A one-page profile is a single sheet that tells anyone supporting a person what matters most about them. It covers what people like and admire about them, what's important to them, and how to support them well. In a care home it's the page a new member of staff, an agency worker or a visiting professional should read first. Below is a template you can copy and a worked example. After that comes how to write one with the person, not about them, and how it fits alongside the care plan, the hospital passport and the communication passport.
The short answer
A one-page profile has three main parts, usually around a recent photo of the person:
- What people like and admire about me: strengths and qualities, in the words of people who know the person well.
- What's important to me: what matters to the person, from their point of view, including people, routines, possessions and how their day goes.
- How best to support me: the specific things that help this person, and the things to avoid, so anyone can support them the way they want.
It's a summary, not a care plan. It doesn't replace the person's assessment, risk assessments or care plan. It points people towards what matters first, and it should agree with the care plan.
Where one-page profiles come from
One-page profiles grew out of person-centred planning in the UK. Helen Sanderson, of Helen Sanderson Associates, describes first developing the one-page profile in 2004 to help her daughter's teachers get to know her. The approach is now widely used in learning disability services, in schools for children with special educational needs and in adult social care. Some services call them an "All about me" page or a pen picture.
There's no single national format, and we're not aware of any regulation in England that requires a care home to have a one-page profile by name. What is required is person-centred care. Regulation 9 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, which CQC enforces, requires care that meets the person's needs and reflects their preferences. CQC's guidance on it says the care plan must be made available to all staff, and staff must be kept up to date with any changes to the person's needs and preferences. NICE guideline NG86 asks services to support people to express their views and preferences (recommendation 1.1.5), to use the name the person prefers (1.4.2), and to make sure everyone supporting the person knows how they like support to be given (1.4.7). A good one-page profile is one practical way to show you know the person and act on it.
One-page profile template (copy and adapt)
Keep it to one side of A4 so it actually gets read, and adapt it to the person and to your home's policies. Use the person's own words wherever you can, and write in the first person ("I like…", "Please…") if the person is happy with that.
Top of the page
| Section | What to write |
|---|---|
| Name and what I like to be called | Full name, and the name the person wants staff to use |
| Photo | A recent photo the person has agreed to, ideally one they've chosen |
| Date written and review date | When this version was written, who helped, and when it will next be reviewed |
What people like and admire about me
| Prompt | What to write |
|---|---|
| Strengths and qualities | Specific, real things people who know the person say, such as "a brilliant sense of humour" or "remembers everyone's birthday". Ask family, friends and staff who know them well. Avoid general words like "lovely" on their own |
What's important to me
| Prompt | What to write |
|---|---|
| People | Who matters, how often the person sees or talks to them, and how |
| Routines | How the person likes their morning, meals, evening and bedtime to go, in the order and at the times they choose |
| Things and places | Possessions, activities, places, music, faith or cultural practices that matter |
| What makes a good day and a bad day | In the person's terms |
How best to support me
| Prompt | What to write |
|---|---|
| How I communicate | How the person tells you things (words, signs, gestures, sounds, behaviour), and how to make sure they understand you. Keep it short and point to the communication passport or care plan for the detail |
| What helps | The specific things that work for this person: how to offer choices, how to start personal care, what calms them |
| What doesn't help | What to avoid and why, framed positively where you can ("Please knock and wait for me to answer") |
| Things you must know | A short pointer to anything critical, such as "I have epilepsy: see my epilepsy care plan" or "I eat a modified diet: check my care plan before giving me food or drink". Don't copy the detail onto the profile |
Bottom of the page
| Field | What to write |
|---|---|
| Who helped write this | The person and the people who know them best, for example "Written with Sam, his sister Jo and his keyworker" |
| Where to find more | "My care plan, hospital passport and communication passport have the detail" |
A worked example (fictional)
This example is made up to show the format. It isn't a real person, and you shouldn't copy someone else's profile; every profile should be written with the person it's about.
Sam (likes to be called Sam). Written with Sam, his sister Jo and his keyworker. Review date: [date].
What people like and admire about Sam
- Sam has a big laugh and gets everyone joining in.
- He knows every bus route in town.
- He's kind to new staff and shows them where things are.
What's important to Sam
- Phoning his sister Jo every Sunday at 6pm.
- His football shirt on match days, and watching the match in the lounge, not his room.
- A slow start: a cup of tea in bed before he gets up, then a shower.
- His bus timetable book, kept by his bed.
- Going to the café on Saturdays.
How best to support Sam
- Give Sam time to answer. He'll often answer after a pause, so wait before you ask again.
- Offer two choices at a time, not open questions.
- Tell Sam who you are when you come in, every time.
- If Sam starts pacing, a walk outside usually helps. Loud rooms make it worse.
- Sam has epilepsy. Read his epilepsy care plan before your first shift with him.
How to write a good one-page profile
- Write it with the person. Spend time with them and ask in a way they can answer, using pictures, objects or visits to places if that helps. If the person can't take part directly, watch what they enjoy and what they avoid, and ask the people who know them best.
- Ask several people. Family, friends, advocates and staff who know the person well will each notice different things. Write down what they actually say.
- Be specific. "Likes music" doesn't help a new worker. "Loves Motown, especially on a Saturday morning" does.
