I lost the red book — how do I get a replacement?

Who issues a replacement red book?

The RCPCH Personal Child Health Record page is the national standard-holder. It says the PCHR — also called the red book — is given to parents or carers at birth, and: 'We do not supply paper copies of the PCHR. If you have lost or need a new copy, please ask your local health visitor or health centre.'

MayTally cannot order a red book. Harlow Printing supplies NHS stock to services; RCPCH links that download for professionals. Parents still go through the health visitor.

How do I ask for a new Personal Child Health Record?

Treat this as a local stock request, not an online government form.

1. 1
   Find the health visiting service Search your district or borough name plus 'health visiting service', or use the number on your last clinic letter. The health centre that did the 6–8 week review is the usual desk.
2. 2
   Say the book is lost and the child's date of birth Ask whether they still issue a paper PCHR for that age. Under-fives are the group local pages most often mention. Older children are often told a new paper book is not stocked.
3. 3
   Ask them to copy immunisations from CHIS or the GP A blank book without the jab list is only half the job. Book the next review as normal — the appointment does not depend on you holding the old copy.
4. 4
   If you need a written jab list sooner Ask the GP reception for an immunisation printout, and ask how to contact your local CHIS. An Oxfordshire school-aged immunisation page (reviewed 23 March 2026) tells parents that CHIS holds vaccination records and that the GP holds the complete history.

What if I need the immunisation record before a new book arrives?

The parent-held book is a copy you carry. It is not the only NHS record. A lost red book does not cancel vaccines already given.

• GP practice — ask for the immunisation history. This is the usual complete clinical list.
• Child Health Information Service (CHIS) — area teams keep childhood screening and immunisation data (often to age 19). They are not a clinical advice line. An Oxfordshire example: CHIS can share immunisation details for children under 16; from 16 the young person must ask; from 20 CHIS does not routinely hold the record.
• School-aged immunisation service — can confirm vaccines that service gave; it may not hold the full preschool list.
• NHS App — useful for some adult and COVID records; it does not replace a preschool red book.

Nursery, childminder and school forms often ask to 'see the red book'. A GP or CHIS printout plus a note that a replacement has been requested is what most settings accept while you wait. There is no national deadline printed on the RCPCH page.

Is eRedbook an official replacement I can use instead?

No national digital PCHR has replaced the paper book. An NHS England London letter (December 2023) told services the London eRedbook pilot ended on 31 December 2023, and that the paper red book remains the definitive parent-held record for immunisations, reviews and screening until a national digital solution exists. The child's clinical record and CHIS remain the definitive NHS record.

The commercial eRedbook site still offers a parent-built digital folder. That is not an RCPCH-issued replacement, and the eRedbook team says it cannot print NHS paper books. Do not treat an app login as a national reissue.

In shortIn short: ask the health visitor or health centre for a paper PCHR. Use the GP or CHIS for the jab history. There is no national online reprint. eRedbook is not a UK-wide official stand-in for the red book.