Pharmacist urges everyone in UK to create 22-item emergency kit to keep at home

Pharmacist urges everyone in UK to create 22-item emergency kit to keep at home Health specilists share important checklist to stockpile at home A pharmacist is urging people across the country to create a 22-item kit and to keep it at home. It comes as the UK government recently launched its Be Ready campaign. It is a three-year public awareness initiative designed to encourage households to prepare a basic three-day (72-hour) supply of essentials to cope with temporary service disruptions. The advice is targeted at everyday emergencies such as severe storms, flooding, power cuts, water outages, and temporary communications or internet loss. Officials emphasise that the campaign is not a warning that a specific crisis or attack is imminent. Instead, it brings the UK into line with European neighbours, like France, Ireland, and the Netherlands, where 72-hour household preparedness is standard. The government says that when households can meet their basic needs for three days, emergency services can focus on people who need the most help and repair services more quickly. UK residents are told there is no need to panic-buy or spend large amounts of money all at once; the advice suggests building up modest supplies gradually during regular shopping. The Be Ready checklist includes water, food, hygiene products, torches, blankets, sleeping bags, warm clothing, a radio, power bank, money, important documents, pet food, baby formula, nappies and wipes. The checklist also mentions a first aid kit - including items such as waterproof plasters, bandages, a thermometer, antiseptic, eyewash solution, sterile dressings and gloves, medical tape for dressings, and tweezers - as well as "essential medication" and "medical supplies". Regarding these two aspects of the checklist, the government says: "Always leave enough time to request repeat prescriptions so you have less chance of running out in an emergency. It’s important to request prescriptions up to five working days before you need your medicine." Ensure our latest headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as a Preferred Source in your Google search settings However, pharmacists are pointing out that the checklist does not go into detail about what "essential medications" people should definitely include in their kit. For instance, Jason Murphy, Head of Pharmacy at online pharmacy Chemist4U, has created a simple checklist of the medical essentials he claims UK households should consider keeping on hand. He also explains why anyone dependent on prescription medication should plan ahead. This includes people who use asthma inhalers, adrenaline auto-injectors or diabetes supplies. Jason Murphy said: "The Government’s new Be Ready guidance is a useful reminder that households should be prepared to manage for a few days if an emergency disrupts access to shops, pharmacies, or other services. But when it comes to health, simply saying 'first aid items' and 'essential medication' can leave people wondering what they actually need. "For most households, the best approach is to focus on the basics needed to deal with everyday cuts, burns, sprains and minor illnesses, alongside anything specific to the health needs of the people in your home." He says a "well-stocked first aid kit" should ideally include 15 items, such as: - Assorted plasters - Sterile gauze dressing - Adhesive or medical tape - A crepe or cohesive bandages for sprains - A triangular bandage that can be used as a sling - Antiseptic wipes - Burn gel or burn dressings - Tweezers for splinters - Scissors - Disposable gloves - An instant cold pack - A foil emergency blanket - Eye wash or saline pods - A first aid guide and useful emergency contact numbers - A CPR face shield, which is optional but can be useful Jason also says that it would be "sensible to keep a small supply of common medicines and health essentials at home". He also lists these as seven key items - bringing the total list to 22. - Paracetamol - Ibuprofen, where it’s suitable for the individual - Antihistamines for allergies - Anti-diarrhoea medicine, such as loperamide - Oral rehydration salts - Indigestion or heartburn remedies - A thermometer He added: "If you rely on prescription medication, don’t wait until you’re down to your last few doses. Order repeat prescriptions in good time and be especially careful with life-saving medicines such as asthma inhalers and EpiPens. Running out of these in an emergency can quickly become serious. "If you have a condition like diabetes, being prepared means more than having enough medication. Make sure you have spare testing strips, sensors, and any other equipment you use every day. Insulin also needs to be kept cool, so plan ahead for how you would store it if there was a power cut." He continued: "Being prepared doesn’t mean filling your cupboards with every medicine on the pharmacy shelf. You need enough to deal with common injuries and illnesses at home, plus enough of your prescribed medication and equipment that a few days of disruption to pharmacies or healthcare doesn’t put your health at risk. "And don’t just pack a kit and forget about it. Medicines and sterile dressings have expiry dates, so check everything every six months and replace anything that’s out of date. A first aid kit is only useful if what’s inside still works."