About the Dean Clinics

Accessing remote appointments

During the COVID-19 outbreak, your Dean Clinic appointments are taking place remotely using telephone or video technology. You will be able to attend virtual appointments with the same clinicians, receive prescriptions and access the same services before we introduced these contingency measures. You can read some frequently asked questions below about appointments and services at your Dean Clinic. 

• Am I allowed to attend the Dean Clinic in person?

  We would ask that you do not attend any of the Dean Clinics at this time, unless specifically requested to do so. We are currently offering all appointments using telephone or video technology. 

  If you are unable to attend your scheduled appointment by video or telephone, please contact your Dean Clinic as soon as possible to cancel or reschedule your appointment.

  If necessary, please cancel or reschedule your appointment more than 48 hours ahead of its scheduled time to avoid a cancellation fee. 

• How do I attend appointments remotely?

  Appointments can take place by video or phone. If you do not have access to a computer or laptop, you can use a smartphone or tablet for your appointments.

  You will receive a reminder of your appointment by text.

  If your appointment is taking place by videocall, the reminder text will include a link for you to connect with your clinician by video at your scheduled appointment time. You can find information here on how to forward your text reminder with this video link to your email address. You will also be able to access this link if you are registered to use Your Portal.

  If your appointment is taking place by telephone, your clinician will contact you at your scheduled appointment time.

• Is there technical support available for attending remote video appointments?

  Yes, there will be technical support available for all our Dean Clinic service users.

  Remote video appointments take place using Microsoft Teams (MS Teams). If you have any difficulty using MS Teams, you can contact the Service User IT Support (SUITS) team by calling 01 249 3629 or by emailing suits@stpatricks.ie. The team is available from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, monitoring and responding to telephone and email queries during these times. Voicemail and emails left out of hours will be followed up the next working day.

  If your appointment is taking place by video, you will receive a unique link to join the appointment through a reminder text sent in advance. We have a guide available on forwarding your text reminder with the video link to your email address: find the guide to forwarding your reminder here.

  If you have technical trouble at the time of your appointment, you can contact your Dean Clinic, and the team there will inform your clinician. You can also contact SUITS for assistance. If there is a problem which means your clinician is unable to reach you by video at your appointment time, they will telephone you instead.

• How will I get my prescription?

  If you need a prescription before your next Dean Clinic appointment is due, please contact your consultant’s medical secretary, who will liaise with your clinical team.

  If you are prescribed medication at a remote Dean Clinic appointment, the administrator from your Dean Clinic will contact you to ask for your local pharmacy’s details. Your prescription will be securely emailed to your pharmacy (or posted directly to you in some circumstances) within 24 hours. Your pharmacy will then make arrangements with you for the delivery or collection of your prescription

• Have your fees changed and how do I pay?

  Fees
  All fees for Dean Clinic appointments remain the same, whether they take place by video or telephone.

  Payment
  A Dean Clinic administrator will contact you on the day of your appointment to take payment by card over the telephone. Your receipt will be emailed to you if your email address is provided, or posted to you if no email address provided.

  If we cannot reach you by telephone, or you do not have a payment card, an invoice will be posted to you for payment for your appointment. 

  Please contact your Dean Clinic as soon as possible (and within 30 days) to make payment. 

  Cheques
  Cheques can be made payable to St Patrick’s University Hospital and should be posted to: 

  Finance Department
  St Patrick’s University Hospital
  James’ Street
  Dublin 8
  D08 K7YW

  Please ensure your invoice number (if received) or full name, Dean Clinic name and appointment date are enclosed when sending in a cheque.

  VHI Customers
  From October 2019, we agreed with VHI that VHI customers’ benefits would be claimed at the time of service delivery, by receiving a reduction in full Dean Clinic appointment fees. A signed VHI claim form is required in order for this reduction to be processed.  

  A Dean Clinic administrator will post the form to you following each Dean Clinic appointment. We request that you return the signed form in the pre-paid envelope provided. Please note that, if VHI forms are not returned, you will be liable for the full appointment fee without VHI claim reduction.

• How do I book my next appointment?

  Your clinician will inform the Dean Clinic administrators when your next appointment will be. Your Dean Clinic administrator will discuss this by telephone when they contact you regarding payment or pharmacy information. This will be confirmed with you by email, if we have an email address for you, or through the post, if no email address is provided.

  If the date booked is not suitable, please contact your Dean Clinic by telephone or email at any time to reschedule, giving more than 48 hours notice to avoid a cancellation fee as below.

• Is there a cancellation policy for appointments?

  Any appointment that is cancelled within 48 hours of the scheduled time or any unattended appointments will be subject to a cancellation fee.

  Cancellation fees
  A cancellation fee is charged if you do not attend your appointment or if less than 48 hours notice of cancellation is given.

  If you do not attend your review appointment, you will be charged a fee of €75. A review appointment is any appointment with a Dean Clinic following a mental health assessment or hospital admission to SPMHS.

  If you cancel your review appointment with less than 48 hours notice, you will be charged a fee of €75. 

  Assessments
  If you are new to our service, a GP referral is required. Once a referral is received, you can access the Dean Clinics by first receiving a mental health assessment or through hospital admission.

  The cancellation fee for an assessment is the same as the deposit amount, which will be highlighted in your initial letter.

  A deposit is due 14 days ahead of your assessment.

  • If no deposit is received within this timeframe, your assessment is automatically cancelled.
  • If the deposit is paid and the assessment is cancelled up to 72 hours before its scheduled time, your deposit will be refunded.
  • If you cancel your assessment within 48 hours of its scheduled time, the deposit fee is not refunded. 

  Any appeals for cancellation or non-attendance fees can be made to deanfeeappeal@stpatricks.ie or by post to: 

  Debbie Van Tonder
  Dean Clinic Programme Manager
  St Patrick’s University Hospital
  James Street
  Dublin 8
  D08 K7YW.

• When will the clinics reopen for face-to-face appointments and can I wait until then for an appointment?

  We are currently closed for face-to-face Dean Clinic appointments. Please check our website and social media regularly for the latest information regarding reopening times. Please do not attend a Dean Clinic campus unless specifically requested to do so. 

  We recommend keeping your scheduled remote appointments in the meantime where possible.