Keep It Together Care

How to use this guide

Family Care Starter Pack

This pack helps you keep the important practical information together when someone you love is seriously ill: a one-page snapshot, medicines, contacts, appointments, questions and a handover if someone else needs to step in. It doesn't diagnose, and it doesn't replace advice from the clinical team.

Get the free guide

On a phone, tablet or computer

Fill it in by typing

  1. Download the PDF from your email or from the download page.
  2. Open it in a PDF app that supports forms, such as Adobe Acrobat Reader (free on computers, phones and tablets).
  3. Tap a box and type. Tick boxes tick with one tap.
  4. Save the file. Your answers stay in your copy; nothing is sent to Keep It Together Care.

On paper

Print it and write by hand

  1. Print it on A4. The rows and boxes are sized for handwriting.
  2. Copy names, dates and numbers exactly as they appear on letters, labels and reports.
  3. Keep it somewhere easy to reach, and take the pages you need to appointments.

Video walkthrough

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Common questions

Where do I start?
With "Start in 10 minutes": the Care Snapshot, the medicines list and the key contacts. Fill in the rest when you need it. Blank pages are not a failure.
What goes on the medicines page?
Copy each medicine exactly as it appears on the label or the latest prescription, including things bought from a shop or pharmacy, vitamins and supplements. Record a change only when the clinical team has made it.
Who is the handover page for?
For a family member, friend or ward team who needs the essentials quickly. Keep it up to date and keep a copy with the pack.
I typed into it, but my answers had gone when I opened it again. Why?
Some previews, such as a browser tab or an email preview, can't save answers in a form. Download the PDF first, open it in a PDF app that supports forms, such as Adobe Acrobat Reader, then save.
Is anything I write sent anywhere?
No. The PDF doesn't send your answers to Keep It Together Care or to anyone else. They stay in the file on your device, or on your paper copy.

What’s inside

  • Start in 10 minutes: the three pages to get usable first
  • Care Snapshot: everything important on one page for a quick handover
  • Medicines & Supplements: one current, factual list
  • Nutrition & Hydration Support: what is helping, and what they can manage right now
  • Medicine & Supplement Changes: a factual log of changes the team has made
  • Key Contacts: including an out-of-hours plan
  • Appointment Planner: arrive with the key facts, leave with clear next steps
  • Questions for the Clinical Team
  • 72-Hour Observation Grid: a simple record of what you noticed
  • Hospital / Admission Handover: one sheet for when you need to explain quickly
  • This Week at a Glance
  • Document Index: know what exists and where it is kept
  • If someone else needs to step in: a one-page handover

Practical organisation, not medical advice. Your own care team’s advice always comes first. See all free help