should be with us at least 2 weeks before the patient is seen (see 7. below).  Copies of contemporary case records are acceptable. We would expect that a comprehensive medication review will have been completed prior to referral and that ECT records (if applicable) will be provided.
  7. Treatment recommendations are usually dependent upon a detailed review of previous treatments. Where case records cannot be reviewed in advance of assessment, we may be forced to defer an assessment appointment until we have had the opportunity to review the notes.  We believe that it is more acceptable for patients to attend when all relevant information is available.
  8. Please note that we aim to provide a comprehensive, multidisciplinary, assessment service and to generate the most suitable, evidence-based and effective treatment recommendations tailored for each individual patient. This may, or may not, involve neurosurgical treatment methods. Accordingly, we generally discourage referrers and patients from assuming in advance they are being considered for any one specific therapy.   
  9. For referrals originating within one of the Scottish Health Board areas, there is no requirement to seek financial authorisation for assessment.
  10. For referrals originating from elsewhere in the UK, we can only proceed with assessment following receipt of written confirmation that funding has been authorised by the relevant local body (Primary Care Trust, Health Board, etc.).
  11. We aim to acknowledge and to respond to your referral within 10 working days of receipt.

How to make a referral

  1. Please read the criteria for ablative neurosurgery and criteria for VNS to ensure that the patient is suitable. If you are uncertain, please contact us to discuss a possible referral.
  2. You may find it helpful to review treatment pathways for treatment-refractory depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder when consideration is given to referring a patient. However, it is not expected (or required) that all possible treatment trials have been exhausted at the time of referral.
  3. Our address is given here. It is helpful to have as much information as possible regarding clinical history and previous treatments. Whilst the patient may be referred for assessment of suitability for a particular treatment, we focus on assessment as being the initial contact.
  4. We would aim to acknowledge your referral within a week or two and would hope to be able to give you an approximate time when the patient would be seen. For patients outside of Scotland, this is dependent on funding being available and the casenotes being sent for review.
  5. If funding is required, we will not be able to see the patient until we have written confirmation of funding for the assessment.

Assessment Location

  1. We anticipate that patients will normally be able to travel to Dundee for assessment.  However, it is acknowledged that there are clinical circumstances where it is better for us to travel to conduct the assessment:
    1. Where the patient is currently a hospital inpatient and travel to Dundee may be impractical.
    2. Where the patient cannot attend for reasons such as: infirmity, risks related to mental state, legal status, or inability to leave home.
    3. Where it is considered of additional importance to assess the patient at home. For example, in the case of severe obsessive-compulsive disorder.
  2. If you feel that your patient would be unable to attend Dundee, or that a local assessment would be preferable, please indicate this in the referral letter. We would normally make arrangements to visit the patient at the most appropriate location for them.

Download PDF

Referral Guidelines (PDF; 192Kb) PDF

Transferring detained patients from England/ Wales to Scotland

In most cases, where the patient is detained under the Mental Health Act, we will arrange to visit the patient in their locality.

Should neurosurgical treatment be offerred, and where the patient remains subject to compulsory powers, the host Primary Care Trust will need to contact the Department of Health (who will liasise with the Scottish Government) to ensure that the same (or equivalent) compulsory powers remain in place once the patient crosses the border. Information, and the relevant forms, can be obtained from the Department of Health's webpage on Cross-border transfers of patients under the Mental Health Act.

When the patient is being transferred back to England/ Wales, we will liaise with the Health Division of the Scottish Government to ensure that the transfer takes place with continuity of the compulsory powers.

It should be noted, however, that the majority of patients undergoing neurosurgery in Scotland and England are not subject to compulsory powers under the Mental Health Act(s).