- Over 40,000 people with dementia are reported missing for the first time in the UK every year.
- Health charity The MedicAlert Foundation launches £10,000 emergency campaign during World Alzheimer’s Month to safeguard its free police-integrated Herbert Protocol search service.
- Digital database eliminates the “kitchen table delay,” instantly delivering crucial profiles to police forces and officers on the street within minutes.
LONDON, UK. September 15th, 2026 — National health charity The MedicAlert Foundation has launched a vital 14-day appeal to safeguard its free digital Herbert Protocol emergency database, an essential public safety infrastructure that transforms frantic missing-person searches into targeted police rescues within minutes.
In the UK, over 944,000 people are living with dementia, and an estimated 70% will go missing at least once during the progression of the condition. Furthermore, national police statistics show that over 40,000 people living with dementia are reported missing for the first time in the UK every year.
MedicAlert’s free Herbert Protocol database acts as a 24/7 digital “memory keeper” by securely storing detailed physical descriptions, photographs, medical needs, past locations of interest, and de-escalation strategies. With a single go-ahead from a panicked family member, MedicAlert instantly transmits the complete, structured profile directly into the hands of UK police search teams on the ground.
MedicAlert currently looks after more than 6,000 of these free lifelines. To keep the 24/7 secure infrastructure running and integrated with police forces nationwide, the charity is running a 14-day appeal to raise £10,000 during World Alzheimer’s Month.
Rob Burley, Chief Executive Officer at MedicAlert Foundation UK said: “When a loved one with dementia goes missing, every single second feels like an eternity. Dementia distorts reality, often driving people to search for a childhood home or a long-gone workplace, leaving them defenceless against cold weather and dangerous traffic.
“Historically, officers have had to spend that precious first hour gathering basic facts from a family in deep shock. Our Herbert Protocol database takes the panic out of those missing minutes. In one quick step, we give police officers on the street a clear strategy, telling them who they are looking for, where to search, and how to safely calm the person when found.
“We believe that protecting a vulnerable loved one is a fundamental human right, not a luxury. That is why we provide this service 100% free of charge. But maintaining a secure, 24/7 digital network across the UK requires funding. During World Alzheimer’s Month, a donation of just £20 secures a lifeline for another vulnerable family ahead of winter.”
The aim of the technology is to bypass the critical first hour police teams spend sitting at a kitchen table, attempting to gather physical descriptions, medical histories, past addresses, and routines from traumatised families in deep shock.
Simon Hannam, Detective Chief Inspector at Thames Valley Police said: “This is the key information that we need to know. If somebody living with dementia is reported as missing, we have that information at the earliest opportunity so we can carry out as effective and efficient an investigation as possible. So, ultimately, you can find that missing person.”
Oxford home care service Right at Home has expressed support for the campaign after seeing first-hand the impact it can have on the search to find one of its clients.
Lorna McAleavey, Deputy Manager at Right at Home Oxford said: “We have a client who was living with early-onset dementia, and as the dementia progressed, he no longer recognised his home as his. He left home to go back to ‘his house’.
“We alerted the police that he had a Herbert Protocol and that this wasn’t his house. Police reacted immediately and were able to find him in a few hours. And then from that, we were able to apply for the safety support, but we wouldn’t have had this help without the use of a Herbert Protocol.”
The appeal runs until the end of September. Members of the public can donate to the appeal or register a loved one living with memory loss for the free Herbert Protocol service at www.herbertprotocol.com/when-memory-wanders.
ENDS