The task
Assume that today's date is 23 October 2026.
You are Mr Themba Ricci, Senior Radiographer in the Medical Imaging Department. You have investigated a complaint from the manager of the residential aged care facility where Mrs Papadopoulos lives. Using the information in the case notes, write a letter to Ms Rudo Georgiou, Facility Manager, responding to her complaint. Explain the findings of the investigation, what happened during the transfer and handover, and the actions that have been agreed. Address the letter to Ms Rudo Georgiou, Facility Manager, Residential Aged Care Facility, 12 Harbour Street. In your answer: expand the relevant notes into complete sentences; do not use note form; use letter format. The body of the letter should be approximately 180–200 words.
Length: the body of the letter should be about 180–200 words. You have 45 minutes in the test: 5 minutes to read, 40 to write. Letter type: Response letter.
Case notes
Patient details
- Name: Mrs Yan Papadopoulos
- DOB: 03/05/1939 (87 yrs)
- Resident of aged care facility since 2022
- Attended Medical Imaging Dept: 14/10/26
Background
- Alzheimer's dementia (moderate) — disoriented to time/place; easily distressed in unfamiliar settings
- Referral form from facility: 'fragile skin — use slide sheet for all transfers'
- Osteoporosis; L wrist fracture 2021
- Retired primary school teacher; enjoys listening to music
- Previous X-ray in this dept 2021 (L wrist) — uneventful
Complaint
- Written complaint rec'd 16/10/26 from Ms Rudo Georgiou, Facility Manager
- Concerns: pt absent > 9 hrs; returned 20:30 with no handover; new skin tear R forearm not reported; evening meal and meds missed
- Pt's daughter has posted criticism of hospital on social media
Investigation findings
- Request from GP: X-ray L hip + pelvis following fall at facility 13/10
- Arrived by patient transport 11:15; facility carer escort left 11:45 (per facility policy)
- Dept delayed by multiple trauma pts from road accident → imaging not completed until 15:40
- X-ray: no fracture seen; report sent to referring GP 16:30
- Skin alert on referral not checked at booking-in; transferred trolley → X-ray table by 2 staff without slide sheet → skin tear (approx 3 cm) R forearm noticed after imaging
- Skin tear cleaned + dressed by dept nurse; not documented in imaging record
- Food/fluids: sandwich + drink offered 13:00 — ate little; no further food or drink offered or recorded; evening meds (due 17:00 per facility med chart) not sent with pt + not identified by dept staff → not given; facility not contacted re missed dose; unclear whether facility asked at booking to send meds — still under review
- Return transport booked 16:00; transport service delayed (high demand) → departed 19:50
- Hospital policy: written transfer summary to travel with pt + phone handover to facility before departure — neither done; skin tear, poor intake + missed meds not handed over; verbal message to transport crew only
- Dept nurse commented that facility 'always sends residents without enough information'
- Facility not updated by phone about transport delay
Actions agreed
- Skin integrity alerts + existing handling instructions on referral to be checked at booking-in; individual transfer assessment before each transfer; appropriate slide sheet or other transfer aid to be used as assessed
- New transfer checklist (from 21/10/26): written summary (imaging done, results sent to GP, any incidents, food/fluids/meds given) + phone handover to facility before departure; during prolonged waits, dept nurse to review food, fluids + due meds and contact facility
- If return transport delayed > 1 hr → dept to phone facility with update
- Pts with dementia from aged care to be prioritised in imaging queue where clinically safe; quieter waiting area
- Staff training: skin tear prevention + handover — 05/11/26
- Incident logged in hospital incident system; outcome to be reviewed at dept quality meeting 03/12/26
- Apology; meeting with Ms Georgiou offered
- Contact for follow-up: Senior Radiographer, direct line 0400 000 000
Who is reading, and what do they need?
Ms Georgiou is the Facility Manager who wrote the complaint, so she knows her four concerns but not what happened in the department. She needs a clear account of each concern and the specific changes made. She is a manager, not a radiographer, so use plain wording and keep timings brief but precise.
