Herbert Protocol Wales: How to Complete It and Why It Matters for Dementia

What the Herbert Protocol Is

The Herbert Protocol is a national policing initiative designed to reduce the time it takes to find a missing person with dementia. Named after George Herbert, a Normandy landings veteran who lived with dementia, the protocol is a pre-prepared information form that you complete and keep at your parent's home, ready to hand directly to police officers the moment a missing person report is filed.

Without the protocol, a family reporting a missing parent has to answer dozens of detailed questions under extreme stress — physical description, medication requirements, places of significance, recent photographs — while the search clock is already running. The Herbert Protocol frontloads all of that information into a single document completed calmly, in advance.

How It Works in Wales

All four Welsh police forces (North Wales, Dyfed-Powys, South Wales, and Gwent) operate the Herbert Protocol. Each force makes the form available for download on their website, and local neighbourhood policing teams or dementia support services can provide paper copies.

The form captures:

• Physical description — height, build, hair colour, distinguishing features, a recent high-resolution photograph
• Medical information — diagnoses, current medications, allergies, GP details, hospital consultant
• Routine and habits — what time they usually wake, eat, and go to bed; regular walking routes; preferred shops or cafés
• Places of significance — childhood home, former workplaces, schools, churches, favourite parks. People with dementia often try to return to locations from earlier life when disoriented.
• Previous incidents — dates and details of any prior wandering episodes, including where they were found and what time of day
• Emergency contacts — who to call, who holds Lasting Power of Attorney

When to Complete It

Complete the Herbert Protocol as soon as possible after a dementia diagnosis, while your parent can still contribute to the information themselves. They know details about their own history — the name of the farm they grew up on, the address of their first workplace, which park they walked the dog in during the 1970s — that you may not.

Revisit the form every six months to update the photograph and any changes to medication, routine, or physical appearance. Weight loss and mobility changes during dementia progression can make an older photograph misleading for search teams.

Where to Keep It

Store the completed form securely at your parent's home in an agreed location accessible to family and responders, rather than publicly visible. If your parent lives in a care home, give a copy to the home's manager. Many care homes in Wales now ask for a Herbert Protocol form as part of their admission process.

Keep a digital copy on your phone as well. If you are the one who calls police, you can read information directly from the document while officers are being dispatched, before anyone arrives at the house.

What Happens When You Call Police

If your parent goes missing, call 999. Tell the operator that the missing person has dementia and that you have a completed Herbert Protocol form ready. This gives police the information needed for their missing-person risk assessment.

When officers arrive, hand them the physical document. The pre-compiled profile means search teams can immediately deploy to the places of significance listed on the form, broadcast an accurate physical description, and alert local hospitals with the correct medication list. In searches where every hour increases risk — especially in cold weather or near water — this preparation compresses response time significantly.

The Herbert Protocol does not replace other safeguarding measures. GPS tracker devices, door alarms, and key-safe locks all reduce the likelihood of a wandering incident in the first place. The protocol is the safety net for when those measures fail.

The Wales Dementia Care Guide includes a Herbert Protocol completion walkthrough alongside other home safety measures and a wandering-risk assessment checklist.

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