A national safety scheme to help locate people with dementia who go missing has been launched on the Isle of Man.

The Herbert Protocol encourages families and carers to record vital information about a vulnerable person, such as their age, physical description, medical details, significant contacts and a recent photograph.

Named after war veteran George Herbert, who lived with dementia, the initiative focuses on early intervention and reducing the risk of harm.

It involves the use of a tag or wristband that can be scanned to identify the individual and share key details with the authorities quickly if they are reported missing.

The project has been introduced by the Isle of Man Constabulary in partnership with the Forget Me Not charity, Hospice Isle of Man and the island’s Admiral Nurses.

The Herbert Protocol has been in place for a number of years in the UK and was launched in the Isle of Man during a pop-up event on Strand Street in Douglas this week.

Police Sergeant Pam Robinson, who leads the Eastern neighbourhood policing team, said: ‘You fill out a form that has all the details on it – it logs all the essential details along with the picture. And then all that information gets loaded onto the app, which can be controlled by family, friends or even the person.’

Forget Me Not is an organisation that supports dementia care on the island. Representative Gemma Wild said: ‘We support the Admiral Nurse service on the Isle of Man, who help families with dementia, including the carers, and we’ve collaborated with the local constabulary to promote the Herbert Protocol.’

She added: ‘Obviously it’s a very scary situation if somebody that you love is showing signs of dementia. On many occasions, they get confused, get lost, and so the Herbert Protocol is a vital thing to have on the island to help take away that fear, hopefully as much as possible.’