What to include
Selection is the skill the Content and Conciseness criteria reward. These notes earn their place:
| Case note | Why it belongs |
|---|---|
| Skin alert on referral not checked; transfer without slide sheet; approx 3 cm R forearm skin tear | This answers the unreported skin tear concern and shows the department accepts that the referral warning was missed. |
| Tear cleaned and dressed by dept nurse; not documented in imaging record | The facility needs to know the injury was treated, and that it was not recorded or reported, to follow up the resident's skin care. |
| Trauma patients delayed imaging until 15:40; report sent to GP 16:30 | Explains the start of the long absence and shows the result went to the referring GP, which the facility may not know. |
| Only sandwich and drink at 13:00, little eaten; 17:00 meds not sent or identified | Answers the missed meal and medicines concern. The reason meds were not sent (whether the facility was asked) is still under review and must be stated that way. |
| Transport booked 16:00, left 19:50; no written summary, phone handover or delay update | Explains the 20:30 return and the absent handover, a policy breach by the department that the complaint centres on. |
| Booking-in alert check, individual transfer assessment, slide sheet or other aid as assessed | This is the agreed action that responds directly to the skin tear, so it must be stated in full. |
| Checklist from 21/10/26; prolonged-wait review of food, fluids, meds; call if transport delayed over 1 hr; dementia priority, quieter area | These agreed actions answer the missed meal, medicines and handover concerns and the distress risk for residents with dementia. |
| Apology; meeting offered; training 05/11/26; incident logged; review 03/12/26; direct line contact | Shows accountability and gives Ms Georgiou a follow-up route and dates to hold the department to. |
What to leave out or compress
| Case note | Why it goes |
|---|---|
| Daughter posted criticism of hospital on social media | Trap: it is on the card but not part of Ms Georgiou's complaint, and mentioning it would sound defensive in a formal response. |
| Dept nurse said facility 'always sends residents without enough information' | An unprofessional, blaming remark that the letter should not repeat; it would inflame the complaint and is not a finding. |
| Facility carer escort left 11:45 per facility policy | Trap: accurate, but it could read as shifting blame and does not explain the skin tear, missed meds or lack of handover. |
| Retired primary school teacher; enjoys listening to music | Personal detail the facility already knows; it has no bearing on the findings or actions. |
| Osteoporosis; L wrist fracture 2021; previous uneventful X-ray 2021 | Past history that does not explain what went wrong on 14/10 and would use up limited words. |
A paragraph plan for this case
Open with the reference to the complaint received 16/10/26 and the investigation. Then give the findings in the order of her concerns: delay, skin tear, food and medicines, then handover and transport. Follow with the agreed actions, and close with the apology, meeting offer and contact.
Where candidates slip on this task
- The cause of the missed medicines is not settled: whether the facility was asked at booking to send them is still under review, so report it as under review and do not assign responsibility to either party.
- Check the tense of the dates: the checklist started 21/10/26, before today's 23 October date, while training on 05/11/26 and the quality meeting on 03/12/26 are still to come.
- With only 180–200 words, answering every complaint point and every agreed action tempts you to list clock times; keep only the timings that explain the delay and the handover gap.
No model letter is published here. Write for the named reader from the case notes in the timed editor, then get it marked.
Write it in the timed editor and get marked on the 6 criteria
More Radiography letter tasks
- Response to a mother's concern about radiation from repeated X-rays after her son's forearm fracture response letter
- Information on a reaction to CT contrast response letter
- Complaint about an older patient's wait in the department response letter
Your profession's guide: OET Radiography. Layout and structure: OET letter format.
Questions about this task
Should I mention that the carer escort left at 11:45?
The notes say this followed facility policy, but including it risks sounding as though responsibility is being shifted. It does not explain the skin tear, the missing handover or the missed medicines, so it is safer left out of a complaint response.
How should I treat the daughter's social media post?
Leave it out. The complaint came from Ms Georgiou, and the response should address her stated concerns and the agreed actions. The post is not part of her complaint, and raising it could seem defensive.
Sources
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