Open access resources for non-NHS staff, patients and the public

These resources are available for patients and the public to use when searching for health information.

Health information

NHS Website – includes health, well-being and social care information and local services and support. 

Patient.co.uk – includes a professional section for guidelines.

Medline Plus – the United States National Health website for patients and their families and friends.

Medscape – the latest medical news, expert perspectives, clinical trial coverage, drug updates, journal articles and more.

Databases and journals for health research

Access to Research – gives free, walk-in access to over 15 million academic articles in participating public libraries across the UK.  

Students and independent researchers can now access many of the world’s best academic papers from leading publishers who have made their journal content available for free.

Start by viewing which articles and journals are available from home, then find a participating library where you can view the full text. 

Research gate – shared research articles. 

PubMed Central (PMC) is a free full-text archive of biomedical and life sciences journal literature at the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s National Library of Medicine (NIH/NLM). There is also Europe PMC. 

Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) – DOAJ is a community-curated online directory that indexes and provides access to high quality, open access, peer-reviewed journals.

Other sources 

Professional bodies’ own libraries – for example, The Royal College of Nursing  - student or subscriber membership is usually available. 

Public Libraries – Public libraries in general often hold books suitable for healthcare students and may be able to request more specialist books and journal articles from other libraries. 

Contact us with your recommendations.