- Keep it positive and practical. Frame needs as how to help: "Please give me time to answer", not "Sam is slow to respond".
- Keep it to one page. If it won't fit, the extra detail belongs in the care plan. Point to it instead of copying it.
- Make it accessible to the person. Offer a version with photos or symbols, larger print or another language if that's what the person needs, so it's theirs as much as the staff's.
- Get agreement on sharing. Agree with the person (or, if they lack capacity to decide, follow the Mental Capacity Act and decide in their best interests) where the profile is kept and who it's shared with. It contains personal information, so treat it like the rest of their records.
- Keep it in step with the care plan. If the profile says one thing and the care plan says another, staff won't know which to follow. Update both together.
One-page profile, care plan, hospital passport, communication passport and "This is me": what's the difference?
| Document | What it's for | Who reads it |
|---|---|---|
| One-page profile | A short, positive summary of what matters to the person and how to support them | Anyone new to the person: new staff, agency workers, visitors, other services |
| Care plan | The full, assessed plan of care and support, with risks, outcomes and review | Staff delivering care every day; managers; inspectors |
| Hospital passport | What hospital staff need to know quickly if the person goes into hospital | Hospital staff (and ambulance crews, if it goes with the person) |
| Communication passport | A guide, written from the person's point of view, to how they communicate and how others can communicate with them | Anyone who needs to communicate with the person |
| "This is me" (Alzheimer's Society) | A free Alzheimer's Society leaflet for anyone receiving professional care who is living with dementia or experiencing delirium or other communication difficulties: their background, life events, routines and preferences | Professionals caring for the person in any setting, including at home, in hospital, in respite care and in care homes |
They overlap, and that's fine, as long as they agree with each other. Whichever you write first, keep them consistent: the care plan holds the detail, and the profile summarises what matters most to the person.
When to review a one-page profile
There's no set interval. Review it whenever something important changes for the person, and at the same time as their care plan review (CQC's guidance on Regulation 9 says every plan should have an agreed review date). It's also worth checking after a hospital stay, a move of room or a change of keyworker. Date each version so staff can see it's current.
Common mistakes
- Writing it about the person instead of with them. If they haven't been involved, say how you tried to involve them and who contributed.
- Making it a list of problems. A profile full of risks and behaviours reads like a warning, not an introduction.
- Copying clinical detail onto it. Point to the care plan instead, so there's only one place to keep up to date.
- Writing it once and never again. An out-of-date profile can be worse than none, because people trust it.
- Pinning it up without asking. Some people are happy for their profile to be on display; others aren't. Ask first, and ask again if things change.
How Kiwi handles this
Kiwi (our product) doesn't have a separate one-page profile document. Each resident's care plan includes an "About me" section with twelve headings, including likes and dislikes, daily routines, important relationships, what makes me happy, what upsets me, what is important to me and how I like to be supported. Like the other care plan sections, it can have its own next review date, and Kiwi shows when that review is overdue. When the section is changed, the earlier version is kept. A member of staff can sign the section to confirm they've read it and will follow it; Kiwi shows who signed last and when, and flags the section for re-signing if it's been updated since. When Kiwi prints a Hospital Passport, the green "About me" part is filled in mainly from this section. You can use the template above alongside any system, paper or electronic.
If you'd like to see how Kiwi's "About me" section and care plan reviews work, book a demo.
Frequently asked
What is a one-page profile?
A one-page profile is a single page that summarises what people like and admire about a person, what's important to them, and how best to support them. It's written with the person and the people who know them best, so that anyone new can support them the way they want.
What should a one-page profile include?
A recent photo the person has agreed to, what people like and admire about them, what's important to them, and how best to support them, including how they communicate. Add the date it was written, who helped write it and when it will be reviewed. Keep clinical detail in the care plan and point to it.
Is a one-page profile the same as a care plan?
No. A care plan is the full, assessed plan of care, with risks, outcomes and reviews. A one-page profile is a short, positive summary of what matters most to the person. It should agree with the care plan, but it doesn't replace it.
Does CQC require one-page profiles?
Not by name. We're not aware of any regulation or CQC guidance in England that requires a one-page profile, and CQC doesn't set a format. Regulation 9 (person-centred care), which CQC enforces, requires care that meets the person's needs and reflects their preferences, and CQC's guidance expects a care plan that all staff can see and that staff are kept up to date with any changes. A one-page profile is one practical way to help with that. If your local authority or commissioner asks for one, follow their requirements.
How often should a one-page profile be reviewed?
There's no set interval. Review it whenever something important changes for the person, and at the same time as their care plan review. Date each version so staff can see it's current.
Sources
- Helen Sanderson Associates: Getting started with a one-page profile
- Helen Sanderson (HSA blog): Why we're sharing one-page profiles
- NDNA: One-page profiles factsheet (early years, England, July 2024)
- Regulation 9: person-centred care, Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014
- CQC: guidance on Regulation 9, person-centred care
- NICE NG86: People's experience in adult social care services (recommendations 1.1.5, 1.4.2 and 1.4.7)
- Alzheimer's Society: This is me
- NHS: Going into hospital with a learning disability (hospital passports)
- CALL Scotland: Communication Passports
Sources last checked: 21 October 2026.
