Message in the bottle gets a technology make over

Vital information held about patients with long term conditions will now be flagged up on South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Trust's 999 computer system.

SECAmb's computer aided dispatch system, used to prioritise 999 calls, will now be able to identify those addresses where a patient has a message in a bottle container held on the premises when a 999 call is made.

The message in the bottle scheme sees patients keeping a small 'camera film roll' container in their fridge. The container holds vital emergency information about the patient.

This scheme has now been developed in partnership with NHS Eastern and Coastal Kent Community Services' Long Term Conditions Service (LTCS), Patients, who have signed up to the message in the bottle scheme hosted by LTCS, will now store key medical information about their condition on this form to assist ambulance clinicians in deciding the appropriate course of treatment.

SECAmb's Senior Operations Manager for North and East Kent, Chris Stamp said: "This is a very simple scheme which has the potential of not only ensuring that we deliver the most appropriate treatment to the patient but may even reduce the necessity to take them to hospital."

The cards will not only hold information regarding the patient's medical history but also provide information about how ambulance clinicians can contact the LTCS.

This will allow ambulance staff to discuss with the LTCS teams the best and most appropriate course of action.

Sharon Lee, Clinical Development Community Matron, said: "The message in a bottle scheme improves patient safety and helps prevent unnecessary hospital admissions. The scheme provides reassurance to patients, their relatives and carers knowing that there will be seamless communication."

Thanet Lions Club implemented the message in a bottle scheme in the Thanet area in 2004 and continues to promote and fund the scheme, so that people living alone or with a medical condition can more readily be helped by the emergency services.

Bob Prebble of Thanet Lions Club said that he was delighted that the scheme was now available to enable the coordination between the ambulance service and community nurses so that the best help can be provided for medical emergencies.

He said: "The scheme has been so successful that it has been implemented in most parts of the British Isles. More details of the scheme and how to contact other Lions Clubs can be found on the Lions website www.lionsmd105.org".