Getting started with your KITC Care Companion

Start here

Your first five minutes

1. Open your invitation link. Places are by invitation for now. Create your account with your email and a password. We'll send you an email to confirm it's you.
2. Create your family space. Give it a simple name, like "Mum's care". This is where everything about the person you care for lives.
3. Tell us who you're caring for. Later, you'll use their full name, as it appears on hospital letters, so the Companion can notice a letter or medicine meant for someone else. For now, while you're trying it out, a made-up name is fine.
4. Answer one question about their agreement. On Before you carry on, we ask whether they're happy for their health information to be kept here, or whether you're acting for them. Pick the one that's true, tick the box and tap Agree and continue.
5. Invite your family, if you want to. Go to Family and tap Invite someone. More on this in Your family circle.

That's it. You'll land on Today, your home screen. A Start here card shows the next few things to set up: Add the next appointment, Add a medicine, Invite someone to help, trying the Companion, and Set up two-step sign-in. Each one ticks itself once it's done. Tap Hide this if you'd rather not see it.

The basics

Finding your way around

On a phone, the bar at the bottom of the screen takes you to Today, Ask, Medicines and More.

More opens everything else: Results, Record, Questions to ask, Appointments, Notes, Letters, Packs, Help needed, Family, Contacts and Settings. With Voice, Talk is there too. On a computer, all of these sit in one row at the top.

Something confusing, or something missing? Tap Send feedback at the bottom of the menu. Please don't include health details.

Your home screen

Today

Today shows what matters now, for the person you care for, on one screen:

• Waiting for you to check, at the top, when there's anything waiting.
• Record: record an appointment or a note (coming soon).
• Talk to your Companion, if your family has Voice.
• Your 24-hour line, if you've added one, ready to call.
• The next appointment and today's medicines, as written in your records.
• Medicine times today, if you've added times, with a Given button for each one.
• Add to today's diary, to note how they are or a temperature.
• Questions to ask at the next appointment, and follow-up items to tick off.
• Help still needed, and the latest notes.

Each part has a link to see everything, such as See all appointments.

Nothing added without you

Things waiting for you to check

When the Companion picks up an appointment, a medicine or a result from a recording or a conversation (coming soon), it doesn't add it on its own. It puts it forward for you to check, because these matter too much to get wrong.

You'll find them at the top of Today, under Waiting for you to check, with a number on Today in the bottom bar. They also show at the top of their own page, such as Appointments.

• Confirm if it's right. It's then added to the records.
• Change if a detail is wrong, such as the time. Then tap Save and confirm.
• Remove if it shouldn't be there.

If a detail is missing, such as the time of an appointment, you'll see Add the time instead of Confirm.

Only the Main carer and Carers can confirm. Other family members see these marked Waiting for a Carer to check.

Never miss one

Appointments

Go to Appointments to see what's coming up and what's been. Tap Add an appointment when you hear about a new one.

Open an appointment to see everything about it in one place: the questions you want to ask, and your notes. Coming soon: a recording if you made one, and afterwards a plain-English summary of what was said, the next steps and any dates mentioned. Always check the summary against what you were told.

Not sure what to ask? Each appointment has Ideas for questions, suggested for that kind of appointment. Tap Add next to any you want on your list.

Coming soon

Recording an appointment or a note

Appointments go quickly, and it's hard to remember everything. On Today, tap:

• Record an appointment for a meeting with a nurse, doctor or hospital team. Always tell them you're recording first. The app asks you to confirm you have.
• Record a note to say the things you want to raise next time. They go on your Questions to ask list once you approve them.

Already recorded it on your phone? Use Add an appointment recording or Add a note recording.

The Companion writes down what was said and organises it. Nothing goes into the records until a Carer has checked it. Recordings are deleted after 90 days. Anything you approved from them stays.

What's taken, and when

Medicines

Go to Medicines to see everything, grouped as Taking now, Not yet started, Paused and Stopped. Every change is kept, so you can always see what changed and when.

