In the event of an emergency and you or a member of your family were taken to hospital, following an accident, whom would you or they like to have notified of this incident?

Bob Brotchie, a clinical team leader for the East Anglian Ambulance NHS Trust, has come up with a fabulous idea following his experiences of trying to find the correct contact details of those injured patients.

Almost everybody has a mobile phone these days and so the original concept involved including the acronym ICE before the name of the person, in your mobile phone, whom you would prefer hospital staff to contact in case of emergency.

This idea, which came about in 2005, enables paramedics and hospital staff to contact that important person who will provide the most assistance in the case of an emergency as, ideally, your ICE partner will also know your medical history.

To get the best out of ICE, check out the following tips:

Ensure the person whose name and number you are including in your phone has agreed to be your ICE partner
Give your ICE partner a list of those people they should contact on your behalf
The ICE partner’s number is the one that will most likely be answered
Advise your ICE partner of any pertinent medical conditions
If you are under 18, ensure your ICE partner is a parent or guardian authorised to make decision on your behalf

For more information about ICE, including family or corporate schemes, go directly to the official website www.icecontact.com