Helping patients to become engaged in their health involves good, clear communication. That’s why the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges launched the ‘please, write to me’ campaign, to encourage doctors to write directly to patients following outpatient appointments and ensure the language they use is simple, clear and avoids medical jargon.

Following the campaign’s success, we have been to the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle to produce a short film about how it’s working in action. The film features both doctors and patients speaking about the benefits of writing outpatient letters directly to patients after hospital visits using language that is easy to understand.