NHS Emergency Steroid card

September 2020 - Recently issued National guidance promotes a patient-held Steroid Emergency Card to help healthcare staff identify patients with adrenal insufficiency and provide information on emergency treatment.

This means that there are now 2 types of steroid alert card a patient may be required to carry:

1. A steroid TREATMENT card (blue card)

This carries a series of instructions for the patient and informs healthcare professionals to whom the patient shows the card. The card should be carried when a patient is taking ORAL steroids. Patients taking oral corticosteroids for periods of more than three weeks should receive a steroid treatment card, or those receiving more than four short oral courses per year.

2. A steroid EMERGENCY card

Is a prompt to help healthcare staff to identify appropriate patients and gives information on the emergency treatment to start if they are acutely ill, or experience trauma, surgery or other major stressors.

The steroid emergency card should be given to all patients with primary adrenal insufficiency and those who are steroid dependent (on a long-term oral steroid).

Cards are available through community pharmacies or The card can be downloaded from the Society for Endocrinology adrenal crisis webpage. 

Further information is available on - Steroid Emergency Card to support early recognition and treatment of adrenal crisis in adults