Referral Process

We welcome referrals from anywhere in Ireland and anyone can make a referral to LauraLynn - medical, nursing, health and social care professionals, as well as parents and family members directly.

We have certain criteria to help us decide if our service is appropriate.

To be accepted, a child must:

• Be under 18 at the time of referral
• Have a medically diagnosed life-limiting condition (or diagnosed with a condition in the antenatal period) as per the ACT/TFSL categories.
• Have identified palliative care needs.
• There is a strong possibility of the child dying before the age of 18.

For further information on our referral criteria and process please see our information sheet below. 

Once a child has been accepted we will meet with the family and carry out a Holistic Needs Assessment to see how we can best support. We review our supports and involvement every year, assessing regularly the child’s condition and prognosis, to make sure we are still an appropriate service, and that we are helping as best we can.

Referrals can be made at any time from point of diagnosis or recognition of a life-limiting condition. Referrals may also be made for children who do not have a clear diagnosis, but whose medical history suggests that their life expectancy is likely to be reduced. Please remember, it is not necessary for a child to be nearing end of life before referring.

Generally, referrals are planned, but we can also support emergency referrals at short notice, so for further information on our referral criteria and process please get in touch by emailing referrals@lauralynn.ie or phoning 01-289 3151 and asking to speak to a clinical nurse specialist/clinical nurse manager or alternatively view our Referral Process Information Sheet.