Herbert Protocol

Most people would be forgiven for taking just one quick glance at an elderly man waiting for a bus.

But thanks to one passerby in Soham, who saw the same man again a few hours later, extra steps have now been taken to safeguard him.

The kind woman initially noticed the man walking towards Ely earlier that same day, and then near the station a few hours later – looking very confused and disorientated.

The woman spoke to him, and the man in his 80s showed her his bus pass and said he was going to see someone but couldn’t remember who.

He had no bag and declined a lift home from the woman, who then called us just after 3pm last Thursday.

We spoke to the man’s family and checks revealed he had dementia. We put further safeguarding measures in place, including the Herbert Protocol.

Do you know about the Herbert Protocol? It’s a scheme we support that can help find people with dementia should they go missing from home.

It encourages family and friends to keep a document that will help officers in the event a loved one goes missing by collating key pieces of information such as a physical description, familiar places, health details and an up-to-date photo.

Carers, family or friends of a vulnerable person, or the person themselves, can fill in a Herbert Protocol form in advance, containing information to help the police if the person goes missing.

Keeping a completed form means you don’t have to try to remember the information when you are under stress if someone goes missing. And it saves time, so we can start the search sooner.

For more information or to download a Herbert Protocol form, visit our dedicated web page.