A good referral letter tells the reader who the client is, why you're writing, and what you need from them, ideally on one page. Below are three templates to copy and adapt: an outgoing referral to a general practitioner (GP) or specialist, a reply to a referral you've received, and a progress update to a GP. They do different jobs, so keep them separate. Each suits physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists (speech and language therapists in the UK), and psychologists.
What should an Allied Health referral letter include?
An Allied Health referral letter should include the client's identifying details, your reason for writing, the clinical information relevant to that reason, a specific request, the urgency, and your contact details. Write it for the recipient, and leave out anything the referral doesn't need.
Physiotherapy documentation guidelines advise that letters to third parties give the recipient enough information to understand the client's health status or decide on ongoing care, suit the reader, and leave out sensitive information that isn't relevant. This includes:
- Client details: full name, date of birth, and an identifier the recipient will recognise.
- Reason for referral: one sentence on what you're asking for, such as a review, an assessment, or an opinion.
- Relevant clinical information: presenting concerns, findings, treatment to date, and the client's response.
- Your request: the specific question or action.
- Urgency: some services triage referrals by urgency, so state it plainly.
- Consent and your details: what the client has agreed to share, plus your name, profession, and contact details.
Writing an outgoing letter to a GP or specialist
Use this when you want another practitioner to see, assess, or advise on your client. Copy the right-hand column and replace everything in square brackets.
| Section | Text to adapt |
|---|---|
| Header | [Practice name, address, phone, email]. [Date]. Dr [Full name], [Practice or service], [Address]. |
| Greeting and subject | Dear Dr [Surname], Re: [Client full name], DOB [date of birth], [address or identifier] |
| Reason | I'm referring [first name] for [review / assessment / your opinion] regarding [concern]. Urgency: [routine / within X weeks / urgent]. |
| Background | [First name] has attended [number] sessions with me since [date] for [presenting concern]. |
| Findings and treatment | [Findings relevant to this referral only.] [Intervention to date and the client's response.] |
| Request | Could you please [specific question or action]? |
| Consent | [First name] has consented to this referral and to my sharing the information in this letter. |
| Close | I'm happy to discuss on [phone] or [email]. Kind regards, [Name], [Profession and qualifications], [Registration number, if applicable]. Enclosures: [reports, if relevant and agreed]. |
Tips to remember while filling in a template
- Write the request first, then keep only what supports it.
- Use measures instead of adjectives. "Flexion to about half range" tells a GP more than "significantly limited".
- Keep background to two or three sentences, and address a named practitioner where you can.
An example of a completed outgoing referral letter
Here's how a physiotherapist might complete it. The client and GP are fictional.
Dear Dr Patel, Re: Sam Jones, DOB 14/03/1978. I'm referring Sam for medical review of right shoulder pain. Urgency: routine, within four weeks. Sam has attended six sessions with me since 2 February for shoulder pain after a fall. Active flexion is limited to about half range and Sam reports pain most nights. Graded exercise and manual therapy have produced little change. Could you please review Sam and consider whether further investigation is appropriate? Sam has consented to this referral and to my sharing this information.
How to reply to an incoming referral
When someone refers a client to you, reply to confirm you've received the referral, explain what happens next, and say when they'll hear from you again. Keep it a short courtesy letter rather than a clinical report.
| Section | Text to adapt |
|---|---|
| Greeting and subject | Dear Dr [Surname], Re: [Client full name], DOB [date of birth] |
| Acknowledgement | Thank you for referring [first name] to me for [reason stated in the referral]. |
| Status | [I saw [first name] for an initial assessment on [date]. / [First name] is booked for an initial assessment on [date].] |
| Initial plan | [One or two sentences on the planned approach, and a direct answer to any question the referrer asked.] |
| Next update | I'll write again after [assessment / review / number of sessions], or sooner if anything changes. Kind regards, [Name, profession, contact details]. |
Writing a GP letter after an assessment or progress review
A GP progress letter summarises what's changed since you last wrote, where the client is now, and what happens next. Lead with the headline, keep findings to the measures that matter for the GP's decisions, and flag anything you need them to act on.
