Priority services register power cut guide: when someone relies on medical equipment

Quick checklist

What the Priority Services Register is

The Priority Services Register (PSR) is a free service run by energy and water companies. It records customers who may need extra help, so that the company can adjust how it talks to you, give notice of planned work, and think about you in an incident. Be Ready, the government campaign, points people to thepsr.co.uk for details.

Think of it as a way to tell your providers about your situation before something happens. Joining costs nothing. It is worth checking every so often that your details are still right.

Priority services register power cut help: what it does and does not do

The register helps your providers know you may need support. What each one offers can differ, so check with yours. In general it may mean:

• Notice of planned power cuts.
• A different way of contacting you, such as a text or a call.
• Extra support in an unplanned cut, which may include advice or a welfare check.
• Support in other situations, which varies by provider.

It does not guarantee your supply. A power cut can still happen, and it can last. It does not mean a person will arrive within a set time. Please do not rely on the register as your only plan. It sits alongside a plan you make yourself.

Who can join

Eligibility varies by provider, so check the criteria with your provider. People who are often eligible include those who:

• Are of pensionable age
• Are disabled or have a long-term health condition
• Rely on medical equipment that needs electricity
• Have a young child in the home
• Have a hearing, sight or communication need
• Are in a temporary difficult situation, such as after surgery

If someone in your home relies on medical equipment, tell your providers, even if you are not sure you qualify. They can tell you.

Where to sign up: supplier, network operator, and the other registers

Electricity involves two companies. Your supplier sends the bill. Your network operator, also called the distribution network operator or DNO, owns the lines and equipment, and deals with power cuts. You can usually join through either, and it is worth telling both.

To find your network operator, call 105 from your home phone or mobile. It is free, and it connects you to the right operator for your area. Be Ready lists 105 for power cuts.

Gas and water have their own registers. Contact your gas supplier, your gas network operator and your water company, and ask whether they hold a register and how to join. The website thepsr.co.uk explains how to apply. Check with each provider that your details are shared, because some pass them on and some do not.

Our guide to the power cut checklist lists what else to prepare.

Equipment that needs power: your back-up plan

If someone uses medical equipment that runs on electricity, speak to your clinician, nurse or equipment supplier about a back-up plan. Ask:

• What should we do if the power goes off?
• Does the equipment have a battery, and who maintains it?
• Who do we call, and at what number, day and night?
• Is there a safe alternative, such as a different device or a place to go?

We cannot give medical advice or say how long any battery lasts. That depends on the device and the person, and only your clinician or supplier can tell you. Write the answers down and put them with your phone numbers.

Follow only the back-up plan your clinician or equipment supplier gives you.

Phones, lights and power banks

For the things you can safely plan yourself, keep to phones and lights.

• A 10,000 mAh power bank (Retailer link coming soon) keeps a phone going so you can call 105, 111 or 999. Charge it each month, and keep the cable with it.
• A head torch (Retailer link coming soon) leaves your hands free. Use torches, not candles, because candles are a fire risk.
• A notebook and marker (Retailer link coming soon) lets you write key numbers and your clinician's advice on paper.
• Family emergency contact cards (Retailer link coming soon) keep numbers on paper if your phone is flat.

Our guide to the best lights for a power cut compares options, and the offline emergency contact list shows what to write.

What to do in a power cut

1. Call 105 to report the cut or get updates. It is free.
2. If someone relies on medical equipment, follow the plan your clinician or supplier gave you.
3. Call your clinician or equipment supplier if you are unsure.
4. For urgent advice that is not an emergency, call NHS 111.
5. In a medical emergency, call 999.
6. Tell a neighbour or relative, if you can, so someone knows.

Do this today (free)

1. Call 105 and note down your network operator's number.
2. Go to thepsr.co.uk, or phone your supplier, and ask about joining.
3. Ask your clinician or equipment supplier what the back-up plan is, and write it down.
4. Save 105, 111 and your supplier's number in your phone, and on paper.
5. Charge your phone and any power bank.

If you have £10, £25 or £50

These are budgets, not quotes. Check the current price first.

• About £10: a notebook and marker, or contact cards, and a head torch.
• About £25: add a power bank for the phone.
• About £50: add a second torch, a spare power bank and a battery carbon monoxide alarm if you do not have one.

Sources and further reading

• Priority Services Register
• Be ready for emergencies: checklist and household plan
• NHS: when to use 111