Write to the community nursing team about a patient who understands her wound plan but cannot open her dressing packets. Choose the details the nurse needs for the home visits.
Original practice material written by OETify.
Rosa Delgado and her care record are invented. The task practises choosing and organising information in English, not clinical treatment.
By the OETify editorial team.
Nursing task: referral for wound support
You are the nurse on the surgical ward at Larch District Hospital. Today is 6 October 2026. Write to Priya Menon, Community Nurse, Alder Community Nursing Service, 18 Orchard Road, Larch. Request the home visits agreed in the notes for Rosa Delgado after discharge today. Write the letter in full sentences. Use the notes to decide what the recipient needs. Aim for about 180 to 200 words in the body of the letter.
OET Writing allows 5 minutes for reading and 40 minutes for writing. Use those times if you want timed practice. The notes describe a fictional care plan, not a treatment recommendation.
Case notes for 6 October 2026
| Record | Case notes |
|---|---|
| Patient | Rosa Delgado; aged 67; lives alone in a ground-floor flat |
| Admission | 2 October 2026: planned excision of a benign skin lesion on left forearm |
| Background | Hand osteoarthritis; difficulty gripping small packaging; no recorded medicine allergies |
| Previous history | Cataract surgery in 2021; no current visual difficulty; retired library assistant |
| Ward review, 5 October | Wound clean and dry; no redness or discharge; patient comfortable |
| Discharge review, 6 October | Wound remains clean and dry; afebrile; independent with washing, getting dressed and meals |
| Dressing plan | Surgical team plan: community nurse to inspect wound and change dressing on 8 and 11 October |
| Current ability | Rosa explains the dressing plan correctly; unable to open dressing packets because of hand stiffness |
| Support | Son lives nearby; can deliver shopping on weekends; unavailable for weekday dressing help |
| Supplies | Dressing supplies and written wound plan provided at discharge |
| Advice already given | Keep current dressing dry; contact surgical ward if fever, increasing pain, redness or discharge occurs |
| Follow-up | Surgical outpatient review on 13 October; son will provide transport |
| Requested action | Community service to confirm visits on 8 and 11 October with Rosa; inspect wound and change dressing as planned |
| Contact arrangements | Rosa agrees to referral; referral form contains her telephone number and home address |
Complete your referral
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