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Recall and reminder letter template

Australian documentation guide

A letter body for a documented recall or reminder. It records the agreed request without deciding clinical urgency or treating a letter as proof of contact.

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.

Purpose of letter

Say why the practice is getting in touch, in plain and respectful language. Use the documented reason for the recall or reminder. A clinically significant result recall and a routine preventive-care reminder serve different purposes; do not treat them as interchangeable or imply a diagnosis that has not been explained.

Action needed

Make the request easy to find: for example, contact the practice or attend an appointment already arranged. Include the clinician’s stated timing and reason where appropriate. Do not calculate urgency from a test name, an overdue date or an unanswered message. If the required action is missing, leave [not stated] for review.

Avoid wording that blames the person for not attending or responding. If earlier contact matters, describe the recorded attempts accurately. A reminder should help someone take the next step without making assumptions about why they have not done so.

Next steps and contact

Give a practical way to respond using verified practice details. Mention booking arrangements or communication support only as established; an offer to arrange an interpreter is different from confirmation that one is booked. Keep any recorded barriers or preferences visible for the team following up.

Be clear about status. Preparing a letter, sending it, delivering it, receiving a reply and booking an appointment are separate events. The correspondence itself cannot confirm that the person has received the message or that follow-up is complete.

Common omissions

The reason for contact, requested timeframe and team responsible for follow-up are easy to leave vague. Check whether another action is already underway, such as a booked appointment or an agreed phone call, so the letter reflects the current record.

Review before sending

Check that the person can understand the request and knows how to respond. Confirm the recall reason and any stated urgency with the clinician’s documentation. Verify contact details, communication preferences and the practice’s follow-up process. Record actual contact attempts and responses in that workflow rather than marking a prepared draft as completed follow-up.

Worked examples

A documented request to arrange a results appointment

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.

PURPOSE OF LETTER: Dear patient, Dr Lee has reviewed your recent test report and asked us to help you arrange an appointment to discuss it. The clinician documented this as a results recall.
ACTION NEEDED: Please contact the practice by 8 October to book the appointment, as requested by Dr Lee. This letter does not include an interpretation of the results.
NEXT STEPS & CONTACT: The practice's verified booking details are added in the sending system. Please let the team know if you need help arranging the appointment or would like an interpreter. At the time this draft was prepared, an appointment had not been booked and receipt of the letter had not been confirmed.

A routine reminder with the requested action still unclear

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.

PURPOSE OF LETTER: A routine preventive-care reminder is listed for preparation. The specific activity and reason for the reminder are not stated in this extract.
ACTION NEEDED: [not stated]
NEXT STEPS & CONTACT: Intended contact is the practice team. The contact details, timing and preferred way to reach the person are not stated. This draft is not a record of a completed contact attempt.

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.