Printable pack
Caring at a distance: emergency pack
For a parent, relative or friend who lives on their own somewhere else. Fill it in together, print two copies: one stays by their phone, one stays with you.
Caring at a distance: emergency pack · Never Caught Out · Independent guide, not a government service
Download the pack as a PDF · or use your browser’s Print option on this page.
If someone is in immediate danger, call 999. This pack is for planning ahead; it does not replace advice from emergency services, a GP, a pharmacist or NHS 111.
How to use it
- Fill it in with the person, not for them, and agree who keeps a copy.
- Keep it on paper. Be Ready suggests writing down who you would need to contact in an emergency, including anyone who might need checking on.
- Be Ready suggests a reminder every six months to check an emergency kit; that is a good time to check this pack too, or sooner if medicines or contacts change.
1. People to contact
| Name | Relationship | Phone | Has a key? |
|---|---|---|---|
2. Health
| GP surgery and phone | |
|---|---|
| Pharmacy and phone | |
| Pharmacy opening hours | |
| Any carer or care agency |
| Medicine | Dose and when | Repeat ordered by |
|---|---|---|
- Be Ready advises leaving time to request repeat prescriptions: ask for them up to 5 working days before they are needed.
- For any question about medicines, such as keeping them cool in a power cut or what to do if a dose is missed, ask the pharmacist or GP. For urgent medical help that is not an emergency, use NHS 111 in England, NHS inform in Scotland or NHS 111 Wales.
- Note any medical equipment that needs electricity, and keep its instructions with this pack.
| Equipment that needs electricity | |
|---|---|
| Battery lasts about (from the manual) | |
| Supplier phone |
3. Priority Services Register
The Priority Services Register is free in England, Scotland and Wales. Reasons for joining include being of pensionable age, a health condition, reduced mobility, or depending on medical equipment. You register once with the local electricity network operator, which can share it with the gas supplier, gas network and water company. In Northern Ireland the equivalent is the Customer Care Registers.
| Registered? (date) | |
|---|---|
| Reference number | |
| Nominated contact (can be you) | |
| Password set with the companies |
Check or join at thepsr.co.uk.
4. Power
| Network operator (from thepsr.co.uk or the Energy Networks Association) | |
|---|---|
| Power cut number: 105 (free, England, Scotland and Wales) | |
| Energy supplier (on the bill) | |
| Fuse box or consumer unit is |
- Use a torch, not candles: Be Ready says torches are safer.
- Never use a generator, barbecue, camping stove or outdoor heater indoors. They give off carbon monoxide, which you cannot see or smell. Fit a carbon monoxide alarm, and know the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning (NHS).
5. Water and gas
| Water company (on the bill) and incident number | |
|---|---|
| Stopcock is | |
| Gas meter and shut-off is | |
| Gas emergency: 0800 111 999 |
Be Ready suggests knowing how to turn off gas, electricity and water, as you may need to if you have to leave home because of flooding.
6. Flooding
| Signed up for flood warnings? (who gets them) | |
|---|---|
| Where to go if told to leave |
Sign up by phone on Floodline, 0345 988 1188 (England, Scotland and Wales, 24 hours), or online: England, Scotland, Wales. Floodline cannot warn about surface water (flash) flooding.
7. Neighbour check-in
Be Ready suggests agreeing a backup plan with anyone who might need extra support, particularly if they live alone: if an outage happens and you cannot call, you or another trusted person they know will visit. It also suggests talking to neighbours and swapping contact details.
| Name | Address | Phone | Checks when |
|---|---|---|---|
8. If we cannot reach each other
| If the phones are down, who visits, and when | |
|---|---|
| Meeting place if they cannot stay at home | |
| Second meeting place (somewhere easy to find and open to the public) | |
| Radio station and frequency for local news |
Official sources we used
- Be ready for emergencies (UK Government, Be Ready)
- The Priority Services Register (thepsr.co.uk; also the source of the gas emergency number)
- When to use NHS 111 (NHS)
- Carbon monoxide poisoning (NHS)
- Get flood warnings by text, phone or email (Floodline) (GOV.UK / Environment Agency)
- Power Cut 105 (Energy Networks Association)