WHEN Chris Ford's nephew was diagnosed with an allergy which could kill him, he went to extreme measures to make sure paramedics were informed in an emergency.

Joe Wakley had the number of a charity which could give information about the condition – which means he must not be given a certain type of anaesthetic – tattooed on his arm.

But after having the details permanently marked on his wrist, the organisation changed its number.

Joe's problem inspired Chris, of Downend, to come up with a new solution which uses mobile technology to ensure the vital medical information is easily available.

Accountant Chris, 50, designed a wristband containing a chip which can be scanned by the majority of smart phones, linking them straight to an internet site which holds the information.

From this week people will able to buy the wristbands and the site, called Tap2Tag, has gone live.

Father-of-two Chris said it was up to each individual who buys a wristband how much medical information they choose to store online.

Text alerts are sent out every time someone accesses someone's information.

Chris Ford (left) with Chris Skidmore MP at the launch of Tap2Tag on the 2 May 2014 at the Bristol & Bath Science Park, Bristol

The software used in the wristbands is called radio frequency identification.

It is already built into most bank cards and smart phones.

Key fobs and credit card-sized emergency tags for wallets have also been produced by the Kingswood-based firm.

In the future Chris hopes to create cufflinks and other accessories with the tag.

Chris said: "It was a really family affair, me and my wife and two sons sat around a table and came up with ideas.

"I think it could really help people.

"It has taken us about 16 months to develop – I have invested a lot of time and money into it."

To launch his Tag2tag business he attended a special technology show in Birmingham last week.

He said: "I couldn't believe the response, everyone was so positive.

"One carer came up to me and said 'thank you, I've been asking doctors to develop something like this for years'.

"Now we have been there and had such good feedback my confidence has built up in what I'm doing."

South West Ambulance Service's operational manager, Nick Evans, said: "This is a tremendous piece of kit that could enable us to get patient information really quickly.

"We can see huge potential for it within emergency healthcare."

To find out more visit www.tap2tag.me.

Article written by Emma Grimshaw.  Pictures by Barbara Evripidou

WHEN five-year-old Mazie Stapleton was rushed to the Southmead Accident and Emergency Department, doctors were unaware that she suffered from a rare condition that can cause her heartbeat to stop without the correct treatment.

Mazie shows off her Tap2Tag wristband

But mum Stacey Stapleton is hailing a new product that works with popular smartphones, developed by a Bristol-based company, for potentially saving her “inquisitive little angel’s” life.

Mazie was wearing a Tap2Tag Medical Alert key fob – which warned hospital emergency staff that Mazie suffers from Reflex Anoxics Siezures (RAS), a very rare condition that can cause fits, often confused with epilepsy, that briefly stops the heart in certain stressful circumstances.

The £8 key fob, which contains a chip that uses Near Field Communications (NFC) technology to connect to a smartphone, holds vital medical data about the wearer, which in some situations can literally be the difference between life and death.

Mazie, who attends Our Lady of Lords School, is now safely home in Kingswood with her two-year-old younger brother, Jesse, and Megan, her 11-year-old sister.  And now her mum is warning other parents with children with unusual medical conditions to “spend just a few pounds” to ensure that doctors and paramedics know what they are dealing with in the vital first minutes of a diagnosis.

Mum Stacey said: “Mazie is a very inquisitive little girl, like any youngster, and she is always into something, and so when she came home with berries that I instinctively felt were poisonous, I took her straight to hospital.

“I was beside myself with worry and at times like that, it is difficult in the panic of the moment to give doctors a quick, articulate and succinct summary of my little angel’s medical history.”

She added: “I was simply able to tap Mazie’s medical alert key fob on my phone which I was then able to share with emergency hospital staff, which explained fully they were dealing with an unusual situation. Nursing staff were amazed to see how the fob worked with my phone.”

As a result of the quick availability of her medical information, Mazie was treated appropriately for her condition and then discharged without the need for further treatment.

But mum Stacey is now adamant that what started out as a basic peace of mind investment in her daughter’s health, is something every parent should consider.

Chris showing us the range of Tap2Tag devices

“This technology can either be worn on the wrist or attached to clothing or personal belongings, and can be the life-saving difference in those vital first moments when doctors need to make speedy decisions about your child’s life,” Stacey said. “Every parent should invest a few pounds in this peace of mind for their kids,” she added.

Kingswood-based Bristol company Tap2Tag has taken an ‘open source’ technology and focused on how it can be used to save lives and support patients and medical staff, especially in emergency situations.

Tap2Tag Managing Director Chris Ford said: “Tap2Tag Medical is a new application of technology, designed to help first-responders and paramedics gain instant access to critical medical information in an emergency.

“We designed the system to be affordable and easy to use. Since we launched the project in May this year we have been overwhelmed with the positive response from the public and medical profession alike.

