Helping older and disabled relatives prepare: the Priority Services Register and a check-in plan

Why older and disabled relatives come first

When the power goes off, most of us lose comfort. Some people lose much more: the oxygen concentrator, the stairlift, the powered bed, the telecare alarm, the warm house. That's why official advice puts people who need extra help at the front of the plan.

GOV.UK's Be Ready campaign asks everyone to agree a back-up plan with anyone who might need extra support, "particularly if they live alone". Sweden's crisis brochure says the same thing in a different way: people who already get help from their council will keep getting it in a crisis, but they should still talk to family, neighbours and carers about what help they would need.

This post covers the three things that make the biggest difference: the Priority Services Register, a plan for medical equipment and phones, and a check-in plan.

Step 1: the Priority Services Register (free)

The Priority Services Register (PSR) is a free list kept by energy and water companies of customers who may need extra help.

Who can join. Ofgem lists people who have reached state pension age, people with a disability or long-term medical condition (including mental health conditions and sight, hearing or smell conditions), people who need medical equipment that uses power, people who are pregnant or have young children, and people who struggle with speaking or reading English. Help is also there after a hospital stay, an injury or a bereavement.

What it gives. According to Ofgem, it can include:

• priority support in an emergency
• advance notice of planned power cuts, where possible
• an identification and password scheme, so your relative can check that anyone calling or visiting is genuine
• a nominated person (you, for example) to receive bills and messages
• bills in large print or braille, and help moving a prepayment meter they can't reach

The national PSR site adds that some companies offer a 24/7 priority phone line, updates on when power will be back, and help with alternative heating and cooking during a gas outage. Services vary by company.

How to sign up. The national site, thepsr.co.uk, says registering through the local electricity network operator shares the details with the energy supplier, gas network and water company, except for customers on independent networks. Ofgem's advice is to contact each supplier, and separately if gas and electricity come from different companies. Our suggestion: use thepsr.co.uk, then check with each company on the bills that it worked. Re-register after switching supplier (Ofgem).

In Northern Ireland, Be Ready points to the separate Customer Care Registers.

Step 2: medical equipment, medicines and phones

Powered medical equipment. Be Ready's advice for disabled people and carers is to make a plan now with the care provider or clinical team for anything vital that needs power: powered wheelchairs, stairlifts, oxygen machines. Find out how the equipment behaves in a power cut, what to do and who to call. Keep back-up batteries charged, and a spare charged battery for hearing or communication devices.

If you're thinking about a portable power station for a piece of medical equipment, ask the equipment supplier first whether that's safe and suitable. Our power station sizing guide explains the sums, but it can't tell you what a particular medical device needs.

Medicines. Be Ready asks people to check they have several days' supply of each medicine, kept somewhere easy to reach, ideally in a waterproof box. Order repeat prescriptions up to 5 working days before they're needed, and keep a written list of medicines and doses.

Telecare and the landline. Be Ready warns that telecare and alerting devices may not work without electricity or internet. If your relative relies on a landline, including for a personal alarm, ask the phone provider whether it will work in a power cut. Providers may offer a free back-up battery unit that lasts at least an hour. Age UK also suggests asking the alarm provider directly what happens in a power cut.

Their mobile. Keep it charged and close by. A charged power bank and the right cable, left by the chair or bed, is a cheap and useful step.

Step 3: a check-in plan

Be Ready's checklist asks us to make a plan to check in on neighbours if an emergency happens, and to speak to the neighbours of anyone we're worried about and agree that they'll check on them. Here's a simple version you can write on one page:

Give a copy to your relative, the neighbour and yourself. If you live far away, this neighbour is the most important person in the plan.

Also worth doing:

• Ask the council whether it offers a carer's card, which tells responders someone depends on you (Be Ready).
• Help your relative carry information on how to communicate with them: on paper, on a card or on their phone (Be Ready).
• If they are D/deaf or use BSL, the 999 BSL service and app let them contact emergency services (Be Ready).
• See our guide to the Message in a Bottle scheme for keeping medical details where responders look.

A small kit by the chair

Be Ready's 3-day list is the same for everyone. For an older person living alone, keep the most useful items in one place they can reach without stairs:

• a torch (safer than candles, Be Ready says) and spare batteries
• a battery or wind-up radio with local stations written on it
• a charged power bank and cable
• bottled water and food that needs no cooking
• blankets and warm layers (homes get cold quickly when the heating goes off)
• the medicines list and key numbers on paper: 105 for power cuts (England, Scotland, Wales), 03457 643 643 in Northern Ireland, GP, pharmacy, you

Age UK's free Advice Line is 0800 678 1602, open 8am to 7pm, every day of the year.

If you're the carer

Be Ready asks carers to keep a list of emergency contacts and to agree how you'll contact the person you care for in an emergency. If something happened to you, who would step in? Write that name into the plan too. Carers UK has an emergency planning guide, which Be Ready links to.

What we couldn't confirm

• The national PSR site and Ofgem describe sign-up slightly differently (one registration shared across companies versus contacting each supplier). Checking with each company is the safe way round.
• Run times for medical equipment on a power station or power bank depend on the device. Only the supplier or clinical team can tell you what's safe.

{{buy}}

Related guides

• Priority Services Register: a plain guide
• Emergency kit for an elderly parent: a calm, practical list
• Emergency planning for older people and carers (UK)
• Emergency planning for disabled people and carers
• Message in a Bottle: the medical details kept in your fridge
• The digital landline switch: will your phone work in a power cut?

Free tools

• Priority Services Register checker
• Power bank and power station runtime calculator
• Make a household emergency plan (free)

We're an independent UK site, not the government. We check guides against official sources and link to them. In an emergency call 999.

More from the blog