Initiatives & Projects

Message In a Bottle Scheme

The Message in a Bottle scheme is aimed at people on long-term medication and has already proved a great success in the UK and further afield in countries such as Canada and Australia.

The “bottle" is a small plastic container, which is kept in the fridge (or larder) and contains details of the person’s next of kin, medical condition, allergies, medication and doctor. This information can be easily found in an emergency and acts as a simple but effective lifesaver. See here for details. NB the bottle may be as shown or the clear version - both work the same

Inside each bottle there are two special stickers known to the emergency services. These are put up in the person’s house, one on the outside of the fridge door, the other inside their front door, but they can be easily found in an emergency. The door sticker should be located where it cannot be seen from outside. In the case of a cause for concern call from a neighbour or friend or an abandoned 999 call where the bottle holder feels unwell, calls 999 and is either incoherent of there is no speech, police would be despatched. The leaflet in the bottle could save precious minutes in determining the medical condition of a collapsed or unconcious person. The scheme is fully supported by Essex Police, Essex Fire and Rescue Service, and the ambulance service.