National Health Information and Support Sources : Healthtalkonline

Department of Health
www.dh.gov.uk
The Department of Health (DH) exists to improve the health and wellbeing of people in England. Their website has information on policy, guidance and publications for NHS and social care professionals.

NHS Choices
www.nhs.uk
NHS Choices is a comprehensive information service to help you make choices about your health, from lifestyle decisions about things like smoking, drinking and exercise, through to the practical aspects of finding and using NHS services in England when you need them.

NHS Direct Online
www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk
Tel: 0845 46 47
NHS Direct Online has been developed to improve access to health information. The website has information on a wide range of conditions and illnesses. It gives a basic summary on different illnesses their diagnosis, symptoms, treatment and resources.

NHS Evidence
www.evidence.nhs.uk
NHS Evidence allows everyone working in health and social care to access a wide range of health information to help them deliver quality patient care.

Health Information Resources
www.library.nhs.uk
The Health Information Resources - formerly National Library for Health gives health care professionals and the public knowledge and know-how to help support health care related decisions.

A-Z

AgeUK

www.ageuk.org.uk

Age Concern and Help the Aged have joined forces to become Age UK
The Age UK Group works to improve later life for everyone by providing life-enhancing services and vital support.

British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)

www.bacp.co.uk
Tel: 01455 883316
A professional body for counselling and psychotherapy. Acts as a reference point for anyone looking for a counsellor or psychotherapist.

British National Formulary
http://bnf.org
Published every 6 months, by the British Medical Association and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society distributed to all doctors and pharmacists in the NHS to help them when they prescribe and dispense medicines. Includes uses, cautions, side effects, dosage. It is professionally independent and thoroughly reliable. The notes about groups of drugs are especially valuable. The technical language makes parts of it tough going for non-professionals.

Care Quality Commission
www.cqc.org.uk
The Care Quality Commission is the independent regulator of health and social care in England.They regulate care provided by the NHS, local authorities, private companies and voluntary organisations. They aim to make sure better care is provided for everyone - in hospitals, care homes and people's own homes and they also seek to protect the interests of people whose rights are restricted under the Mental Health Act.

Carers UK
www.carersuk.org
info@carersuk.org
Carers line 0808 808 7777 Wed-Thu 10-12/2-4pm
Is the leading campaigning, policy and information organisation for carers.

Citizens Advice Bureaux
www.citizensadvice.org.uk
Offers free, confidential, impartial and independent advice. Addresses and telephone numbers of local offices are listed in the Phone Book, and in Yellow Pages under Counselling and Advice.

Cochrane Library
www.thecochranelibrary.com
The Cochrane Library is an electronic publication designed to supply high quality evidence-based information to inform people providing and receiving care, and those responsible for research, teaching, funding and administration at all levels. The Cochrane Library is freely available to NHS staff, patients and the public.

Contact a Family
www.cafamily.org.uk
info@cafamily.org.uk
Helpline:0808 808 3555 - Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm; Mon, 5.30-7.30pm
Contact a Family is a UK charity for families with disabled children, providing support and advice to parents whatever the medical condition of their child.

Crossroads
www.crossroads.org.uk
Tel: 0845 450 0350
Is a charity that provides 'in the home care' for Carers in England and Wales.

eBMJ
http://bmj.com
This site contains the full text of all articles published in the weekly BMJ (British Medical Journal) since January 1994. In addition, it contains material that is unique to the website. Access to the entire site is free. For quick access to a subject go to the collected resources section and pick a topic from the list.

eMC

www.medicines.org.uk/emc/

For healthcare professionals and everyone needing up to date medicines information. The electronic Medicines Compendium is the most comprehensive source of Summaries of Product Characteristics (SPCs) and Patient Information Leaflets (PILs) for branded and generic medicines licensed for use in the UK.

eMC Medicine Guides

www.medicines.org.uk/Guides

The eMC Medicine Guides website provides patients and the general public with up-to-date information about over 2,700 medicines that are prescribed in the UK. Individual Medicine Guides include information about how to use or take a medicine, Possible side effects and Interactions a medicine may have with other medicines, food or alcohol.

Electronic Quality Information for Patients
www.equip.nhs.uk
On this website you will find links to quality-checked health and social care information for patients and carers in the UK.

Food Standards Agency
www.eatwell.gov.uk
helpline@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk
The Food Standards Agency is an independent food safety watchdog set up by an Act of Parliament in 2000 to protect the public's health and consumer interests in relation to food (www.food.gov.uk). It includes information pages on healthy eating.

GOV.UK

www.gov.uk

For information on goverment services and information.

LINks
www.dh.gov.uk/
Local Involvement Networks (LINks) aim to give citizens a stronger voice in how their health and social care services are delivered. Run by local individuals and groups and independently supported - the role of LINks is to find out what people want, monitor local services and to use their powers to hold them to account.

NICE- National Institute for Clinical Excellence
www.nice.org.uk/patientsandpublic
nice@nice.nhs.uk
Tel: 020 7067 5800
NICE provides patients, health professionals and the public with reliable guidance on current 'best practice'. It covers; medicines, medical devices, diagnostic techniques, procedures and the clinical management of specific conditions. It is not always easy to find what you are looking for on this site but it does have a good search facility. It has a new web-page for patient/public versions of NICE guidance.

Relate
www.relate.org.uk
Tel: 0300 100 1234
Relate offers advice, relationship counselling, sex therapy, workshops, mediation, consultations and support face-to-face and by phone.

Samaritans
www.samaritans.org.uk
jo@samaritans.org
Tel: 08457 90 90 90
Is available 24 hours a day to provide confidential emotional support for people who are experiencing feelings of distress or despair, including those which may lead to suicide. Tel: 1850 60 90 90 (Republic of Ireland).

Smoke Free
http://smokefree.nhs.uk
Tel: 0800 0224332 - 7 Days a week, 7am to 11pm.
NHS advice, information and support on giving up smoking

PatientsLikeMe

http://www.patientslikeme.com/conditions

Is an online community where people share information about their symptoms, treatments and outcomes.

Patient Opinion
www.patientopinion.org.uk
info@patientopinion.org.uk
Tel: 0114 281 6256
A site where you can share your experience of local health services, and see what others are saying.

Patient UK
www.patient.co.uk
The aim of this site is to direct non-medical people in the UK to good quality information about health and disease. The site contains leaflets about many health and disease topics, lists of support groups and a web directory of UK health information sites.

Princess Royal Trust for Carers
www.carers.org
info@carers.org
Tel: 0844 800 4361
The Trust exists to make it easier for carers to cope by providing information, support and practical help to carers. The national network of over 100 independently managed Carers Centres across the UK currently reaches well over 100,000 carers a year.

UK Screening Portal
www.screening.nhs.uk
This is the website of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), funded by the Health Departments in each of the UK countries. The UK NSC is responsible for providing advice on screening to each of the four countries.

National Health Information and Support Sources

Mail to a friend

Tell us your story

You can help support others by sharing your own experiences through healthtalkonline.