Following the early release of the NHS Steroid Emergency Card in March 2020 to keep patients with Addison's or adrenal insufficiency safe during the COVID-19 crisis, the NHS steroid card has been updated, and physical copies will be available for order from Tuesday, 18th August 2020, for hospital teams and from Tuesday, 1st September 2020, for GP and community pharmacy teams.
The card is still available as a download from the Society for Endocrinology adrenal crisis webpage, allowing you to immediately print a copy for your wallet or purse, as well as saving a copy of the card to your mobile phone.
The NHS Safety Alert is across England and the devolved nations. Use the links below for region-specific information on the card for your area.
Scotland
Wales
What is the NHS Steroid Emergency Card?
The card has been developed by the Society for Endocrinology (SfE), Royal College of Physicians (RCP) and NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE&I), to be carried by patients at risk of adrenal crisis.
As well as including sections for you to complete, the weblink and QR code printed on the card directs you and health teams straight to the Society for Endocrinology Adrenal Crisis page which has all the relevant guidance on how to manage an adrenal crisis, and patient information links. New medical guidance has been released alongside the card, providing vital information on the prevention and emergency management of adrenal insufficiency, as well as a National Patient Safety Alert.
The development of the NHS Steroid Emergency Card is a fantastic and reassuring resource for those of us living with Addison's. Its development and update in liaison with ambulance services shows the increased awareness around the correct and fast treatment for adrenal crisis, one of the main aims of our charity work - our great thanks to the commitment of the team involved!
ADSHG Charity Medical Trustee Dr Helen Simpson, who has led the development of the card, tells us:
Thank you all so much for your comments and support and for feedback after the soft pdf launch during the peak of the Corona Virus Pandemic. This is a new card and various organisations across the NHS are working together to enable implementation. It may take a little time for everything to work smoothly, so whilst we know many of you are keen to have a new card, we are all grateful for your ongoing patience whilst everything embeds.
We hope that the Steroid Emergency Card, Guidance and National Patient Safety Alert (NSPA) helps patient safety and we look forward to receiving your feedback.
This card and its associated guidance is intended for use by adults (16+). A specific card for children and adolescents was published by the British Society for Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes on 27th November 2020.
The BSPED Paediatric Steroid Treatment Card for Adrenal Insufficiency provides a succinct steroid management plan for illnesses, emergency injections and blood sugar and electrolyte correction. BSPED is keen to encourage uniform practice and improve the care of children and young people with Adrenal Insufficiency.
If you have any queries regarding the card, please contact the BSPED Clinical Committee (bsped@endocrinology.org)
There are 3 ways of obtaining a NHS Steroid Emergency Card:
- Through community pharmacies. Please let them know you have had the relevant patient education and are aware of sick day rules. You may wish to show a clinical letter or similar but that is not essential. If you lose your card the community pharmacy team can also provide a replacement.
- From your GP when having your next routine review: ask if they could order you a card via the Society for Endocrinology page. They can learn more about the card in our RCGP training module.
- From your hospital teams at your next Endocrine appointment: ask for a card to be posted to you with your follow-up letter.
When asking for an NHS Steroid Emergency Card to be ordered on your behalf, we recommend including the link to the Society for Endocrinology page, as this provides your Health Care Professional with the direct links to order.
Due to the current strains on the NHS, please be aware that there may be a delay in receiving the card. So if you can print your own copy of the card to carry on your person whilst you wait to receive the card, this is a great option.
As well as people asking friends or family to print copies of the cards, we’ve had great feedback from members saving the card on their phones. As most of us always have our phones nearby, this gives an immediate option ahead of receiving a physical copy of the card. The image can also be included in your mobile phone medical ID, if your mobile phone has that option.
We at the ADSHG have found this to work great as our wallpaper background! Check out our snapshots below. Here we have screenshotted the card on our smartphone from the Society of Endocrinology website and saved as an image on our phone.
It’s important to note that carrying the NHS Steroid Emergency Card is recommended in addition to your medic alert bracelet or necklace.
Learn more about making others aware of your condition.
If you have any photos or ideas you’d like to share with us, we’d love to hear from you!
Please get in touch on our Contact Us webpage.
Yes, the NHS card is a welcome addition to the charity Adrenal Crisis Emergency wallet card, available from our online shop and in our 'members welcome pack'.
The charity card is intended for the information of paramedics, GPs, Accident & Emergency staff and other front-line medical personnel, on the treatment required to prevent an adrenal crisis in the event of serious injury or illness.
Our silicone steroid-alert bracelets and other medical alert items are also available in our online shop.
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