What to Restock, Replace and Review Each Year

Open the cupboard where you keep the things you would use in an outage. The torch is in the right place but the spare batteries are in another room. The food belongs to a diet someone in the household no longer follows. The paper contact sheet is inside a drawer, with a name and number nobody has checked since the last move. Each item is easy to fix once you know about it.

Make one fuller review each year and set a lighter check about six months later. The UK Government’s Prepare campaign recommends a six-month reminder to check dates and adjust supplies for changes in your household. Restock after using items and review plans sooner after a move, a change in care or a different work or school routine. Put the reminders somewhere shared so the job can continue when the person who normally does it is away.

Sort the work before you shop

1. Restock what people use. Check the quantities of water, food, hygiene products, pet supplies and other everyday essentials you planned to keep. Include items borrowed for a trip, used in a recent outage or moved elsewhere.
2. Replace what has deteriorated or no longer fits. Examine equipment, packaging and household supplies. Check whether clothing, footwear, leads and chargers still suit the people or pets who would use them.
3. Review information and arrangements. Verify phone numbers, meeting places, contacts for building or care services and where authorised people can find important records.
4. Give each follow-up a name and date. Record tasks you cannot finish on the day. If a replacement takes time, write down the available backup and tell the people who would use it.

Set a target stock level for the household that lives there now. Count what is on hand, including supplies in normal use if people know where to find them. Suppose two adults, a child and a dog share a home. They might keep food in the everyday cupboard and water on a lower shelf that each adult can reach. If one person has a new dietary requirement or the dog now eats a prescribed diet, revisit the stock choice before adding more.

Use an ordinary shopping list to replace familiar items as they are used. Mark an item as urgent if the household would struggle without it and would have trouble getting another during disruption. Think about how to use each item with the equipment and space you already have. Tinned food is more useful if you can find a manual opener and people know how to use it.

Rotate food and check dates on health supplies

Put products you should use sooner where you can see them. Check the label before making plans to consume, donate or replace anything. A use-by date concerns food safety and a best-before date concerns quality. Follow the storage instructions on the pack and the official advice about each type of date. If food needs refrigeration or cooking, think through whether it serves the purpose for which you bought it.

Inspect packaging and the place you store it. Take note of leaks, damage, signs of pests or damp. Check bottled water labels and look for somewhere suitable to keep stock that you can reach safely. Consider whether several small containers are easier for your household to use than one large one. If someone has less strength or limited reach, try retrieving what they would need from their usual position.

Review first aid items against their packaging and instructions. Replace supplies that have been used or whose protective packaging is damaged, and check any expiry dates. Keep the kit where someone can reach it promptly. If a child has grown out of clothes in an overnight bag, change those while you are checking it. Do the same for items that no longer suit someone’s mobility, personal care or other daily needs.

Try the equipment with the items it needs

• Lighting. Switch the torch on and find the correct spare batteries. If it is rechargeable, check that you can find the right cable and follow the manufacturer’s charging instructions.
• Information. Turn on the radio and tune to a station you could use for local information. Keep the station details nearby and check that the unit has a working power source.
• Charging. Check whether your power bank works with the phones you have today. Inspect the bank and leads and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. If a battery is swollen, stop charging and using it and seek advice from the manufacturer or a qualified technician.
• Carrying and access. See whether someone can lift the overnight bag alongside anything else they need to carry. Check that a pet carrier opens and latches and is the right size for the animal.

Someone may have borrowed a cable for daily use. If it needs to return to the kit, write down where it goes and give it a label. Mark equipment that needs attention and agree the backup. Ask the manufacturer or local waste authority how to dispose of damaged batteries and electronic equipment safely. The end of the review should leave people able to find working equipment and know which items are waiting for replacement.

Give one check to somebody who rarely uses the kit. If they can find the torch and a compatible power source using the written instructions, the labels work. If they stop at the first unfamiliar connector or cannot reach a shelf, change the labels or storage while the cupboard is open.

Check the plan against the coming year

Call or message the people named in your arrangements and ask whether they can still play the role you agreed. Check school or nursery collection arrangements, pet care contacts and any instructions for your building. Confirm the meeting place is accessible, reachable by a safe route and available at the times it might be needed. If a work shift or bus route has changed, walk through what happens when the usual person cannot get home.

Review the documents people would look for, including current contact sheets and relevant insurance details. Give authorised people the current versions through your agreed route and deal securely with outdated copies. Check what someone can read without home internet or the phone where the original record lives. If they cannot get the information they need, agree a usable backup that keeps sensitive details protected.

Imagine the cupboard is fully stocked but your friend has moved and can no longer offer an overnight stay. Confirm a new first option and put the address and contact on the same sheet people already use. In the next check, ask an adult to find the new address and explain how they would get there if they could not drive. This short test verifies an arrangement that the supplies alone cannot fix.

Before you finish, put the kit back, write down what still needs doing and set the next reminder. At the lighter check, concentrate on dates, quantities and anything that has changed. If you use a torch or take food during a real incident, put the replacement on your next shopping list. Keep a short note of decisions such as a new place to meet or a backup contact so everyone has the same version of the plan.