Lanyard Reference Cards

The information a nurse needs at 3am, such as the escalation thresholds for an early warning score or the number for the outreach team, is best kept where their hand already goes: behind their ID badge.

CP Cards prints lanyard reference cards, often called badge buddies, for NHS trusts, care providers, universities and clinical training teams. Manufactured in England since 1992.

What teams put on them

• Early warning score thresholds and escalation steps
• Sepsis screening prompts
• The SBAR handover structure
• Safeguarding contacts and internal extension numbers
• Paediatric normal ranges by age

You supply the clinical content, approved through your own governance process, and we print it exactly as signed off. We do not write or check clinical wording.

Sized to sit behind the badge

Most staff ID badges are the standard 86 x 54mm card size, so a reference card the same size sits flush behind the badge on the lanyard or reel. We punch a 15 x 3mm slot to line up with the badge in front, or a 5mm hole.

Both sides are printed in full colour at no extra cost, so one side can carry adult parameters and the other the escalation contacts.

Designing for quick reading

Colour bands let a reader find the right line without reading every line, and full colour printing reproduces your trust’s colours and the score chart colours as designed. Keep the smallest text large enough to read under ward lighting. On a card this size, fewer lines at a sensible size work better than everything squeezed in at 6pt.

Keeping reference cards up to date

Clinical guidance changes, and an out of date reference card is worse than none. Put a version number and date on every card, keep the artwork on file with us, and reprint when the guidance changes.

The Royal College of Physicians publishes NEWS2, the early warning score endorsed by NHS England for acute and ambulance settings, and trusts build their local escalation steps around it. When the source changes, the card should too.

Why plastic rather than laminated paper

Reference cards get wiped down along with everything else on the ward. Laminated paper splits at the edges and lets moisture into the paper. A solid PVC card has its print sealed under the surface and wipes clean, so it stays legible for as long as the content is current.

Content reviewed by the CP Cards team, September 2026.

Printed for healthcare and training teams

Reference cards are printed alongside the certification cards we produce for training providers and the ID cards we print for organisations across the UK. You approve a free photorealistic proof before anything is printed, and we keep your artwork on file so an updated version is a quick reprint.

Lanyard Reference Card FAQs

What size are lanyard reference cards?

Standard ID card size, 86 x 54mm, so they sit flush behind a staff ID badge.

Do you write the clinical content?

No. You supply the content approved by your organisation and we print it exactly as signed off.

Can the cards be printed on both sides?

Yes. Cards are printed in full colour on both sides at no extra cost.

Can we order several different reference cards at once?

Yes. Tell us how many designs you need and how many of each, and we will quote for the set.