In Ireland, you usually need a referral from your GP to see a neurologist or a psychiatrist for the first time. For a neurologist, your GP refers you to the outpatient clinic of a public hospital. For mental health care, your GP usually refers adults aged 18 to 65 to a community mental health team (CMHT), which includes a psychiatrist. Under-18s are referred to CAMHS, and people over 65 to a psychiatry of later life team. You cannot refer yourself to a CMHT or to CAMHS.
As a public patient you pay nothing for the consultant, but you do not choose who you see and you may wait. As a private patient you pay the consultant's fee. Citizens Information says you cannot see a consultant for the first time without a GP referral.
This guide covers both routes, what a good referral letter contains, and what to do while you wait. If your question is specifically about ADHD, our page on whether you need a GP referral for an ADHD assessment goes into more detail.
Some symptoms need emergency care, not an outpatient appointment. The HSE says to phone 112 or 999 if you or someone else has:
Stroke symptoms that go away within 24 hours may be a transient ischaemic attack (TIA). The HSE says a TIA should be treated as a medical emergency. You should be referred to see a specialist within 24 hours of symptoms starting. Our guide to stroke warning signs explains what to look for.
In a mental health crisis, phone 112 or 999 or go to an emergency department if someone is about to harm themselves or others. You can also contact your GP or GP out-of-hours service. If you are already under a mental health team, contact them. Free 24-hour support:
Your GP is usually the first doctor you see about a non-emergency problem. GPs can assess and treat some mental health difficulties themselves, such as depression or anxiety, and can prescribe. They can refer you on if you need a specialist. Unless you have a medical card or GP visit card, you will usually pay for the GP visit.
It helps to go in prepared. The HSE suggests writing notes before a mental health assessment. The same notes help a GP decide whether, and how urgently, to refer you:
For symptoms like headaches, your GP may ask you to keep a diary. Our guide to telling migraine, tension and cluster headaches apart may help you describe what is happening.
For a neurologist, your GP refers you to the outpatient department of a public hospital. There you are seen by a consultant or their team. If you go as a public patient, there is no charge. You do not get a choice of consultant, although the referrer can name a preferred one.
When the hospital receives the referral, the date it arrives starts your place on the waiting list. Under the national outpatient waiting list protocol, a clinician should review it within five working days. They give it one of three priority categories, each with a recommended maximum wait:
The clinician can also redirect the referral to another specialty or hospital. They can reject it, for example if there is not enough clinical information to prioritise it. You and your GP should be told in writing if that happens.
These are recommended timeframes, and many people wait longer. On 24 September 2026, the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) reported 27,887 adults on hospital neurology outpatient waiting lists. Of these, 8,035 had been waiting more than 12 months, and 4,544 more than 18 months.
Most adult psychiatry in the public system is delivered through community mental health teams, not hospital clinics. A CMHT supports adults aged 18 to 65 with moderate to severe mental health difficulties. The team usually includes a psychiatrist, a mental health nurse and a psychologist. It may also include a social worker, an occupational therapist and others.
Only a GP or another health professional can refer you to a CMHT. The HSE gives clinical depression, generalised anxiety disorder, psychosis and OCD as examples of what a CMHT can help with. It says a CMHT cannot help with mild to moderate difficulties, such as low mood or mild anxiety. For those, your GP can point you to primary care psychology or counselling services. The HSE lists the National Counselling Service, Mymind, Jigsaw and Pieta as examples.
After a referral, someone from the CMHT contacts you by letter or phone. If they can help, they tell you how long you may wait. The HSE says an urgent assessment can happen at an emergency department straight away, or with the CMHT within 72 hours. In less urgent cases, you may wait up to 12 weeks for a first appointment.
If you are over 65, your GP can refer you to a psychiatry of later life team instead.
One thing to know about the published figures: NTPF waiting list reports are compiled from public hospital data. The hospital "psychiatry" outpatient list held just 340 adults on 24 September 2026. That number says little about waits for community teams.
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) is a specialist service for people under 18 with moderate to severe difficulties. The HSE lists depression, anxiety, eating disorders, ADHD and psychosis among the conditions it treats. A GP or another health professional must make the referral.
CAMHS may contact parents or the school for more information. If CAMHS is the right service, it sends an appointment letter with an estimated waiting time. The HSE says it can sometimes take a year to get a first appointment. If things get worse while waiting, contact your GP or the CAMHS team.
If a young person turns 18 before finishing their care plan, CAMHS may refer them to adult mental health services. The HSE says the team plans this several months before their 18th birthday. For ADHD, the HSE's model of care says transfer happens at 18 unless there is a clinically significant reason to stay. It says joint planning should start six months before the move.
Adult ADHD has its own HSE route, set out in the National Clinical Programme's model of care. Your GP refers you to your local adult community mental health team. The team does an overall mental health assessment and screens for ADHD. If the screening is positive, you are referred to the area's adult ADHD clinic for a detailed assessment. People with significant other mental illness are treated by their CMHT first.
The model of care is aimed at ADHD with at least moderate impairment. Waits vary widely by area. Our article on what the adult ADHD wait actually looks like in Ireland covers this in detail. For autism, see our guide to adult autism assessment in Ireland and England.
If you see a consultant privately, you pay their fee. If you are admitted to a public hospital as a private patient, you also pay the hospital's daily charges. Private hospitals set their own charges. Health insurance may cover some or all of the cost, depending on your policy. You can usually claim tax relief at the standard rate (20%) on qualifying health expenses through Revenue.
Some points to check before you book:
The referral letter is what the hospital uses to decide your priority. The national outpatient protocol says each referral must contain, at a minimum, the data set out by HIQA:
If anything is missing, the hospital must contact the referrer. If it cannot reach them within 48 hours, a clinician decides whether to accept the referral or send it back. So an incomplete letter can mean a delay.
The priority categories above are partly defined by how much a condition affects your life, including your ability to work. It helps if the letter describes this clearly. Make sure the practice has your current phone number and address.
You have a right to access information held about you, under data protection law. That applies to public and private health providers. You can ask your GP for a copy of the letter.
Can I refer myself to a psychiatrist in Ireland?
Not in the public system. Only a GP or another health professional can refer you to a community mental health team or to CAMHS. Many HSE-funded mental health organisations do not need a GP referral. Privately, check the service's own rules before you book.
How long will I wait to see a neurologist?
It depends on your priority category and the hospital. The protocol recommends 28 days or less for urgent referrals and 26 weeks or less for non-urgent ones. On 24 September 2026, about 29% of adults on neurology outpatient lists had waited more than a year.
What happens if my referral is rejected?
A hospital can reject a referral, for example if there is not enough clinical information. You and your GP should be told in writing. Your GP can then send an updated referral with more detail.
Is it free to see a psychiatrist through the HSE?
Yes. Citizens Information says you do not pay for mental health professionals working in the public health system. If you choose private care, the cost varies.
You can read about Proco's planned assessment service on our assessments page.
This article is general information about how health services work in Ireland. It is not medical or legal advice. Talk to your GP about your own situation. For help with entitlements, contact Citizens Information on 0818 07 4000.
Reviewed by: Proco Team
Last updated: November 2026