A clinical handover the next person can act on

A colleague is covering tomorrow’s appointments. One patient has a report still to arrive, another has asked for an interpreter, and a third has a question waiting for a clinical decision. A useful handover helps the next person understand what needs their attention and where the supporting information lives.

The Australian Commission’s Communicating for Safety Standard calls for structured handover, relevant information and a clear transfer of responsibility. It also recognises the patient’s goals and preferences, and their involvement according to their wishes. The detail of the process should suit the service and the type of handover. Read the Communicating for Safety Standard.

Prepare for the person receiving it

Start with the handover structure your clinic uses. Check the intended recipient and how the handover will reach them. A clinician covering a single appointment may need a different level of detail from a team taking over ongoing care.

Try preparing a short cover note with these prompts:

• Purpose: What care or decision is being handed over?
• Current position: What has happened, and what remains open?
• Relevant context: Which notes, documents and patient preferences will help?
• Next action: What is being requested, and by when?
• Responsibility: Who is taking the next step, and who covers an absence?

Use the clinical content and escalation arrangements required by your service. A cover note is an aid to finding the relevant detail in the record.

Walk through one fictional example

Priya is covering a colleague’s clinic on Thursday. The handover identifies a patient whose review is already booked, gives the date of the previous consultation and points to the documented plan. It notes that an external report is expected and records the patient’s request for an interpreter.

The outgoing clinician asks Priya to take responsibility for reviewing the report when it arrives. Priya confirms that she can do this and asks which staff member will route the document to her. Reception confirms the interpreter booking separately.

The written record now distinguishes the clinical responsibility from the booking arrangements. It also gives staff an agreed route if the report arrives while Priya is away.

Leave room for a reply

Build a chance for clarification into the handover. For a planned absence, a short conversation may reveal missing context before the colleague needs it. For a transfer between services, use the agreed process to establish that the right person has received and accepted the work.

A practical closing question is: “What else do you need to take this on?” Record any changed arrangements in the appropriate place so the spoken agreement and written record match.

If the intended recipient cannot accept the handover, return to the responsible clinician or service lead to arrange an alternative. Urgency and the appropriate escalation route need clinical judgement and local policy.

Give reception a usable part in the process

Administrative staff can check contact details, send information through approved channels and track agreed booking actions. Make it clear which questions require a clinician’s response. Include the contact route staff should use if the patient calls while the handover is still being arranged.

For actions that remain open after the transfer, use the approach in following up without losing track.

Sources checked on 6 October 2026.