To help patients and their families/carers find good health information, the Knowledge and Library Service has put together some weblinks on a range of health related topics. Use the tabs above to select the topics you are interested in.
Health Information and Conditions
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/ - The NHS A-Z list of health conditions which includes symptoms, casues, diagnosis, treatment and prevention information.
https://patient.info/ - Expert health articles, tips and information on a wide range of conditions, medicines and treatments.
https://healthtalk.org/ - Database of people’s real-life experiences of health conditions and treatments. You can search by condition or use the A-Z list. Includes information on health conditions and treatments as well as videos of people describing their experience.
http://www.patientlibrary.net/ - Search the patient experience library for information and evidence across a wide range of conditions and healthcare topics. This site also includes a Trust waiting list tracker which gives instant access to waiting times for treatments across England.
https://www.easyhealth.org.uk/ - Online library of accessible health information.
Charity websites often have a section on the condition as well as useful patient experience stories and links to local support.
Charity Library and Charity Choice are databases of UK charities which you can search to find the relevant ones for your needs. Click on the logos below to visit the websites:
Fast Facts for Patients and their Supporters - Kortext eBook collection
There is a collection of short eBooks available on the Kortext platform which cover a range of health conditions and are aimed at patients and their families/carers. You can access the Fast Facts collection here.
To help patients and their families/carers find good health information, the Knowledge and Library Service has put together some weblinks on a range of health related topics. Use the tabs above to select the topics you are interested in.
Medicines/Drugs
https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/ - NHS A-Z list of medicines, including brand names, with key facts, how and when to take, side effects and common questions.
https://patient.info/medicine - A-Z list of a wide range of medicines and drugs. Includes information on the medicine, how you take it, what it is prescribed for, side effects etc.
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/medicines-and-healthcare-products-regulatory-agency - Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency – Government guidance on medicines and drugs, drug safety, product information about medicines and patient information leaflets.
To help patients and their families/carers find good health information, the Knowledge and Library Service has put together some weblinks on a range of health related topics. Use the tabs above to select the topics you are interested in.
Mental Health and Well-Being
https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/ - NHS support and information for your mental health.
https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/ - Expert advice and practical tips to help you look after your mental health and well-being.
https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/ - National mental health charity offering advice, support and information on mental health issues. There are also links to local Mind networks.
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/ - NHS advice about healthy living, including eating a balanced diet, healthy weight, exercise, quitting smoking and drinking less alcohol.
https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/ - NHS: Let’s Do This – Free tools and support to help people make healthy choices and changes to their lifestyle.
To help patients and their families/carers find good health information, the Knowledge and Library Service has put together some weblinks on a range of health related topics. Use the tabs above to select the topics you are interested in.
Information for Carers
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/social-care-and-support-guide/ - NHS information on support services and options for carers, and families of people with illnesses and disabilities.
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/family/looking-after-people/carers-help-and-support/ – Information, help and support for carers including carers assessment information and financial advice.
https://www.carersuk.org/home - National charity which offers support and advice for carers on a range of topics: technology and equipment, money and benefits, work and career and relationships.
https://carers.org/ - Local support contact information, information on caring for people with specific conditions, financial advice and health and well-being support.
Understanding Health Information
There are lots of things to think about when searching the internet for health information and it can be difficult for patients to find information which is reliable and up-to-date especially during stressful times.
This guide put together by The Patients Association gives good advice about what to look for when searching for health information online to help people check that the information they find is trustworthy:
https://www.patients-association.org.uk/finding-trustworthy-information-online
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health - BBC News has a dedicated health section on their website which provides up to date information about health issues.
https://fullfact.org/health/ - Full Fact is an independent charity which fact checks news stories on a range of topics including health.
Health Literacy
https://www.england.nhs.uk/personalisedcare/health-literacy/ - NHS England information and resources on health literacy. The 2023 Health Literacy Toolkit can be downloaded here.
https://healthliteracy.geodata.uk/ - This tool provides an estimate of the percentage of a local authority population with low health literacy and numeracy or with just low health literacy. It is a useful indicator of health literacy levels in the local area.
https://www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/healthliteracy/ - eLearning for Healthcare: Find out more about health literacy and what you can do to help patients by enrolling in these Health literacy modules.
https://www.healthliteracyplace.org.uk/ - NHS Scotland's website on health literacy. Includes information, resources and research.
Digital Skills
As more and more health information is found online, it is important for people to have the skills to find reliable information.
This short, self-guided course created by Learn My Way is a good way to improve people's knowledge of how the internet can support their health. It’s free to access and covers GP services and the NHS website:
https://www.learnmyway.com/subjects/improving-your-health-online/
Writing for Patients
https://library.nhs.uk/health-information/ - Section 3 of the 2023 Health Literacy Toolkit includes information and links to several resources to help you write in plain English for patients.
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/guide-to-making-information-accessible-for-people-with-a-learning-disability/ - The NHS guide to providing clear information for people with learning disabilities.
BMJ Best Practice is a point of care tool which gives step-by-step guidance on diagnosis, prognosis, prevention and treatment
You can access BMJ Best Practice online or via their app. It includes a comorbidities manager which provides guidance on the treatment of a patient’s acute condition alongside their preexisting comorbidities.
It also provides patient information leaflets which you can pass on to patients, their families and carers.
The Reading Agency has put together a range of booklists to help people manage and understand their health and wellbeing. The booklists include a range of health conditions as well as mood boosting and uplifting titles and there are lists aimed at children and teenagers as well as adults.
You can find the lists with information on each of the titles at:
We want to ensure that this webpage is kept up-to-date, and provides Sirona staff with helpful information that can be passed on to patients and their families/carers.
If you use, or know of, a useful online source for patient and public health information, please share this with us by completing this form.
Thank you for your help.