Top Celebrities lend their support for the new LIFESAVING My Next of Kin Card

An innovative ID card which provides vital information to emergency services in the event of an accident has received endorsement from The National Police Chief’s Council. Following a serious medical emergency in which his mother, Faye, was rushed to hospital in a coma, Lee Hemington created a small credit card sized ID tool called My Next of Kin that contains not only the name of the individual, name of next of kin and their contact phone number, but also details any allergies or medical conditions to help speed up the treatment process should an incident arise.

Last year, over 23 million attendances were recorded at Accident and Emergency units up and down the country, with many patients arriving either unconscious or unable to communicate with medical staff.

Unfortunately, identifying the person and their next of kin from ID they may be carrying is a difficult and time-consuming process as driver’s licences only give a home address, debit or bank cards just give a name and mobile phones may be broken or pin protected.

This is precisely what happened when Lee’s mother Faye was taken to hospital in a coma and given just 48 hours to live. The doctors had no idea what had caused Faye’s serious condition, the police only had her home address and the rest of the family were out, her debit cards didn’t help, and her mobile phone was locked.

Luckily, after 5 hours, Lee discovered Faye was ‘missing’ and managed to track his mother down in hospital. He was then able to provide NHS staff with vital medical information that saved her life.

Fortunately, Faye made a full recovery, but the outcome could have been very different if Lee hadn’t discovered his mother’s whereabouts in time.

With this in mind, Lee set to work developing a wallet-sized card that gives essential information so that the emergency services know the person’s name, can contact next of kin and have information regarding allergies and medical conditions that can be crucial when receiving medical attention.

From his experience, the My Next of Kin Card was created as a way to provide relevant information quickly and is now available free of charge to those in the UK and further afield.

The card is recognised by the National Police Chiefs’ Council and has been lent support from celebrities such as Dame Esther Rantzen, Joanna Lumley OBE and Gary Lineker OBE.

Lee Hemington has been overwhelmed by the response and said “We all go about our daily lives thinking that accidents and medical emergencies will never happen to us, but statistics show that we’re wrong.

“Tracking down a name, next of kin and medical details can take the emergency services hours, so I wanted to find a way of speeding up the process and helping our loved ones get the help they require when they need it most.

“I’m thrilled at the support My Next of Kin has received and happy to provide a free or low-cost recyclable plastic version of the card that can be used just about anywhere in the world, so I want to spread the word and encourage everyone to carry one in their purse or wallets.”

To find out more or to order your free My Next of Kin Card, visit www.mynextofkin.org.uk