Skip to content

GP transfer of care letter template

Australian documentation guide

A letter body for a documented GP-to-GP transfer request. It supports continuity while keeping pending work and the actual status of the handover visible.

The blank template

How to fill it in

  1. Copy the blank template into your record system.
  2. Fill in what was discussed or assessed. Keep uncertainty visible, and use [not stated] where required information is missing.
  3. Check the details and any gaps before saving or sharing. The clinician must explicitly confirm any generated content.

Reason for transfer

Explain the person’s request and the care being transferred. Include their priorities and communication preferences where recorded. Keep the intended recipient and consent to share clear in the sending workflow. Sending a summary does not establish that the new practice has accepted responsibility.

Active problems

Give the receiving GP a useful picture of the current issues and their status. Separate established diagnoses, symptoms still being assessed and past problems that have resolved. Identify an older list as older rather than silently treating every entry as active today.

Current medications

Include the available medicine list with its source and date. Preserve established names, strengths, directions and relevant discrepancies. A past prescription is not proof of current use. If the required list has not been obtained, write [not stated] instead of “none”.

Allergies and adverse reactions

Record the substance and reaction, identifying whether the information comes from the person, the current record or another service. Retain uncertainty and any conflict between sources. “No known allergy” and “history not obtained” mean different things.

Relevant history

Include the history that helps the new GP understand ongoing care, with dates where known. Mention access needs or the person’s preferences when relevant. Identify records actually enclosed and those still requested; a planned records transfer is not an attachment already received.

Outstanding actions

Set out pending results, referrals, reviews and other work actually documented. Include the agreed owner and timing when known. If responsibility has not been settled, say so clearly. Do not assign a new task to the receiving GP or move responsibility away from the outgoing clinician by implication.

Common omissions

Look especially for a pending test with no follow-up owner, an out-of-date medicine list and a transfer described as complete before acceptance is recorded. The person’s understanding of the arrangements can also be lost between services; include what was actually explained.

Review before sending

Check that the summary makes the current situation and unfinished work easy to follow. Confirm identifiers, recipient, consent and enclosures through the usual secure-sharing process. Verify the actual handover arrangements separately from the letter, including who remains responsible while the transfer is being arranged.

Worked examples

A requested transfer with a pending result and a named owner

Fictional example. Made up for this guide; no patient record was used. It shows how to write a record, with gaps left visible. It is not a care plan or a record to copy into someone's chart.

REASON FOR TRANSFER: The person is moving to another town and has asked for their care summary to be sent to their chosen new practice. Consent to send the summary is documented. Acceptance of the transfer has not yet been confirmed.
ACTIVE PROBLEMS: The current GP documents ongoing review of intermittent hearing difficulty. The person reports that communication at work is their main concern. No new diagnosis is recorded in this encounter.
CURRENT MEDICATIONS: The person reports no regular medicines. This is a patient-reported list, reviewed today, rather than an independently reconciled list.
ALLERGIES & ADVERSE REACTIONS: The person reports a rash after amoxicillin in childhood. The original reaction record is not available.
RELEVANT HISTORY: No previous ear surgery is reported. The person prefers written appointment details. Earlier consultation notes are included with the summary, as checked in the fictional sending workflow.
OUTSTANDING ACTIONS (AS DOCUMENTED): The audiology report is pending. The outgoing GP has documented that they will review it and contact the person while the transfer is being arranged. The new practice has not yet agreed to take over that action.

An incomplete transfer summary with responsibility unresolved

Fictional example. Made up for this guide; no patient record was used. It shows how to write a record, with gaps left visible. It is not a care plan or a record to copy into someone's chart.

REASON FOR TRANSFER: The person has requested a change of practice. The intended recipient and consent to share this summary are not stated in the extract.
ACTIVE PROBLEMS: An older problem list is available, but its current status has not been reviewed in this extract.
CURRENT MEDICATIONS: [not stated]
ALLERGIES & ADVERSE REACTIONS: [not stated]
RELEVANT HISTORY: Previous records have been requested; receipt is not confirmed.
OUTSTANDING ACTIONS (AS DOCUMENTED): A test result is described as pending. The test, expected timing and clinician responsible for follow-up are not stated. Transfer acceptance is not recorded.

Related templates

Start a consult with this template, free

Approved for publication by Tyson, 4 October 2026

Sources

Free to copy and adapt this template and guide, including for use in your practice. Sources linked above retain their own terms.

Use this guide to help write the record. It provides no clinical advice. The clinician remains responsible for checking that the record is accurate and complete. Check Medicare requirements, statutory forms and local policies separately.