• Tap Add a medicine or supplement to type one in.
• Tap Print or save the list to take it to an appointment or a pharmacy.

Medicine times

On each medicine, under Medicine times, pick a Time and tap Add a time. Use the times on the label or that the team gave you.

Those times then show on Today under Medicine times today. When a dose has been given, tap Given. Everyone in the family sees "Given by Iain at 08:04", so nobody has to ask. Tapped by mistake? Undo is there for 10 seconds.

The Companion never suggests starting, stopping or changing a medicine. Always follow the clinical team.

Spot the pattern

Blood results

Go to Results and tap Add a result to type one in. Pick a test to see every result for it, with a chart over time and the range printed on each report.

The Companion never says what a result means. Ask the clinical team about any result.

Day by day

The diary: how they are, and temperatures

Go to More and tap Diary, or tap Add to today's diary on Today. Then tap Add to the diary.

Fill in only what you want to. Everything is optional: a temperature, how they are today, sickness, eating, sleep, bowels, pain (0 to 10, as they describe it), and anything else. Tap Save to the diary.

• Temperatures show as a simple line, exactly as recorded.
• Tap Print or save the diary and choose the dates, for example to show the nurse.
• You can add photos to a diary entry, just like a note.

Your lists

Questions, follow-ups and notes

• Questions to ask is your list for the next appointment. Show it on your phone or take it with you, and tick each one once it's been asked. Add more with Record a note of more questions, or tap Need ideas? Browse questions by situation for questions other families have found useful, such as when starting chemotherapy or coming home from hospital.
• Follow-up items on Today are the things to do, like booking a blood test or collecting a prescription. Tick them off when they're done.
• Notes is for anything worth keeping. Tap Write a note. To add a photo to a note, tap Add a photo, then Take photo or Choose a file. Up to 4 photos, seen by everyone in the family who can see the care record.

Share the load

Help needed

People want to help but don't know how. Help needed is a simple board for lifts, prescriptions, meals and sitting with someone.

• A Main carer or Carer taps Ask for help and says what, where and when.
• Anyone in the family circle can tap I'll do it. Everyone can see what's still needed and what's covered.
• Tap Mark as done afterwards, or I can't do it after all if plans change.

Helpers, such as a neighbour or friend, only ever see the help board. They never see any medical information.

Ready when you need it

Contacts and the hospital grab sheet

Contacts keeps the important numbers together: the 24-hour line, the GP, the pharmacy and family. Tap a number to call it. Your phone asks before it rings.

Tap Print a hospital grab sheet for one page with their name, date of birth, NHS number, conditions, allergies, what's normal for them, every medicine they take now, anything stopped in the last 3 months, and key contacts. It shows the date it was correct on. Give it to the ambulance crew or ward staff. It works abroad too: show it to any doctor.

Free, always

Your free packs

The free Keep It Together packs, like the starter pack and the hospital and emergency pack, are in Packs, kept with the rest of your family's information. You can still download, print and share them from our website.

Coming soon

Asking your Companion

Tap Ask and type a question in your own words. It answers only from what your family has saved, and shows you where each answer came from. Ask doesn't change or save anything.

Things you can ask:

• "When is the next appointment?"
• "What did they say about her tablets last time?"
• "What was her last blood result?"

Not sure what to ask the doctor or nurse? Tell it. It will suggest a few questions you might want to ask, and you can tap Add to my questions.

It can't give medical advice or say what anything means medically.

Coming soon: an optional add-on

If you have Voice

Voice lets you talk to your Companion, which helps when your hands are full or you're tired. As you talk, it organises things for you.

• Tap Talk to your Companion on Today.
• Tap to talk, speak, then tap again when you've finished. Pauses and "erms" are fine.
• Or choose hands-free, and it listens until you stop.
• You can always type instead.

It keeps spoken replies short. The full details are always on the screen.

Things you can say: "Remind me to collect Mum's prescription on Thursday." "Mum's got an appointment next Wednesday at 4pm." "I don't know what to ask at her next appointment." "It's been a hard week."

