Living Well at Home UKClear, practical guidance for later life
Practical guide

By Does Your Duck Quack

Prepare an emergency information pack

An emergency information pack gives carers and responders key health needs, contacts and wishes without exposing unnecessary personal details.

Checked: 13 October 2026 · Next review: 13 April 2027 · Applies to: UK, with nation notes
How this guide was prepared

Purpose: urgent guidance · Level: detailed

Checked by: Does Your Duck Quack. Sources are linked below; seek professional advice for individual circumstances.

The short answer

What to do first

An emergency information pack gives carers and responders key health needs, contacts and wishes without exposing unnecessary personal details.

Start here: With permission, include the person’s preferred name, date of birth, relevant conditions, allergies, current medicines and how they take them, communication or mobility needs, GP and emergency contacts. Date the list and identify who checked it; avoid judgemental labels.

Visual guides

See the decision at a glance

Emergency information sheetKeep a dated copy in an agreed place and share it only with people who need it.
  1. IncludeName, date of birth, NHS or health identifier where appropriate, conditions, medicines, allergies, communication needs, contacts, GP and current care.
  2. Do not includeBank PINs, passwords or unnecessary identity documents. Record consent and the next review date.
  3. Keep it currentReview it after changes to medicines, contacts, care or preferences, and remove obsolete copies.
Medicines-list template
  1. Medicine detailsName, strength, form, dose, timing, route and what it is for.
  2. Safety detailsAllergies, past serious reactions, monitoring, special instructions and medicines used only when needed.
  3. Record detailsPerson’s name, list date, pharmacy and prescriber contacts, with consent for agreed sharing.

Scope of this guide

This guide helps you understand the options and questions to ask. It is not personal medical, legal or financial advice. Check the official sources for your nation and seek qualified help for high-stakes decisions.

If someone may be in immediate danger

Call 999 for a life-threatening emergency. For an urgent problem that is not clearly life-threatening, use the official NHS urgent-care route for the UK nation you are in. Have the address, symptoms, onset time, medicines and allergies ready.

Who this guide is for

People who want essential care information ready for an emergency, and supporters helping them prepare it with consent.

A concise information pack can help if someone becomes unwell, has a fall, is admitted to hospital or a usual carer is unavailable. It should describe the person accurately and make their preferences easier to respect. Decide together what belongs in it, who may see it and where it will be kept. It is not a substitute for clinical records or legal documents.

What to do now

1. Include practical information for care

With permission, include the person’s preferred name, date of birth, relevant conditions, allergies, current medicines and how they take them, communication or mobility needs, GP and emergency contacts. Date the list and identify who checked it; avoid judgemental labels.

2. Record formal plans without replacing them

Note whether an attorney, advance decision, advance statement, DNACPR or ReSPECT plan exists and where the actual document is kept. A summary does not replace a formal form. Keep legal and clinical papers securely and include contacts only with agreement.

3. Choose a safe, accessible place

Agree an accessible paper location and tell chosen helpers. If a Message in a Bottle scheme operates locally, follow its instructions. A phone note or NHS record may supplement the pack, but responders may not access every personal record in an emergency.

4. Share it with selected people

Tell named relatives and regular workers where the pack is and what they may use. Share only what each role needs; never add passwords, bank PINs or identity-document copies. The person can authorise a relative to attend or receive updates.

5. Review after changes

Review after medicine, contact, care or preference changes and following hospital discharge. Resolve differences with the person or clinician, remove obsolete copies and name who updates each version. Keep the pack brief enough to read quickly.

6. Make the medicine page useful at admission

Keep the medicine page beside the emergency contacts so it can travel with the person. The hospital pharmacy team needs an accurate picture of medicines normally taken, including preparations that were bought without a prescription. If remembering the names is difficult, ask for help checking the list before an emergency happens. Mark any uncertainty rather than guessing which medicine a loose container belongs to. Where someone supports medicines at home, write down how that person can be contacted with permission. Ask the hospital team to resolve discrepancies between a repeat prescription, the medicines brought in and what the person actually uses.

7. Prepare for the practical handover

A hospital passport can sit alongside the short emergency sheet. UCLH asks patients to bring a printed passport and a prescription list, and to note the name and contact details of a helper at home. Use that as a prompt to describe the support already in place: who opens the door, who helps with everyday care and who should be told about a change in discharge arrangements. Ask the person which details they want shared, and keep the wording clear enough for an unfamiliar worker. Put the current page at the front of the folder so outdated notes are not mistaken for today's arrangements.

8. Refresh the pack after returning home

Hospital discharge can change the medicine information that belongs in the pack. The discharge letter from Guy's and St Thomas' lists medicines and changes during the stay; use the person's own discharge paperwork to check what needs updating. Ask the ward or pharmacy team about anything that conflicts with the previous list. Keep the latest letter with the pack if the person agrees, and mark earlier medicine sheets as superseded. Before the next visit, ask the regular helper to confirm that the information they use matches the revised list. This is also a useful moment to check the practical home-support contact details.

Warning signs and checks

Common questions

What should I put in an emergency information pack?

Include current medicines and allergies, relevant conditions, communication and mobility needs, GP, emergency contacts and the person’s preferences. Note where formal plans are kept. Keep it dated and readable; leave out passwords, bank details and information helpers do not need.

Where should an emergency folder be kept?

Choose a place the person agrees is easy for trusted helpers to find, and keep financial papers separate. Tell selected workers or relatives where it is. Local Message in a Bottle schemes vary, so ask whether one operates nearby and follow its instructions.

Can an NHS app record replace a paper pack?

A digital record may help, but it may not contain every detail or be accessible to responders. Keep a short paper version if useful and make sure copies agree. Do not assume relatives can access the person’s NHS App or account without permission.

Should I include a DNACPR or ReSPECT decision?

Record whether a formal plan exists and where the current document is kept; do not create or alter a clinical decision yourself. Forms and rules differ across the UK. Ask the clinical team how the plan should travel and who should receive a copy.

What should I do if the emergency pack is not ready when someone goes to hospital?

Concentrate on getting the person appropriate help, then tell the hospital what information you can provide. A relative or friend can bring medicines in later if they could not be brought at admission. Send the current prescription list and agreed home-support contacts when available, rather than delaying care to finish a folder. Explain any uncertainty about the medicine list to the ward or pharmacist. Once the immediate situation is settled, ask the person which communication and care information they want added to their passport.

Differences across the UK

Emergency care records and advance-planning forms are not identical across the four nations. DNACPR and ReSPECT arrangements have nation-specific forms and clinical rules; a summary pack does not replace them. NHS records and app access also vary, and a responder may not see information stored in a personal account. Ask the person’s local GP or clinical team which formal plan and emergency record should accompany them.

Primary sources

The publisher checked this guide against the 7 official sources below. This is an editorial source check, not approval by a clinician, lawyer or benefits adviser.

Editorial note: By Does Your Duck Quack.