A patient information leaflet writer for discharge and self-care advice

Patients often leave hospital tired, sore and holding several pieces of paper. The discharge leaflet they read at home that evening needs to tell them, in words they understand, what is normal, what is not and who to call. INKFLOW drafts patient discharge and self-care leaflets from the advice your clinical team has already agreed.

Name the condition or procedure and the patient group in your brief, and the writer works from guidance for patient discharge information. It asks for the red flag symptoms for each level of help, wound and pain care, activity advice, follow-up arrangements, contacts with their hours of cover, and the evidence behind the advice.

Clinical content comes only from you or an official source. A dose, a time limit or an activity restriction appears only if your material states it or an official source gives it; otherwise it is a marked placeholder. The leaflet is a draft for your clinical governance route, with a sign-off page, and responsibility for its advice stays with your registered professionals. INKFLOW is independent and not affiliated with the NHS.

Start a patient leaflet

Writing a discharge leaflet with your clinical team

1
Set the scope
The condition or procedure, the patients it is for, their likely reading level and any formats they need, such as Easy Read or large print.
2
Agree the red flags
Which symptoms mean call 999, which mean call the ward or NHS 111, and which can wait for the GP, as set by the responsible clinician.
3
Add the practical advice
Wound and dressing care, pain relief, eating and washing, driving, lifting and work, follow-up appointments, and who will contact the patient.
4
Approve, then test with readers
You are shown the price before paying. Your approving clinician signs off the draft, and if you have a patient panel, test it with them before it is printed.

How the patient information leaflet reads

What to do first

The red flags and the right number to call go on the front page, not after the background.

Written for the reader

Short sentences, everyday words and 'you', with any medical term explained the one time it is needed.

Medicines only when you list them

If the leaflet belongs to a specific pathway, new, changed and stopped medicines appear exactly as your team lists them. Nothing is added from general knowledge.

Carers included

What a carer needs to know and do, and where they can get support of their own.

Local support named

Equipment, community services and discharge support available in your area, from your list.

Evidence in the footer

The sources behind the advice, with version and review date, which information schemes such as the PIF TICK look for.

Which patient information leaflet this is, and which it is not

This is for leaflets written by care providers: discharge advice, self-care after a procedure, what to expect at home. It is not the package leaflet inside a medicine box. That leaflet is part of a medicine's licence, written from the summary of product characteristics and tested with readers under medicines regulation, and it is outside what this service drafts.

INKFLOW writes the words only. It does not design the printed layout or draw anatomy illustrations.

Questions

Can you write an Easy Read version?

Yes. Easy Read and plain English versions can be requested, which helps meet the Accessible Information Standard for patients who need them.

Will the leaflet say when to call 999 or NHS 111?

Yes, if your clinicians give the triggers. The tiers are built from their wording; the writer never decides which symptom is an emergency.

Who is responsible for the advice?

Your organisation and its registered professionals. The draft carries a sign-off page for the approving clinician, with the leaflet reference, version and review date.

We have dozens of old leaflets. Can they be updated?

Upload them to have them revised. Clinical values are kept exactly as written, and out-of-date references are flagged for your clinicians to check.

Do prices include VAT?

Prices include any VAT; nothing is added at checkout.

We are an organisation. How can we pay?

Single orders are paid by card at checkout. For subscriptions and repeat orders, care homes, councils and businesses can ask about paying by Direct Debit or standing order at app.inkflowstudio.org/organisations.

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