Writing an OET Nursing letter to a non-clinical reader: social workers, carers and families
When the reader of your OET letter is not a doctor or nurse, such as a social worker, a care-home manager, a school staff member or a patient's family, keep the letter formal but replace clinical shorthand and jargon with plain explanations, and choose case notes by what that reader has to do. Lead with the request in their terms (support at home, supervision, a safety plan), give only the medical detail that explains why it is needed, and say exactly what you are asking them to arrange.
Why the reader changes the letter
Most OET Nursing practice letters go to a doctor or another nurse, so it is easy to fall into one habit: clinical vocabulary, medication lists, investigation results. But the task can name a reader who is not a health professional, or who works in health and social care without clinical training. Common examples in nursing practice are:
- a hospital or community social worker arranging support at home
- a care-home or residential facility manager preparing to take a resident
- a school nurse or school staff member responsible for a child during the day
- a parent, partner or family carer who will look after the patient
- a community support or meals service coordinator
Two of the six criteria are directly about the reader. Content asks whether you chose the information this reader needs; Genre & Style asks whether the register and technical level suit them. A letter that would be excellent for a GP can lose marks on both if it is sent, unchanged, to a social worker. Read our guide to choosing which case notes to include for the general method; this article covers what changes for a non-clinical reader.
What to keep, cut and translate
| Case-note information | Clinical reader (GP, ward nurse) | Non-clinical reader (social worker, family) |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnosis and procedure | State it with clinical terms | State it in plain words, briefly |
| Medication names and doses | Usually relevant | Usually only how the patient takes them and what help they need |
| Observations and test results | Include abnormal or relevant ones | Usually leave out; give the practical meaning instead |
| Mobility and self-care | Relevant | Often the core of the letter |
| Home situation, stairs, who lives with the patient | Brief | Central: this is what the reader can act on |
| Warning signs to watch for | Clinical criteria | Plain signs plus what to do (who to call) |
| Follow-up appointments | Relevant | Relevant if the reader must arrange transport or attendance |
The principle: the reader should be able to act on every paragraph. If a sentence only makes sense to a clinician and does not change what this reader will do, it probably does not belong.
Plain-language swaps
Keep the tone formal while lowering the technical level. Some useful swaps:
| Clinical wording | Plain but formal wording |
|---|---|
| mobilising with a four-wheeled walker | walking with a wheeled walking frame |
| at risk of falls | at risk of falling, particularly at night |
| hypoglycaemic episode | an episode of low blood sugar |
| cognitive impairment | memory and concentration difficulties |
| ADLs with assistance of one | needs one person to help with washing and dressing |
| non-compliant with medication | has not been taking her medication as prescribed |
| wound dressing every second day | a dressing change every second day by the community nurse |
Notice that "non-compliant" becomes neutral and descriptive, not judgemental. That matters for Genre & Style whoever the reader is; see formal tone and Genre & Style.
Worked example (fictional patient)
Case notes (extract):
Mr Dariusz Nowak, 81 y.o. Adm 9/4 after fall at home, # (R) wrist, cast applied. Hx: T2DM (metformin 1 g bd), mild dementia (MMSE 21/30), HTN. Widower, lives alone, 1st-floor flat, no lift. Daughter lives 2 hrs away, visits monthly. Neighbour checks occasionally. Pt unable to open med packets 1-handed. Forgot lunch x2 on ward. D/C planned 16/4.
Writing task: Write to Ms Grace Mensah, Social Worker, Riverside Community Services, requesting support at home for Mr Nowak after discharge.
A clinical-style opening (less suitable for this reader):
I am writing to refer Mr Nowak, an 81-year-old man with T2DM, HTN and mild dementia (MMSE 21/30), admitted on 9 April with a right distal radius fracture following a mechanical fall, for community support.
It is accurate, but the abbreviations, the test score and the fracture terminology are aimed at a doctor. Ms Mensah needs to know what help Mr Nowak needs at home.
A reader-focused opening:
I am writing to request support at home for Mr Dariusz Nowak, an 81-year-old man who will be discharged on 16 April after breaking his right wrist in a fall. He lives alone and will need help with meals and medication while his arm is in a cast.
A reader-focused middle paragraph:
Mr Nowak has mild memory difficulties, and on the ward he forgot two meals. He also has diabetes, for which he takes tablets twice a day, but with one hand in a cast he cannot open his medication packets. He lives in a first-floor flat without a lift, and his daughter, who lives two hours away, visits once a month.
The diabetes diagnosis stays because it explains why missed meals and missed tablets matter. The dementia test score, blood pressure history and exact dose go, because they do not change what the social worker arranges.
A clear request and close:
I would therefore be grateful if you could arrange daily assistance with meals and medication, and assess whether a medication packing service would be appropriate. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require further information.
Writing to a parent or family carer
When the reader is a family member, the same rules apply with two additions:
- Explain what to watch for and what to do. "If she becomes drowsy or confused, or her temperature is above the level the nurse showed you, please call the ward or emergency services" is more useful than a clinical description of sepsis.
- Stay respectful and objective. Avoid emotional language ("this must be very worrying for you"). Formal does not mean cold: "Please do not hesitate to contact the ward" is warm enough.
A quick check before you finish
- Would this reader understand every word without looking anything up?
- Can they act on each paragraph?
- Is the request specific: what, for whom, from when?
- Is any test result or dose left in only because it was in the notes?
Practise and check
Pick a case from the practice case notes and rewrite the letter for a non-clinical reader, then check your letter. medEmu marks each of the six criteria separately and shows which case notes you included, missed or included unnecessarily, so you can see whether you chose for the reader. Your first letter is graded free without an account. Grades are estimates for practice, not official OET results, and medEmu is not affiliated with OET. For opening lines, see OET letter opening sentences; for abbreviations, see abbreviations in OET Writing.
Sources
This guide is medEmu's writing advice, not official OET guidance; the patient and case notes are invented. The six criteria named here are OET's Writing criteria. For OET's official information about the Writing sub-test and its assessment criteria, see oet.com.