Pharmacy — Referral to GP after a High Blood Pressure Reading
A community pharmacist refers a 52-year-old man to his GP after two opportunistic blood pressure readings on the same day are both above the referral threshold. This is a beginner referral: one clinical finding, one action requested, and a brief relevant background — ideal for building the referral letter structure before more complex cases.
Letter type
Referral
Write to
General Practitioner
Target length
180–200 words
The case notes
Patient: Mr Derek Molina, 52 years old, regular prescription customer
Reason for referral: BP checked opportunistically in pharmacy during prescription collection — two readings taken 10 minutes apart: 172/106 and 168/102
Current medications: Collected prescription for amlodipine 5 mg OD (started 3 months ago by GP for borderline hypertension); ramipril not yet prescribed
Symptoms: Denies headache, visual disturbance, chest pain or shortness of breath — no acute hypertensive symptoms
Lifestyle: Smoker (10 cigarettes/day); sedentary work; admits to not always taking amlodipine 'every day'
Family history: Father — stroke aged 58; brother — on antihypertensive medication
Other medications: Omeprazole PRN for heartburn; ibuprofen PRN for back pain (self-purchased)
Task: Write a referral letter to the GP, Dr Mark Henley, informing him of the blood pressure readings and requesting a review of Mr Molina's antihypertensive management.
Writing task
Write a referral letter to the GP, Dr Mark Henley, informing him of the blood pressure readings and requesting a review of Mr Molina's antihypertensive management.
What to include, what to cut
The hardest mark to win is selection. The same case notes contain decision-relevant facts and distractors. Here is what an examiner expects to see in a Grade B letter for this scenario, and what should be left out.
Include
-
Both BP readings with the time gap between them
Two readings on the same visit, 10 minutes apart, both above threshold is the objective finding that justifies the referral. One reading might be situational; two reduces that possibility.
-
That he reports not always taking the amlodipine daily
Adherence is the single most likely explanation for poorly controlled BP on treatment — and a decision-relevant finding the GP needs to know before changing the prescription.
-
The ibuprofen self-purchase
NSAIDs raise blood pressure and blunt antihypertensive effect. The GP may not know the patient is taking ibuprofen regularly; this is an actionable pharmacist finding.
Leave out
-
The family history detail beyond a brief mention
Relevant as a risk factor but the GP holds the family history. One brief sentence is enough; a narrative of the father's stroke is not.
-
Omeprazole
No bearing on the blood pressure issue. Including it pads the letter without adding clinical value for this referral.
Criterion in focus · Purpose
A pharmacist referral to a GP earns Purpose marks when the recipient knows, in the first sentence, what the pharmacist found and what they are asking the GP to do. 'I am writing to inform you of an elevated blood pressure reading identified during a pharmacy visit and to request a review of Mr Molina's antihypertensive management' is complete. A referral that describes the readings before stating the purpose is disorganised and loses marks.
Now write the letter — and find out what is blocking your Grade B
Write a 180–200 words referral letter from these notes, paste it into the free checker for an instant read, then submit it for a human grade against all six criteria. Dr Mariam's team returns line-by-line feedback, from $12.