Nursing · Referral letter · Task 4

Home assessment after repeated near falls

You are a nurse at Meadow General Practice. Today is 24 September 2026. Using the case notes, write a referral letter to Ms Amara Blake, Community Falls Nurse, Meadow Health Centre, 14 Field Road, Fairford. Request a falls assessment, highlighting function and the patient’s concern about its purpose. Write approximately 180-200 words in the body of your letter.

Patient: Thomas Reed, born 9 March 1945

Case notes

• N01Patient: Thomas Reed; lives with wife; two near falls in hallway in past fortnight; no injury reported; reviewed by GP today.
• N02Observed: uses walking stick; feels unsteady when turning in narrow hallway; loose mat noted in patient description; no home assessment yet.
• N03GP plan: refer for falls assessment within two weeks; prescribed medicines unchanged; GP to review medication separately 3 October.
• N04Function: independent washing and dressing; avoids going to local shop because worried about falling; wife cannot provide physical support.
• N05Patient priority: remain independent; worried referral means residential care; nurse explained assessment purpose but concern persists.
• N06Communication: mild hearing difficulty; face patient when speaking; prefers afternoon appointments; consented to referral.
• N07Request: assess home risks and mobility under existing plan; share recommendations with GP; do not instruct unsupervised new exercises.
• N08Other: former bus driver; owns model trains; last holiday at coast in 2022.