Your personal medical record: blood group, allergies and medical ID

If you are ever too unwell to speak, the people helping you need to know your allergies, conditions and medicines fast. A one-page record and a medical ID on your phone take an hour to set up and travel with you everywhere.

What to include

• Full name, date of birth, nationality and passport or ID number (keep this version private).
• Allergies, especially to medicines, foods and insect stings, and what reaction you had.
• Long-term conditions (for example asthma, diabetes, epilepsy) and any past operations.
• Regular medicines with generic names, doses and how often you take them.
• Vaccination history, glasses prescription, blood group if known from a test, and your doctor's and insurer's contact details.
• Two emergency contacts: one family member at home and one person near where you live.

Knowing your blood group

• The NHS explains that blood groups combine the ABO system (A, B, AB and O) with RhD (positive or negative), making 8 main groups.
• The NHS says GPs do not routinely check blood groups. You can find yours from a past hospital test, or when you give blood.
• Only record a blood group you have from an actual test result, not a guess or a family memory.
• It is useful to know, but it does not replace hospital checks: the NHS says blood is tested against donor cells before a transfusion. O negative blood is often used in emergencies when a patient's group is not yet known.

Setting up a medical ID on your phone

• On an iPhone, Apple says: open the Health app, tap your profile picture, then Medical ID. Add allergies, conditions, medicines and emergency contacts.
• Turn on 'Show When Locked' so helpers can see it from the lock screen, and 'Share During Emergency Call' so it can be shared when you call emergency services. Apple notes some emergency data features are not available in every country or region.
• Android phones have a similar emergency information feature in Settings or the safety app; the exact steps vary by phone maker.
• Keep it short and up to date: it is for emergencies, not your full history.

Keeping it safe and current

• Keep the full record in a secure, password-protected folder or notes app, and share a copy with one trusted family member.
• Put a short card in your wallet with allergies, key conditions and an emergency contact, especially if you have a serious allergy or condition.
• The NHS suggests that when someone calls 999, they collect the person's medicines and tell paramedics about allergies. Keep your medicines together in one place so a flatmate can find them.
• Review the record every September and after any new diagnosis, medicine or allergy.

Telling the right people

• Tell one or two trusted flatmates or friends about serious conditions or allergies, and what to do.
• Your university may have a confidential way to share health conditions with disability or wellbeing services so they can support you. It is your choice what to share.
• When you register with a new doctor, give them your summary so it goes into your new record.