A MESSAGE in a bottle - and stored in the fridge - could make all the difference in finding a dementia-stricken loved one who has gone missing.

The Herbert Protocol, used across the UK, helps police quickly obtain vital information that can be used to track a vulnerable missing person.

Now it is being backed by Police Scotland and rolled out across Scotland by Health and Social Care Scotland, Alzheimer Scotland and the Scottish Government.

Carers or family members can download the Herbert Protocol form from the Police Scotland website, or request a copy from local Health & Social Care Partnership staff, or other agencies, including Alzheimer Scotland.

The form is completed in advance and generally kept in the person’s home or with relatives - and ideally a copy will be stored in the fridge so police know where to look.

Assistant Chief Constable Gary Ritchie (Partnerships, Prevention and Community Wellbeing) described the implementation of the Herbert Protocol as a "significant step".

He added: “When a person goes missing, the first hour is vitally important.

"Previously, we would have spent a significant amount of time gathering information from family, friends or carers, but being able to give officers a completed Herbert Protocol form saves valuable minutes and hours.

“We hope that families who choose to complete a form will never have to use them.

"But if they do, having that completed form to hand gives relatives or carers peace of mind that they’re providing the police with detailed, relevant information to enable us to send officers to places where your loved one may be."

Forms hold personal details, a description, a recent photograph, languages spoken, as well as previous addresses, places of employment and other significant locations in someone’s life.

While the Herbert Protocol is in use in a number of Scottish policing divisions, a single form is now available nationwide to optimise the police response to locate the person and return them home, safe and well, as quickly as possible.

Morag Francis is a carer for her mum, who has a dementia diagnosis and her family has already completed a Herbert Protocol form.

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Morag said: “We did it as a little project with mum, because it was about her life, so it turned into a bit of a reminiscence session, so we could pinpoint areas that were still important to her.

"We could guess most of them because she did talk a lot about the past, but we wanted to make sure we'd thought of all the areas she might turn up at because that's where she remembered.

"To me it's my insurance document, because I appreciate if we couldn't find her the levels of stress would be incredible and we wouldn't really be able to think straight."

The Herbert Protocol is named after George Herbert, a veteran of the Normandy landings, who had dementia and died after going missing while trying to find his childhood home.

Alzheimer Scotland Deputy Director Joyce Gray said: “Alzheimer Scotland is fully committed to our partnership with Police Scotland, and delighted to endorse any opportunities to support families to use the Herbert Protocol.

"The Herbert Protocol and Purple Alert will help us to make people living with dementia safer in Scotland.

"We are proud of the partnership and in these world leading initiatives which help support our communities.”

Kevin Stewart, Minister for Mental Wellbeing and Social Care, added: “Having a loved one with dementia go missing is a very stressful time for families, friends and carers and the priority is to find the person safe and well and as quickly as possible.

“The Herbert Protocol is a straight-forward way for families and carers to provide all the necessary information easily and efficiently in one form which will save vital time in missing person enquiries."