Clear communication from cardiologists to both general practitioners and patients is an essential component of good clinical practice. Increasingly complex subspeciality areas within cardiology are also further heightening the need for easily understandable communication. Oral communication is extensively taught at medical school and further advanced during specialty training. Yet, while all clinicians endeavour to speak for their patients, they very rarely write for them.

In the UK, outpatient cardiology referrals are generated by a written letter from the primary care physician. Once the cardiology assessment has taken place, a letter detailing the outcome is usually returned. This letter is often, but not universally, also sent to the patient in the UK. The majority of these written communications are directed at medical professionals, despite clear guidance existing to the contrary.1 2 The Paterson Report and the Please Write to Me guidance from the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, published in 2020 and 2018, respectively, both recommend that it should be standard practice for consultants to write to …