The Planned surgery communication toolkit includes a series of letter templates for health services to keep patients informed about their planned surgery.
These templates support improved communication quality and reduce the risk of patients not attending planned surgery appointments and missing out on valuable care.
These templates use behaviourally informed principles and consumer insights and feedback to:
- promote consistent, respectful and clear communication with patients
- encourage patients to attend their planned surgery
- encourage patients to cancel or reschedule if they are not ready for or unable to attend their surgery
- remind patients to take other actions such as bringing appropriate documents on the day
- reduce costs for health services.
Advice and practical tips on how to promote consistent, respectful and clear communication with patients when designing letter and short message service (SMS) reminders can be found in the Specialist clinics communication toolkit.
The template letters to patients:
- are accessible and in plain language, and therefore easy to understand
- are patient-centred and consider the health literacy of Victorians
- are designed to meet the requirements of the Planned Surgery Access Policy, ensuring hospitals can provide all the necessary information and meet mandatory communication points.
- have been translated into Arabic, Chinese (simplified), English, Greek, Italian and Vietnamese.
Letter templates
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Surgery date and time
Advice of date and time for surgeryDate of planned surgery needs to be changedAdvice that the date and time for surgery has been changedSurgery delays
Advice that surgery has been delayed for urgency category 1 patientsAdvice that surgery has been delayed for urgency category 2 patientsAdvice that surgery has been delayed for urgency category 3 patientsChanges to clinical urgency category
Advice that the clinical urgency category for planned surgery has been changedReadiness for surgery
Confirmation that the patient is on the planned surgery preparation list and is listed as ready for surgeryConfirmation that the patient is already on the planned surgery preparation list and is not ready for surgery for personal reasonsConfirmation that the patient is now on the planned surgery preparation list but not ready for surgery for personal reasonsConfirmation that the patient is not ready for surgery as they are waiting for an improvement of their clinical conditionConfirmation that the patient is on the planned surgery preparation list but not ready for surgery for clinical reasonsConfirmation that the patient has been removed from the planned surgery preparation list -
Surgery date and time
Advice of date and time for surgery (Arabic)Date of planned surgery needs to be changed (Arabic)Advice that the date and time for surgery has been changed (Arabic)Surgery delays
Advice that surgery has been delayed for urgency category 1 patients (Arabic)Advice that surgery has been delayed for urgency category 2 patients (Arabic)Advice that surgery has been delayed for urgency category 3 patients (Arabic)Changes to clinical urgency category
Advice that the clinical urgency category for planned surgery has been changed (Arabic)Readiness for surgery
Confirmation that the patient is on the planned surgery preparation list and is listed as ready for surgery (Arabic)Confirmation that the patient is already on the planned surgery preparation list and is not ready for surgery for personal reasons(Arabic)Confirmation that the patient is now on the planned surgery preparation list but not ready for surgery for personal reasons (Arabic)Confirmation that the patient is on the planned surgery preparation list but not ready for surgery for clinical reasons (Arabic)Confirmation that the patient has been removed from the planned surgery preparation list (Arabic) -
Surgery date and time
Advice of date and time for surgery (Chinese simplified)Date of planned surgery needs to be changed (Chinese simplified)Advice that the date and time for surgery has been changed (Chinese simplified)Surgery delays
Advice that surgery has been delayed for urgency category 1 patients (Chinese simplified)Advice that surgery has been delayed for urgency category 2 patients (Chinese simplified)Advice that surgery has been delayed for urgency category 3 patients (Chinese simplified)Changes to clinical urgency category
Advice that the clinical urgency category for planned surgery has been changed (Chinese simplified)Readiness for surgery
Confirmation that the patient is on the planned surgery preparation listed as ready for surgery (Chinese simplified)Confirmation that the patient is already on the planned surgery preparation list and is not ready for surgery for personal reasons (Chinese simplified)Confirmation that the patient is now on the planned surgery preparation list but not ready for surgery for personal reasons (Chinese simplified)Confirmation that the patient is on the planned surgery preparation list but not ready for surgery for clinical reasons (Chinese simplified)Confirmation that the patient has been removed from the planned surgery preparation list (Chinese simplified) -
Surgery date and time
Advice of date and time for surgery (Greek)Date of planned surgery needs to be changed (Greek)Advice that the date and time for surgery has been changed (Greek)Surgery delays
Advice that surgery has been delayed for urgency category 1 patients (Greek)Advice that surgery has been delayed for urgency category 2 patients (Greek)Advice that surgery has been delayed for urgency category 3 patients (Greek)Changes to clinical urgency category
Advice that the clinical urgency category for planned surgery has been changed (Greek)Readiness for surgery
Confirmation that the patient is on the planned surgery preparation list and is listed as ready for surgery (Greek)Confirmation that the patient is already on the planned surgery preparation list and is not ready for surgery for personal reasons (Greek)Confirmation that the patient is now on the planned surgery preparation list but not ready for surgery for personal reasons (Greek)Confirmation that the patient is on the planned surgery preparation list but not ready for surgery for clinical reasons (Greek)Confirmation that the patient has been removed from the planned surgery preparation list (Greek) -
Surgery date and time
Advice of date and time for surgery (Italian)Date of planned surgery needs to be changed (Italian)Advice that the date and time for surgery has been changed (Italian)Surgery delays
Advice that surgery has been delayed for urgency category 1 patients (Italian)Advice that surgery has been delayed for urgency category 2 patients (Italian)Advice that surgery has been delayed for urgency category 3 patients (Italian)Changes to clinical urgency category
Advice that the clinical urgency category for planned surgery has been changed (Italian)Readiness for surgery
Confirmation that the patient is on the planned surgery preparation list and is listed as ready for surgery (Italian)Confirmation that the patient is already on the planned surgery preparation list and is not ready for surgery for personal reasons (Italian)Confirmation that the patient is now on the planned surgery preparation list but not ready for surgery for personal reasons (Italian)Confirmation that the patient is on the planned surgery preparation list but not ready for surgery for clinical reasons (Italian)Confirmation that the patient has been removed from the planned surgery preparation list (Italian) -
Surgery date and time
Advice of date and time for surgery (Vietnamese)Date of planned surgery needs to be changed (Vietnamese)Advice that the date and time for surgery has been changed (Vietnamese)Surgery delays
Advice that surgery has been delayed for urgency category 1 patients (Vietnamese)Advice that surgery has been delayed for urgency category 2 patients (Vietnamese)Advice that surgery has been delayed for urgency category 3 patients (Vietnamese)Changes to clinical urgency category
Advice that the clinical urgency category for planned surgery has been changed (Vietnamese)Readiness for surgery
Confirmation that the patient is on the planned surgery preparation list and is listed as ready for surgery (Vietnamese)Confirmation that the patient is already on the planned surgery preparation list and is not ready for surgery for personal reasons (Vietnamese)Confirmation that the patient is now on the planned surgery preparation list but not ready for surgery for personal reasons (Vietnamese)Confirmation that the patient is on the planned surgery preparation list but not ready for surgery for clinical reasons (Vietnamese)Confirmation that the patient has been removed from the planned surgery preparation list (Vietnamese)
Reviewed 30 May 2024