Patient referrals
A trusted referral pathway for inpatient and residential addiction treatment
Referral Process
Castle Health works with private and public health service GPs, psychiatrists, therapists, and insurers across the UK and Europe to provide specialist treatment for patients with complex addiction and co-occurring mental health challenges.
We offer outpatient services across the UK and Europe, which you can refer into directly. When your patient needs more than outpatient care can offer – when residential rehab is the right call – we facilitate that step too, at one of our established inpatient clinics in Scotland, Ireland, and those serving our wider European network.
Read more about our referral process.
The first step in your patient's recovery journey
Who can refer a patient to Castle Health?
We accept patient referrals from:
- GPs and primary care clinicians
- Psychiatrists and other consultant clinicians
- Therapists, counsellors, and addiction specialists
- Private medical insurers and case managers
- Occupational health teams and employee assistance programmes
- Hospital discharge teams
How our patient referral process works
We’ve structured the process to make life as straightforward as possible for the referrer, while protecting clinical rigour at every stage.
1. Submit a referral
Use the secure referral form linked at the bottom of this page, or contact our admissions team directly by phone or email. We’ll endeavor to acknowledge receipt the same working day.
2. Clinical assessment
Our admissions team and clinical leads review the referral, with a thorough assessment to determine the most appropriate level and location of care. This often takes place within 48 hours.
3. Treatment recommendation
We share our clinical recommendation with you and your patient. This may be residential care at one of our clinics, outpatient treatment, or a combined pathway.
Where helpful, we’ll talk you through alternatives so you and your patient can make an informed decision.
4. Admission planning
Once a placement is agreed, we coordinate the admission – bed availability, paperwork, transport, and any clinical handover from your team to ours. We aim to admit within days, not weeks, where the clinical situation requires it.
5. Continuing communication
Throughout your patient’s stay, we maintain open lines with the referring clinician. With your patient’s consent, we share progress updates and discharge plans, and coordinate the transition back to your care or to ongoing, collaborative outpatient support.
Our residential and outpatient services
Castle Health is a network of addiction treatment services across the UK and Europe. The structure of the network means we can match patients to the right setting, rather than fitting them around what’s available.
Residential treatment
We provide residential rehab at two flagship clinics:
- Castle Craig, Scotland – established 1988, set on an 18th-century estate in the Scottish Borders, within commuting distance of Edinburgh and Glasgow. Castle Craig is one of the most established residential rehab clinics in the UK.
- Smarmore Castle, Ireland – established 2015, set in the Irish countryside in County Louth, combining traditional treatment approaches with modern therapies.
We also offer residential services across wider Europe through additional clinics in our network. Our admissions team will talk you through the locations and clinical fit for your patient.
Outpatient treatment
For patients who don’t require residential care, or as a continuing-care step following residential treatment, we provide outpatient services across the UK and Europe.
Outpatient pathways can be set up as standalone treatment or as part of an integrated programme alongside residential care.
When residential rehab is the right call
You’ll usually know better than we will whether your patient needs intensive residential care. The patients we see most often arriving through professional referral fall into one or more of these groups:
- Severe substance dependency where outpatient care has not been sufficient
- Multiple previous attempts at treatment, with episodes of relapse
- Patients requiring medically supervised detoxification
- Co-occurring addiction and mental health conditions where integrated treatment is needed
- Patients without a stable or safe home environment for outpatient recovery
- Patients who would benefit from a period away from daily triggers and stressors
- Patients who respond well to structured, immersive routines
If you’re not sure whether residential or outpatient is the right next step, our admissions team can discuss the case with you before a formal referral is made.
What happens on arrival
For patients moving into residential care, the first 48 hours follow a clear pattern:
- Medical assessment. Our clinical team reviews the patient’s history, current medication, physical health, and mental health. Bloods and urinalysis are taken where clinically indicated.
- Detox support, where needed. Medically supervised detox is provided by the clinical team, with 24-hour nursing presence. Detox protocols vary by substance and clinical picture.
- Treatment planning. Once the patient is medically stable, an individual treatment plan is set out, drawing on individual therapy, group work, and structured activity.
- Family involvement. With the patient’s consent, family members can be included in family therapy and discharge planning.
You’ll be kept informed at each of these stages, in line with the consent arrangements agreed at referral.
Make a referral
The fastest way to refer a patient is via our secure referral form above.
If you’d prefer to speak to someone first, our admissions team is available by phone and email during working hours, with an out-of-hours response for urgent cases.
Phone: +44 (20) 3098 2503
Email: info@castlehealth.com