When you'll write one
A discharge letter is set when a patient leaves hospital or a service and someone in the community will continue care. Readers are usually GPs, community or practice nurses, or allied health staff who did not see the admission.
Usual readers: general practitioner, community nurse, heart failure nurse, practice nurse, district nurse, occupational therapist. Purpose verbs: request follow-up of, inform you of the discharge of, request a home visit for, hand over the care of, request ongoing monitoring of.
Structure
| Paragraph | Content | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · Purpose | Patient, the admission in one phrase, discharge date, and the follow-up you need. | Say 'discharged today' or give the date; the reader needs to know how soon to act. |
| 2 · What happened in hospital | Diagnosis, the key treatment and the patient's condition at discharge. | Summarise the admission; daily observations and ward routine do not belong here. |
| 3 · Changes and education | New or changed medicines, tests that are due, and what the patient and family have been taught. | Changes matter more than unchanged medicines; one phrase covers 'other medicines unchanged'. |
| 4 · Requests | Visit timing, what to check, warning signs and who to contact, plus booked appointments. | Give a measurable trigger, such as a weight gain of more than 2 kg in two days. |
Template (a structure, not sentences to memorise)
[Recipient name, title, address as given] [Today's date from the notes] Dear [title surname], Re: [patient full name], [DOB or age] [Purpose verb] + [patient] + [age] + who [was discharged / is being discharged] [date] following [admission reason]. [Relevant background] + [condition on admission] + [response to treatment] + [condition now]. [Medicine changes] + [tests due] + [education given] + [home support]. [Specific follow-up] + [timing] + [what to monitor] + [warning signs and who to contact] + [booked appointments]. Yours sincerely, [Your role]
Sample discharge letter (Nursing)
Case: A ward nurse is discharging a 79-year-old woman home after an admission with heart failure. The reader is a community heart failure nurse who will monitor her at home.
Case notes (16 lines)
- Mrs Iris Pemberton, DOB 11/07/1947 (79 yrs)
- Admitted 15/10/26 with acute decompensated heart failure; discharge 22/10/26
- Lives alone, first-floor unit with lift; daughter visits 3x/week
- Retired librarian; plays bingo at community centre on Thursdays
- PMHx: heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (EF 30%, 2024); atrial fibrillation; osteoarthritis both knees
- On admission: SOB at rest, bilateral ankle oedema to mid-calf, wt 74 kg
- IV furosemide 4 days → oral; wt at discharge 69.5 kg (dry weight per cardiology)
- Likely trigger: high salt intake (frozen meals, takeaway)
- Furosemide ↑ to 40 mg BD (prev. 40 mg mane); spironolactone 25 mg daily commenced
- Other meds unchanged (apixaban, bisoprolol, sacubitril/valsartan)
- 21/10: K+ 4.6 mmol/L, creatinine 112 µmol/L; repeat in 1 wk; GP informed
- Educated: daily weights, fluid restriction 1.5 L/day, low-salt diet; pt verbalised understanding
- Bathroom scales hard to read; daughter buying scales with large display
- Pt says she 'feels much better, keen to get home'
- Cardiology clinic 12/11/26
- Plan: HF nurse home visit within 48 hrs; contact team if wt ↑ > 2 kg in 2 days
Task: Using the information in the case notes, write a letter to Mr Daniel Kowal, Heart Failure Nurse, Bayview Community Heart Failure Service, 8 Tidewater Road, Bayview, requesting follow-up of Mrs Pemberton at home.
Mr Daniel Kowal
Heart Failure Nurse
Bayview Community Heart Failure Service
8 Tidewater Road
Bayview
22 October 2026
Dear Mr Kowal,
Re: Mrs Iris Pemberton, DOB 11/07/1947
I am writing to request a home visit1 for Mrs Pemberton, 79, who is being discharged today after admission with acute decompensated heart failure.
Mrs Pemberton, who has heart failure with reduced ejection fraction and atrial fibrillation, was admitted breathless at rest, with ankle oedema to mid-calf. After intravenous diuretics, her weight fell from 74 kg to 69.5 kg, which the cardiology team considers her dry weight2. The likely trigger was high salt intake from frozen and takeaway meals.
