Ear, nose and throat (ENT)

We accept referrals for general patients within our catchment area of North County Dublin, and nationally for airway and vestibular patients.

Once a referral letter is received, it will be triaged by an ENT Consultant and an appointment will be issued as soon as possible.

Patients must meet at least one of the following criteria for referral:

● Episodes of sore throat that are disabling and prevent normal functioning

● 7 or more well-documented, clinically significant, and adequately treated sore throats in the last 12 months

● 5 or more episodes in the last 2 years

● 3 or more episodes each year for the last 3 years

Topical antiseptic treatment with Naseptin cream is highly effective as a first line of treatment for recurrent nosebleeds.

A referral should be made if:

● nosebleeds are recurrent despite treatment with Naseptin cream

● the patient is a teenage boy with recurrent nosebleeds - a prompt referral is needed to rule out a Juvenile Nasopharyngeal Angiofibroma (JNA)

Dear colleagues, There has been a steady increase in tongue-tie referrals. While evidence supports intervention in carefully assessed breastfed infants, the evidence is limited for bottle-fed infants and speech/swallowing issues in older children. Current evidence does not support lip tie surgery. Please read the following acceptance criteria points before sending a referral.

Infants (Urgent)

• Must be less than 12 weeks of age.
• Must be born in the Rotunda Hospital or living in the Temple Street catchment area.
• Must have ongoing breastfeeding problems despite active lactation support
  o Maternal: nipple trauma, pain, poor supply
  o Infant: poor weight gain, poor latch, restricted tongue mobility
• Must be linked with the Rotunda or community infant feeding/lactation services.
• Please do not refer infants who are bottle-fed or whose parents are concerned about potential future problems secondary to tongue tie.
• The limited appointments allocated for these infants are only helpful if the infants can be seen quickly; therefore, prioritising certain infants is essential.

Older Children (Routine)

• Referrals for children with speech or swallowing problems will only be accepted if accompanied by a speech and language therapy report confirming this.

Lip Ties

• There is no department in Temple Street accepting these referrals.

If you are concerned about a patient who does not fulfil these criteria, I am very happy to talk directly with you at any time.

Ms Colleen Heffernan Paediatric ENT Consultant

Please see referral form