How to Create and Manage Document Templates
Document templates let you create reusable starting points for common documents, pre-filled with formatting, merge fields, and metadata.
How to Get There
- Navigate to Apps > Documents & Storage
- Select the Templates tab
The template manager shows a two-panel layout: a template list on the left and the editor on the right.
Creating a Template
- Click New Template
- Set the template name and type:
- Document - general clinical documents
- Prescription - prescription-specific templates
- Referral - referral letter templates
- Optionally tag with a SNOMED document type (e.g. Clinical consultation report, Referral letter, Discharge summary)
- Write the template content in the editor, inserting merge fields where needed
- Save the template
Template Content
The template editor supports the same formatting as the document editor. The right sidebar shows all available merge fields grouped by category. Click a field to insert it at the cursor position.
You can also use the AI Writing Assistant to generate template content based on a description.
Per-Template Overrides
Each template can override the default document design settings:
- Font family and size - different typography for specific document types
- Line spacing - adjust spacing independently
- Header and footer content - custom header/footer that differs from the design default
- Document design - link to a specific design rather than using the organisation default
Managing Templates
- Favourite (star icon) - mark frequently used templates for quick access
- Active / Inactive - toggle whether a template appears in the creation flow
- Duplicate - copy a template to create a variant
- Search - filter by name or type
System Templates
Your practice may have system templates configured by the platform administrator. These are read-only and cannot be edited, but they can be duplicated to create a customisable copy.
Tip: Include all standard merge fields in your templates (patient name, address, NHS number, practice details) so documents are consistently formatted across clinicians.