Her furosemide has been increased to 40 mg twice daily and spironolactone 25 mg daily started; her other medications are unchanged3. Her potassium and renal function therefore need to be rechecked in one week4; her GP is aware. She has been taught to weigh herself daily, limit fluids to 1.5 litres daily and follow a low-salt diet. She lives alone; her daughter visits three times weekly and is buying large-display scales.
I would be grateful if you could visit her within 48 hours to check her weight, oedema and blood pressure, and reinforce her dietary advice. Please contact us if her weight increases by more than 2 kg over two days5. Her cardiology appointment is on 12 November.
Yours sincerely,
[Name]
Registered Nurse
Body: 197 words
Why it works
- “I am writing to request a home visit”: Purpose: the action the reader must take is the first thing in the letter.
- “which the cardiology team considers her dry weight”: Content: gives the reader the target weight to measure against at every visit.
- “her other medications are unchanged”: Conciseness: three unchanged medicines summarised in one short phrase, so the changes stand out.
- “Her potassium and renal function therefore need to be rechecked in one week”: Organisation: links the new medicine to the test it requires, showing the reader why.
- “if her weight increases by more than 2 kg over two days”: Purpose expanded: a measurable trigger tells the nurse exactly when to escalate.
What it leaves out, and why
| Case note | Why it's left out or compressed |
|---|---|
| Retired librarian; plays bingo at community centre on Thursdays | Social detail that does not change the home visit. |
| Pt says she 'feels much better, keen to get home' | Her current condition is already shown by the clinical facts. |
| Other meds unchanged (apixaban, bisoprolol, sacubitril/valsartan) | Unchanged medicines are covered by one short phrase. |
| PMHx: heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (EF 30%, 2024); atrial fibrillation; osteoarthritis both knees | Kept the cardiac history; knee osteoarthritis does not affect this follow-up. |
Useful phrases (adapt, don't copy)
Opening
- I am writing to request [follow-up] for [patient], [age], who was discharged [today / on date] following [reason].
- [Patient] is being discharged home today after [treatment], and I would be grateful if you could [action].
- I am writing to inform you that [patient] was discharged on [date] and to request [specific follow-up].
Linking
- During [her / his] admission, …
- [She / He] responded well to …, and at discharge …
- As a result of these changes, …
- [She / He] and [carer] have been shown how to …
Closing
- I would be grateful if you could visit [patient] within [timeframe] to [check / reinforce …].
- Please contact [team] if [measurable warning sign].
- [She / He] has an appointment with [service] on [date].
- Please do not hesitate to contact the ward if you require further information.
Mistakes to avoid in a discharge letter
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Retelling the admission day by day, with every observation and ward event. | Summarise: reason for admission, key treatment, condition at discharge. |
| Listing every medicine without showing which ones changed. | Name the new or changed medicines, then cover the rest with 'her other medications are unchanged'. |
| Writing 'the patient will be educated' when the education has already happened. | Match the tense to the notes: 'She has been taught to…'. |
| Ending with 'please follow up' without saying when or what to check. | Give a timeframe, the checks and a clear warning sign for escalation. |
Questions candidates ask
Who do you write an OET discharge letter to?
To whoever will continue care after the patient leaves: most often a GP or a community, practice or district nurse, sometimes an allied health professional. The task names the reader; write for what that person needs to do next.
What is the difference between a discharge and a transfer letter?
A discharge letter usually sends the patient home, with a community professional following up. A transfer letter moves the patient to another facility or team that takes over day-to-day care, such as a rehabilitation unit or aged care home.
Should I list all the patient's medicines in a discharge letter?
Usually not. Highlight the new and changed medicines and anything the reader must monitor, then summarise the rest as unchanged. A full list can bury the changes the reader most needs to see.
How do you end an OET discharge letter?
With the expanded purpose: what you want the reader to do, by when, what to watch for, and any appointments already booked. A courteous closing line is fine, but it should not replace the specific request.
Other letter types: OET referral letter, OET transfer letter, OET advice letter, OET update letter. Lessons: Purpose: tell the reader what you need, Layout and paragraphs: a letter the reader can scan, Choosing what to keep from the case notes.
Sources
Last checked 22 Oct 2026. Rules and prices change: confirm on the official page before you book or apply.
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