What to Include in an Emergency Health Summary

An emergency health summary should provide a fast, current overview that can support communication when you are unwell or away from your usual care team. It must not be presented as a substitute for clinical assessment or official records.

Start with identity and contacts

Include your full name, date of birth, address, NHS number if known, GP surgery and one or two emergency contacts. State the relationship and ensure contacts know they are listed.

List current medicines accurately

Use the exact names, strengths and doses from current labels or prescriptions. Include important devices such as inhalers, insulin pens or pumps where relevant. Date the list and remove discontinued medicines from the active section.

Highlight serious allergies and reactions

Record the substance and known reaction clearly. If the information is uncertain, label it as uncertain rather than presenting it as confirmed.

Include conditions that may affect immediate care

Keep this section focused on information that may change communication, assessment or treatment. Avoid a long unexplained diagnosis list and use the wording in official records where possible.

Record communication and access needs

Include hearing, vision, language, cognitive, learning, mobility or communication needs and any practical support that helps. Record advance care planning or legal documents only accurately and state where the official document is held.

Make the summary available without exposing it unnecessarily

Consider a secure phone emergency feature, a wallet card or a copy held by a trusted person. Balance accessibility with privacy, and review the summary after medicine or health changes.

Make the information easy to use at an appointment

Organise information around the questions a clinician is likely to ask: what changed, when it started, how often it happens, what makes it better or worse, which medicines are being taken and how daily life is affected. Keep factual observations separate from your interpretation of what they may mean.

Use dates, times, measurements and examples where available. “Three episodes since Monday, each lasting about ten minutes” is more useful than “it happens a lot.” Record the source of information when another person, device or document supplied it.

Bring a concise summary rather than expecting a professional to search through a large archive during a short appointment. Keep supporting letters, test results and photographs available in case they are relevant.

Common mistakes that reduce the value of a health record

Avoid changing medication names, doses or instructions from memory. Copy them from the current label, prescription or official record and include the form, strength, frequency and reason where known. Never use a personal record as authority to start, stop or alter treatment.

Do not record only unusual symptoms. Baseline information, symptom-free days, missed doses and changes in routine can provide useful context. Avoid collecting so much detail that important changes disappear inside repetitive notes.

Do not delay urgent medical help in order to complete a diary, photograph a symptom or find paperwork. Records support communication; they do not diagnose illness or determine urgency.

Keep the record current and controlled

Review the summary after appointments, medication changes, new diagnoses, hospital visits or significant changes in symptoms. Mark superseded information clearly rather than deleting the history without explanation.

Check emergency contacts, allergies, current medicines and communication needs more frequently than background documents. Store sensitive information securely and share only what is appropriate for the situation.

Before the next appointment, identify the two or three questions that matter most and note any decisions or follow-up actions afterwards. This turns the record into a practical continuity tool rather than a passive archive.