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Other neurological conditions

PAEDIATRIC

Minimum Referral Criteria

  • Category 1
    (appointment within 30 calendar days)
    • Neuroinflammatory disorders – follow up after past acute presentation with risk of recurrence (e.g. MS, MOG-antibody, NMO, CIDP)
    • Chronic severe developmental/ intellectual impairment or behavioural / psychiatric disorders with concern for slowly progressive deterioration in skills (not due to widening of the gap vs peers over time), aetiology unknown, referred by a General Paediatrician – usually a once off diagnostic assessment
    • Speech regression for diagnostic assessment, e.g. assessment for epileptic encephalopathy or specific genetic cause
  • Category 2
    (appointment within 90 calendar days)
    • Neuroinflammatory disorders – follow up after past acute presentation where not seen by Neurology, with low risk of recurrence (e.g. Guillain-Barre syndrome, ADEM, Transverse Myelitis, NMDA-R encephalitis)
    • Cerebral palsy – aetiology unknown, referred by a General Paediatrician, usually a once off diagnostic assessment
    • Rare disorders with neurological manifestations e.g. neurofibromatosis, ataxia-telangiectasia, Joubert/Dandy Walker Syndrome, Sturge-Weber syndrome (without epilepsy) – usually for a once off assessment for discussion around management of neurological manifestations or neurological/neurodevelopmental risk counselling, accepted by General Neurology
    • Severe developmental/ intellectual impairment or behavioural / psychiatric disorders without regression – aetiology unknown, referred by a General Paediatrician, usually a once off diagnostic assessment
    • Macro/microcephaly – aetiology unknown, referred by a General Paediatrician, usually a once off diagnostic assessment
    • Tuberous sclerosis (diagnosis > 3 years of age, without epilepsy)
    • Static/acquired non-progressive cranial or peripheral neuropathies (e.g. eye movement disorders) – for aetiology assessment or prognosis advice, referred by a General Paediatrician
  • Category 3
    (appointment within 365 calendar days)
    • No category 3 criteria

1. Reason for request Indicate on the referral

  • To establish a diagnosis
  • For treatment or intervention
  • For advice and management
  • For specialist to take over management
  • Reassurance for GP/second opinion
  • For a specified test/investigation the GP can't order, or the patient can't afford or access
  • Reassurance for the patient/family
  • For other reason (e.g. rapidly accelerating disease progression)
  • Clinical judgement indicates a referral for specialist review is necessary

2. Essential referral information Referral will be returned without this

  • Details of clinical presentation (date of onset, symptoms/signs, investigations and treatment)
  • Current neurological examination

3. Additional referral information Useful for processing the referral

  • If the child is in foster care, please provide the name and regional office for the Child Safety Officer who is the responsible case manager.
  • Transfer of any neuroimaging to PACS at the hospital the patient is being referred to, with the imaging reports. If electronic imaging transfer is not available, then a CD of the neuroimaging and report should be sent to the neurologist named in the referral.

4. Request

Last updated: 13 June 2023