Reminders, questions and notes are saved straight away, with an Undo button. Appointments, medicines and results are put forward for you to check on Today.

Don't have Voice? See Your plan in Settings. Everything else works the same without it.

Everyone helping

Your family circle

Go to Family and tap Invite someone. Enter their email and choose their role. They get a link that works for 7 days. Until they join, they show as Invited, not joined yet, and you can cancel. You can remove someone at any time.

A family space has room for 10 people, including you, plus 5 Helpers.

• Main carer (you)

  Sees the care record

  Yes

  Can add things

  Yes

  Can confirm what's waiting

  Yes

• Carer

  Sees the care record

  Yes

  Can add things

  Yes

  Can confirm what's waiting

  Yes

• Family

  Sees the care record

  Yes

  Can add things

  Notes, appointments, medicines, results and recordings

  Can confirm what's waiting

  No

• Family (view only)

  Sees the care record

  Yes

  Can add things

  No

  Can confirm what's waiting

  No

• Helper

  Sees the care record

  No, only the help board

  Can add things

  Can say "I'll do it"

  Can confirm what's waiting

  No

The Companion always goes by the account someone is signed in with. Saying "I'm the main carer" doesn't change what an account can do.

Make it yours

Settings, your plan and if things change

• Text size: make the words bigger on this phone or computer.
• Your name: how the family sees you.
• Daily email: switch the "waiting for you to check" email on or off.
• A full copy: tap Request a full copy, and we'll send you everything within 5 working days.
• Your plan: tap See your plan.

Two-step sign-in

For extra protection, tap Set up two-step sign-in. You'll need an authenticator app on your phone, such as Google Authenticator or Microsoft Authenticator. Scan the QR code, type the 6-digit code the app shows, and tap Confirm. From then on, after your password you'll be asked to Enter your code. Someone who learns your password still can't get in.

Lost your phone? Email hello@keepittogethercare.com from your account's email address.

Caring for a second person

On your home page, tap Add another person you care for. They get their own family space and records, at half price. If you have Voice, it's shared between the two.

Need a break, or has caring come to an end?

The Main carer can go to Settings and tap Pause or close this family space. The plan stops renewing, the emails stop, and everything is kept for you to read and print. You can reopen it at any time.

Please read

In an emergency

The Emergency? Call 999 button is on every screen. If you tell the Companion someone is very unwell, it will always point you to 999 or your 24-hour line first.

What the Companion won't do:

• It won't give medical advice, or say whether to start, stop or change a medicine.
• It won't decide whether something is an emergency.

It will suggest questions you might want to ask, and help you write them down for the clinical team.

Your information

Your privacy

• For now, in the Companion's first weeks, please use made-up details, not real health information.
• Your family's information is stored in the UK, and only your family circle can see it.
• Anything the Companion saves, and the words it came from, can be seen by everyone in your family who can see the care record.
• The words of your conversations are deleted after 90 days. Anything they added to the records stays.
• For a full copy of everything, tap Request a full copy in Settings.

The full details are in our privacy notice at keepittogethercare.com.

Getting help

Something not working?

• Can't sign in? On the sign-in page, tap Forgotten your password? and we'll email you a link. If you never got the email to confirm your account, try signing in: we'll send it again.
• Invitation not arrived? Ask the person who invited you to check your email address on their Family page. They can cancel it and send a new one. Links work for 7 days.
• Paid, but the Companion isn't on? It switches on by itself once the Main carer has made an account with the email address you paid with, confirmed it, and set up the family space. If that's all done, open Settings and tap See your plan. Still not on? Email hello@keepittogethercare.com and we'll sort it.
• Lost the phone you use for two-step sign-in? Email hello@keepittogethercare.com from your account's email address. We'll check it's really you before we change anything, which can take a few days.
• Anything else: email hello@keepittogethercare.com. Please don't include health details. If you're worried someone is seriously unwell, call 999.