What to Bring to A&E: The Complete Checklist

Why preparation matters

An A&E visit can last anywhere from two hours to well over eight. Bringing the right items makes the experience more comfortable for you and helps clinicians treat you more efficiently. Arriving without your medication list, for example, can add time to your assessment while staff try to access your records. Arriving without a phone charger can leave you isolated and unable to contact family during a long wait.

This guide covers everything worth bringing, organised by priority. It also covers what to leave at home.

Essential documents and information

These items directly speed up your care:

Medication list

This is the single most important thing you can bring. Every clinician who assesses you will ask what medications you take. If you can hand them a complete list — drug name, dose, frequency and when you last took each one — it saves time and reduces the risk of errors or interactions.

Options for providing this information:

• A printed or handwritten list kept in your wallet or on the fridge
• Photographs of your medication boxes on your phone
• The NHS App, which shows your GP-prescribed medications
• The physical boxes or blister packs themselves — this is the gold standard for accuracy

Include over-the-counter medications (ibuprofen, antihistamines, supplements) and anything you have taken today for the current problem.

Allergies

Know your allergies and what reaction they cause. "Allergic to penicillin" is useful. "Allergic to penicillin — causes rash and swelling" is much more useful because it helps clinicians judge severity and choose alternatives. True anaphylactic allergies (difficulty breathing, throat swelling, cardiovascular collapse) should be distinguished from intolerances (mild nausea, stomach upset).

NHS number

Your 10-digit NHS number lets staff access your records instantly. You can find it on:

• Previous hospital letters or discharge summaries
• Your GP surgery's online patient portal
• The NHS App
• Prescription prepayment certificates

If you do not know it, staff can look you up by name, date of birth and address — it just takes slightly longer.

Brief medical history

If you have complex medical history, a one-page summary is enormously helpful. Include:

• Current diagnoses (diabetes, asthma, heart failure, etc.)
• Previous significant operations
• Any implanted devices (pacemaker, joint replacement, stent)
• Recent hospital admissions or investigations
• Name of your GP surgery

Photo ID

Not required, but helpful if there are patients with similar names, or if you are visiting a hospital that does not have your records.

Comfort items

These do not speed up your care but make the wait bearable:

Phone charger

Non-negotiable for a long visit. A&E waiting rooms often have power sockets, but not always near your seat. A portable battery pack is more reliable. Your phone is your connection to family, your source of entertainment, and — if you use the NHS App — your medication record.

Food and drink

Hospital vending machines are expensive and often empty. A&E departments rarely provide meals to patients in the waiting room (though they may offer tea and biscuits). Bring:

• Water — a refillable bottle you can fill at a water fountain
• Easy-to-eat snacks — cereal bars, fruit, sandwiches
• Avoid anything that requires heating or generates strong smells

If you are diabetic, bring your own glucose monitoring kit and hypo treatment (glucose tablets, sugary drink) and make sure staff know you are diabetic at triage.

Important: If there is any chance you might need surgery or sedation, staff may ask you not to eat or drink. Follow their instructions — they will tell you if nil by mouth applies.

Something to do

A&E waits are boring. Bring:

• A book, magazine or Kindle
• Headphones for your phone (wireless preferred — wired headphones can snag during examinations)
• Downloaded content — hospital WiFi is often slow, unreliable or requires registration. Download podcasts, shows or audiobooks before you leave home.

Warm layers

Hospitals are air-conditioned and can be surprisingly cold, especially if you are sitting still for hours. A hoodie, cardigan or blanket scarf serves double duty as a comfort item and pillow.

Change of clothes

If your current clothes are bloodstained, wet, cut by paramedics, or may be removed for examination, having clean replacements saves the discomfort of wearing a hospital gown home. Pack light — a t-shirt, joggers and underwear in a carrier bag.

Condition-specific items

Depending on why you are going, consider:

• Asthma — your reliever inhaler (blue), spacer if you use one, and your asthma action plan if you have one
• Diabetes — glucose monitor, test strips, insulin pen or pump supplies, hypo treatment, a letter from your specialist if your regimen is complex
• Epilepsy — a record of recent seizure frequency and your emergency medication (buccal midazolam or rectal diazepam) if prescribed
• Pregnancy — your maternity notes (the handheld record your midwife gave you), or the digital version if your trust uses one
• Mental health — details of your community mental health team, crisis plan if you have one, and any current psychiatric medication. Our mental health crisis guide covers what to expect
• Mobility — your own walking stick, frame or wheelchair if you use one. Crutches may be available at A&E, but your own equipment is more comfortable

For children

If bringing a child, pack everything above plus the items in our children's A&E guide: nappies, spare clothes, comfort toy, milk or formula, snacks, downloaded entertainment, and the red book if you have it.

For older adults

Our elderly A&E guide covers additional items for older patients: hearing aids, glasses, dentures (in labelled cases), continence supplies, warm clothing, and details of any care services or community nursing involved.

What to leave at home

• Valuables — jewellery, large amounts of cash, expensive electronics beyond your phone. A&E departments are busy public spaces and theft, while uncommon, does occur. The hospital will not accept responsibility for lost valuables.
• Weapons — knives, tools or anything that could be perceived as a weapon. A&E departments have security, and you may be searched.
• Recreational drugs or alcohol — do not bring them into the hospital, but do tell staff honestly if you have taken any. This is medical information, not a legal matter, and withholding it can delay or compromise your treatment.

A quick-grab checklist

For when you need to leave quickly:

1. Phone and charger
2. Medication list (or grab the boxes)
3. NHS number
4. ID
5. Water bottle
6. Snacks
7. Warm layer
8. Headphones
9. Wallet (for parking, vending machines)
10. Carrier bag with spare clothes

Tape this list inside a kitchen cupboard or save it as a note on your phone. In an emergency you will not remember everything, but a glance at the list helps you grab the essentials in under a minute.

If you arrive unprepared

It happens. You fall, you cut yourself, someone calls 999, and suddenly you are in A&E with nothing but the clothes you were wearing. Do not worry — A&E departments are equipped to treat patients who arrive with nothing. Staff can access your GP records electronically (though this takes longer than having the information to hand), the hospital has blankets, the department has water, and reception can usually lend a phone charger.

If a companion can bring supplies later, ask them to prioritise your medication boxes or list, your phone charger, and a warm layer. Everything else is a comfort, not a necessity.

Preparing a go-bag in advance

If you have a chronic condition that might require emergency attendance — heart disease, epilepsy, severe asthma, diabetes — consider preparing a small go-bag that stays packed by the front door or in the car boot. Include your medication list, a copy of your latest hospital letter, your NHS number, a phone charger, a cereal bar, a bottle of water and a warm layer. Replace perishable items every few months. This removes the stress of packing under pressure and ensures you never forget the critical items.

For households with young children, keep a similar bag with nappies, a change of clothes, a comfort toy and a snack ready at all times. A&E visits with children are unpredictable in length, and being prepared makes the experience considerably less stressful for everyone. Our children's guide covers paediatric-specific packing. If you care for an elderly relative, our elderly A&E guide has a specific section on what to prepare for older patients.

Bottom line

The medication list is the most important thing you can bring — it directly affects the speed and safety of your care. Everything else is about comfort and communication. Preparing a small go-bag in advance means you are ready for an unplanned visit without the stress of packing under pressure. For more on what happens once you arrive, see our step-by-step A&E guide, and check live wait times before you set off to choose the quietest department near you.