Nursing — Transfer to a Residential Aged Care Facility
A nurse transfers a 79-year-old man with advanced dementia from a hospital ward to a residential aged care facility. The transfer letter must hand over current care needs, risks and routines so the receiving nurse can continue care safely from day one.
Letter type
Transfer
Write to
Registered Nurse, Residential Aged Care
Target length
180–200 words
The case notes
Patient: Mr Stanley Greaves, 79 years old
Reason for transfer: Day 12 — admitted with a urinary tract infection and confusion; now medically stable, transferring to permanent residential aged care
Cognition / behaviour: Advanced dementia; disorientated, wanders in the evenings; settles with reassurance and routine
Mobility / falls: Walks short distances with a frame; two falls this admission; needs supervision
Nutrition: Needs prompting and assistance at meals; modified (soft) diet for mild swallowing difficulty
Continence: Urinary incontinence — continence aids in use; bowels regular
Medication: Donepezil 10 mg ON; oral antibiotics completed; regular paracetamol
Skin: Grade 1 pressure area on sacrum — repositioning chart in place
Task: Write a transfer letter to the registered nurse at Oakfield Residential Aged Care describing the current care needs and risks so that care can continue without interruption.
Writing task
Write a transfer letter to the registered nurse at Oakfield Residential Aged Care describing the current care needs and risks so that care can continue without interruption.
What to include, what to cut
The hardest mark to win is selection. The same case notes contain decision-relevant facts and distractors. Here is what an examiner expects to see in a Grade B letter for this scenario, and what should be left out.
Include
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Advanced dementia with evening wandering and how he settles
The receiving nurse needs the behaviour and the management strategy on day one to keep him safe.
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Falls history and supervision needs
An active safety risk that shapes the care plan immediately.
-
Modified diet and meal assistance
A swallowing concern is a clinical safety issue; the soft diet must transfer.
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Sacral pressure area and repositioning chart
Ongoing skin care the facility must continue without a gap.
Leave out
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Full antibiotic course detail now completed
The infection is resolved; a single line that he was treated and is stable suffices. The drug-by-drug history is no longer decision-relevant.
-
Admission bloods and observations
Inpatient monitoring data does not transfer to a residential care setting; it adds length without informing care.
Criterion in focus · Organisation & Layout
Transfer letters carry a lot of parallel care needs. Grouping them logically — cognition, mobility, nutrition, skin — is what earns Organisation & Layout marks; a flat list of facts in random order does not.
Now write the letter — and find out what is blocking your Grade B
Write a 180–200 words transfer letter from these notes, paste it into the free checker for an instant read, then submit it for a human grade against all six criteria. Dr Mariam's team returns line-by-line feedback, from $12.