Potentially life saving message in a bottle scheme

South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust has joined forces with the Lions Club to run a “Message in a Bottle” scheme

Message in a Bottle is a simple idea designed to encourage people living on their own to keep basic personal and medical details somewhere it can be found quickly in an emergency.

The scheme gets paramedics and other healthcare professionals to check your fridge for relevant medical information such as allergies and medication taken.

The bottles are free and members of the public can get them from local health centres, doctors’ surgeries or chemists. Ambulance crews will also be giving them to patients they attend who they feel could benefit from this scheme.

The bottles should be kept in the fridge where all healthcare professionals know to look for them and should contain all relevant medical information, including copies of repeat prescriptions and next of kin details. If more than one person lives at the address each member of the household should complete a separate form and attach a passport-size photo to the relevant form.

Martyn Callow, Stakeholder Engagement Manager for SWASFT said: “We were approached by Dennis Peters of Bridgwater Lions Club and have now taken delivery of the first batch of 6,300 bottles which will be distributed to all ambulance stations across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and the greater Bristol area.

The scheme by the British Lions club has been running for some time and is now expanding into the South West.

To get involved simply get in touch with your GP and fill out the form. You get two green stickers to let healthcare professionals know you’re part of the scheme. These go on your fridge and on the inside of your front door.