“Anyone can potentially benefit from Tap2Tag Medical. However, for those with a known medical condition, like Mazie, the elderly or anyone taking prescribed drugs, it is particularly vital.”

A typical Tap2Tag Medical user wears a wristband, similar to popular rubber charity wristbands. Other users prefer to have a key fob, or to carry a card, or to display a sticker in their home. Some choose to use a combination.

Each device is embedded with a new technology, known as ‘NFC’ (near-field communication).  NFC was designed for use with mobile phones.  Virtually all Android and Windows smart phones have this technology.

In an emergency, for example when someone collapses, after calling the emergency services any passer-by or neighbour with an NFC-enabled mobile phone can ‘tap’ the patient’s device. With a couple of clicks they can gain instant access to information, which the wearer has chosen to disclose.

It was the beginning of March 2014 when we set off for a small village in the French Alps called Les Contamines Montjoie to undertake rigorous testing of our wristbands and credit cards.  Anyone involved in a sporting activity, especially those involving winter sports, may have a need to provide their medical information in a hurry and sometimes in an environment that is not very hospitable.  Skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiers and extreme sports people just love getting out into the countryside to do their thing but how would tap2tag medical devices help them?

The first job was to establish whether there was sufficient 3G coverage across the pistes.  The mountains around Les Contamines Montjoie cover a vast amount of on and off-piste skiing.  We skied across most of the available ski slopes in the region and found that 3G was available virtually everywhere, even at the top of the mountains.  Free Wi-Fi was also available in a number of the bars and restaurants on the slopes but our main concern was mobile internet availability.  So, after 4 days of intensive skiing, we got our first tick in the box.  There is very good coverage for 3G internet services across the Les Contamines mountain ranges.  From our research it appears that the Alps have at least 90% coverage for 3G covering France, Italy, Switzerland and Austria and this continues to improve.  Not bad considering there are so many tall things in the way called MOUNTAINS!

Our final job was to check whether the chips themselves could deal with the adverse temperature changes as well as the altitude.  Les Contamines Montjoie is about 1,200m above sea level so it seemed right that we should test the bands in the local bars and restaurants.  No problem.  Each tap2tag device worked first time and again with an excellent 3G signal.  It was time to push the altitude up and the temperature down.  Throughout the week we tested the wristbands and credit cards all over the mountain ranges and the devices never failed to work.  Temperatures fell as low as -10C as we pushed our way up to the highest point on the range at over 2,300m.  Tap and success!  All was working well.

But we were still not happy.  A day trip to Chamonix and a long cable ride to the top of Mont Blanc, well Aiguille du Midi to be precise.  Sitting at 3,842m above sea level this is one of the highest accessible points in the whole of Europe.  So did the devices work?  Absolutely.  And the 3G coverage was incredibly good with full bars showing on our mobile phones.  It is amazing to sit on the top of Europe, watching light aircraft flying under our viewpoint, and getting a successful test of the tap2tag wristbands and credit cards.  We could say we felt on top of the world but that would mean another trip to the Himalayas and would be too cheesy.

So if you are doing any winter sports in Europe you can be rest assured that our tap2tag devices will work.  The 3G coverage is excellent albeit there may be a few blind spots and the devices themselves performed exceptionally well.

The Blue Badge Company sells hand made wallets for disabled badges. The company has been established for just over 10 years now but in the last few years has developed a wide range of wallets to suit all tastes.  All of their wallets are hand made and the range changes every year.  These make an ideal stocking filler for Christmas but also an attractive gift to anyone who has a disabled sticker.

There is a load of information on their website that helps guide you through the red tape involved when applying for a disabled badge for the first time.  This is a business that has shown sustainable growth and is run by really great people.  They get a big thumbs up from the Tap2Tag team.

Useful links

www.bluebadgecompany.co.uk

https://www.facebook.com/bluebadgecompany

https://twitter.com/BlueBadgeCo

Tap2Tag have been on the road again!  It is an important part of our mission to spread the word about the Tap2Tag Medical Alert system but also to gain an understanding of how Tap2Tag can be a direct benefit to individuals that may have need of some protection.  Since our launch in May 2014 we have been working closely with Epilepsy Action, slowly gaining an understanding of a condition that affects over 500,000 people in the UK.  We were very pleased to be invited as a quest to the 3^rd Epilepsy Weekend For All event.

One of the key messages that speakers and attendees have focused on is the lack of confidence that epilepsy sufferers have when venturing out into the world.  The fear of a seizure at any time is always a worry and the fact that some individuals do not carry appropriate medical alert information can add to this concern.  Feedback from the attendees to Tap2Tag has been amazing and we have donated more than 40 wristbands to attendees in return for a donation to the charity.  We have collected over £60 so far.

One phrase that came out of the discussions was quite poignant.  Epilepsy is not a disability but living with it CAN be disabling.  It is not just about the effects of the condition upon your normal life but also the wider aspects that involve public perception and social stigma.