Right at Home Oxford Highlights the Importance of the Herbert Protocol Following ITV Meridian Feature
Earlier this month, Right at Home Oxford was proud to collaborate with the MedicAlert Foundation UK to help raise awareness of the Herbert Protocol and the important role it can play in supporting people living with dementia.
Published: 21/09/2026
Looking back at the Importance of the Herbert Protocol
Our team were invited to share our experience as part of an ITV Meridian feature, alongside representatives from Thames Valley Police. The report aired on 11 September and highlighted the importance of having key information readily available when a person living with dementia goes missing.
We are now looking back at the experience and sharing some behind-the-scenes photographs from the day, as the story continues to receive wider attention.
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A real-life experience
Our involvement in the story comes from an experience involving one of our clients, who was living with early-onset dementia.
As his dementia progressed, he stopped recognising his home as his own and left the house because he believed he needed to return to “his house”.
Thankfully, a Herbert Protocol was already in place.
We were able to alert the police that the protocol was available and provide important information about the circumstances. The police were then able to respond quickly and, within a few hours, our client was found safely.
The experience demonstrated to our team just how valuable it can be to have important information prepared in advance.
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What is the Herbert Protocol?
The Herbert Protocol is a scheme designed to help police when a person living with dementia or another condition that may affect their memory goes missing.
It allows families, carers and care professionals to provide important information in advance, such as a person's physical description, previous addresses or locations they may be likely to visit, routines and other details that could assist a search.
Having this information available can help reduce the time needed to gather essential details during what can be an extremely distressing situation.
For families and care teams, it is about being prepared before an emergency happens.
Sharing our experience
As part of the ITV Meridian feature, our team were able to share our experience alongside Thames Valley Police and the MedicAlert Foundation UK.
We have also seen the story receive attention from other publications and organisations, including Care Home Professional, which featured Right at Home Oxford's experience as a real-life case study in its coverage of the Herbert Protocol appeal.
We are pleased to see the conversation continuing and to have the opportunity to help raise awareness of a resource that can make a meaningful difference to people living with dementia, their families and those supporting them.
Behind the scenes
To mark the occasion, we are sharing a selection of photographs from behind the scenes of the ITV Meridian feature, including the interviews taking place and members of our Right at Home Oxford team at the location.
For our team, being involved was not simply about appearing in a news story. It was an opportunity to share a real experience and highlight why planning ahead can be so important when supporting someone living with dementia.
When every minute matters, having the right information available can make a real difference.
If you care for or support someone living with dementia or memory loss, we encourage you to find out more about the Herbert Protocol and consider putting one in place before it is needed.