Some funding schemes require a written report back to the referring GP after certain services, such as the first service under a referral, so check the reporting rules for any scheme your client is funded under.
| Section | Text to adapt |
|---|---|
| Subject | Re: [Client full name], DOB [date of birth]. Progress update. |
| Summary | [First name] has attended [number] sessions since [date / my last letter]. Overall, [one-sentence headline]. |
| Current status | [Current measures compared with baseline, and progress on goals agreed with the client.] |
| Plan | [Planned sessions, review date, or discharge plan.] |
| Action needed | [What you'd like the GP to do, or "No action needed at this stage."] Kind regards, [Name, profession, contact details]. |
GP letter templates by profession
The three templates work for every discipline. What changes is the detail each recipient needs.
| Profession | What to add | What to leave out |
|---|---|---|
| Physiotherapists | Objective measures and functional goals. | Long treatment descriptions the recipient won't act on. |
| Occupational therapists | Impact on daily activities, environment, and any equipment recommendations. | Home or family detail beyond what the request needs. |
| Speech pathologists | Communication or swallowing findings and the assessments used. For a second opinion, one hospital service asks for the assessment report and specific clinical questions. | Session-by-session notes. |
| Psychologists | A brief summary of presenting concerns, the general approach, and anything the recipient needs to know to act. | Session content and personal history not relevant to the request. |
How formal should a referral letter be?
A referral letter should be professional but plain. Address a named person, use a professional greeting such as "Dear Dr Patel", and keep sentences short. Spell out discipline-specific abbreviations and assessment names, because the recipient may not know them. Also remember to write as if the client might read it.
Sharing client information and seeing consent
Share the minimum the recipient needs, and only where the client has consented or would reasonably expect the disclosure. Tell clients at intake that you may write to others involved in their care, and note what they agree to. The legal details differ by country, but the principle is similar.
- Australia: health information can be disclosed for the purpose it was collected. For another purpose you generally need consent unless an exception applies, such as a directly related purpose the client would reasonably expect.
- UK: NHS England's policy says implied consent can apply when information is shared for direct care with the client's healthcare team. Otherwise, express consent is required.
- New Zealand: no further permission is needed where disclosure was one of the reasons for collection, but the client should have been told at the time.
Professional codes can be stricter. One physiotherapy code requires recorded permission before disclosing identifiable information, unless the law requires or permits it. Check your national regulator, such as Ahpra’s shared code of conduct in Australia or the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) Guidance on Confidentiality in the UK.
Valid consent is informed, voluntary, current, and specific, and comes from someone with capacity, according to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner's guide to health privacy. Check again before sending anything sensitive. If you practise in Australia and use telehealth, our telehealth compliance guide covers the privacy side.
How to reuse templates and save time on letters
Save the three templates once, pre-fill everything that never changes, and pull findings from your clinical notes. You then edit a few lines instead of starting from a blank page.
- Keep three separate templates. Merged templates produce letters that answer the wrong question.
- Pre-fill the fixed parts. Letterhead, sign-off, qualifications, and contact details.
- Write notes you can lift from. See our guide to writing progress notes and our SOAP note templates.
- Build a phrase bank. Stock lines for consent, urgency, and next steps.
- Read it once as the recipient. Could they act without calling you? Check the identifiers, and send it by a secure method your practice has approved, with a copy saved to the client record.
If you're bringing AI into your documentation, our guide to getting started with splose AI covers setup.
Does a client need a referral to see an Allied Health practitioner?
Not always, and it depends on where you practice and how the client is funded. Some places let clients see an Allied Health practitioner without a GP referral, though some funding schemes and public services set their own rules. If based in the UK, check the Revised Guide for referral to treatment and if based in New Zealand, we recommend reading up on the govt’s rules for patients around seeing a specialist.
Do I need written consent to write to a client's GP?
Not always. Written consent is not strictly required under Australian law, though express consent (which can be verbal or written) is mandatory before disclosing a client's health information to their General Practitioner (GP)
Yes, you generally need explicit consent (preferably written) from a client to write to their GP in the UK, as sharing personal health data is governed by strict confidentiality and data protection rules.
In New Zealand, whether you need written consent to write to a client's General Practitioner (GP) depends on the context, your profession, and what specific information you are sharing or requesting.
Irrespective of the legislation, noting the client's agreement is a sensible habit either way.
How long should a referral letter be?
Aim for one page. Include enough for the recipient to understand the client's status and act on your request, and attach a full report only if it's relevant and the client has agreed. Put the request in the first few lines.
All it takes is three templates to get started
Copy the outgoing referral, reply, and progress update templates into your system, adjust them for your discipline, and add a consent line you're comfortable with. Your next letter will start partly done.
