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READY/ FIELD NOTES

CHECK THE EVERYDAY DEPENDENCIES.

Practical checks for your home and business. Read the answer, try a free tool, then write down what needs doing.

READY/ Editorial · 2 November 2026 · Independent planning aids

Illustrative telecare base and pendant beside a corded telephone, with a separate router on a living-room shelf.

Digital landlines and telecare: ask about the whole connection

A working telephone does not establish that a care alarm will work after a line change or during a power cut. Ask both providers to confirm the arrangement.

READ THE FIELD NOTE →
Hands examining an unbranded cereal carton beside dry pasta, a tin and a blank kitchen notebook.

Food rotation: keep the date wording and the opening instructions

“Expires Friday” loses useful information. Record whether the label says use-by or best before, and read what changes after opening.

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An illustrative e-bike in a detached garage beside a bare bench holding a disconnected battery and charger.

E-bike charging: plan the place and the time together

The nearest socket is not the whole charging plan. Check the escape route, charger and a routine that keeps charging attended.

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An empty country lane disappearing beneath opaque floodwater, photographed from dry ground well back from the water.

Flooded road? Plan the delay instead of a depth test

An alternative route, a contact and permission to postpone are more useful than trying to judge whether floodwater is passable.

READ THE FIELD NOTE →
A blank-screen laptop, disconnected external drive and empty notebook on an ordinary small workshop office desk.

Your backup completed. Can you restore the file you need?

A small restore exercise can reveal whether a business can recover a usable document, who can do it and which parts remain untested.

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READY poster: Outdoor kit stays outdoors. An unlit camping stove sits in an open garden. Keep barbecues and camping stoves outside, never run a generator indoors, and do not rely on an alarm to make unsafe use safe.

Backup equipment: an open door does not make indoor combustion safe

A camping stove or generator is not automatically a household fallback. Check where it can be used safely before including it in a power-cut plan.

READ THE FIELD NOTE →
READY poster beside a tabby cat and carrier: The chip number is only half the job. Find the database, check contact details and update them after a move.

Your pet is microchipped. Can the database still reach you?

A chip number identifies a record; it does not track a pet’s location. Check the database and current contact details as their own task.

READ THE FIELD NOTE →
READY England prescriptions poster beside plain closed medicine cartons, a phone and notebook. Know the route before you run out: check ordering times, record the pharmacy contact and use NHS urgent-supply advice.

Repeat medicines: plan the supply route before the last dose

For households in England, distinguish routine ordering from urgent supply and keep the relevant pharmacy and NHS routes easy to find.

READ THE FIELD NOTE →
READY invoice-fraud poster beside an illustrative business owner on a phone with paperwork. New bank details? Verify them independently, use a trusted number, record confirmation and keep payment approval separate.

A supplier changes bank details: verify the change outside the message

A familiar invoice or email thread is not enough to establish a payment change. Give a small business a clear verification and approval process.

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READY Emergency Alerts poster beside a phone, radio and notebook. Alerts are not ordinary texts: check compatibility, recognise the Wi-Fi-only device limit and agree another source of updates.

Emergency Alerts are not ordinary texts: check which devices can receive them

Understand the difference between a mobile-network broadcast and a message sent to a phone number, then agree another route for official updates.

READ THE FIELD NOTE →
READY poster beside a kitchen tap, unplugged kettle and water bottle. Text distinguishes boil water, do not drink and do not use, and says to follow supplier advice.

Boil water, do not drink, do not use: read the instruction before choosing a response

Three water notices require different decisions. Make a short record of the actual instruction, affected uses and next update.

READ THE FIELD NOTE →
READY poster saying yellow is only the start of the information, beside a map, phone and notebook by a rainy window. Read the place, time, impacts and likelihood.

A yellow weather warning is a starting point, not your finished decision

Read the place, timing, impacts and likelihood, then record the decision that applies to your own plans.

READ THE FIELD NOTE →
READY poster saying Registered? Check what happens next, beside hands holding a phone and writing in a notebook. Confirm energy and water records, support and contact details.

On a Priority Services Register? Confirm the support, contacts and follow-up

Turn “we are registered” into a clear record of which organisations hold your details and what help has actually been discussed.

READ THE FIELD NOTE →
READY poster saying Know your building’s fire plan, beside an illustrative clear corridor and closed fire door. Ask the landlord or managing agent for current instructions.

Live in a flat? Get the fire plan for your building, not a generic checklist

Ask for the current building-specific instructions and turn the answer into a clear, accessible household record.

READ THE FIELD NOTE →
READY poster saying Remember period products, beside a bathroom cupboard with plain packs, folded underwear and a lidded bin. Ask preferences, keep suitable spares, and plan washing and disposal.

Period products belong in the plan: preference, washing and disposal

Make a private, product-specific supply plan that people will actually be comfortable using.

READ THE FIELD NOTE →
Torch, phone and mug on a kitchen table, with a boiler and router in the background.

Gas heating, electric controls: check what your home actually needs

Map the hidden power dependencies behind heating, internet and everyday routines, then make a practical household fallback plan.

An open under-sink cupboard with an illustrative brass stop tap and a blank note card on the worktop.

New home? Make a systems map before you need one

A practical walkthrough for locating water controls, household equipment and useful contacts without turning moving day into a technical survey.

Three sealed plain drinking-water bottles on a low kitchen shelf, with a glass on the worktop.

Your three-day drinking-water number is only the first decision

Calculate a drinking-water baseline, count what you already have and make a workable storage plan for your own household.

Chickpea and vegetable bowl, oatcakes, an apple, tinned food and a manual tin opener on a kitchen table.

Build a no-cook cupboard from meals you already eat

Turn familiar shelf-stable food into a practical no-cook meal plan, checking portions, opening instructions and leftovers before buying more.

Adult and child raincoats and shoes in a home hallway, with keys and a closed notebook on a console.

If you cannot get home: agree the household handover in advance

Agree collection responsibilities, contact details and safe alternatives before a delayed journey becomes a household coordination problem.

Inactive card terminal, closed laptop and paper notebook on the counter of an independent shop.

Card terminal down? Map the decisions before you promise a workaround

A practical downtime exercise for small businesses: identify payment dependencies, ask the provider the right questions and decide who can pause trading.