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Stay ahead in Healthcare: How the Health Library’s Current Awareness Service keeps you informed

  In the fast-paced world of healthcare, staying up-to-date with the latest research is not just beneficial—it’s essential. New evidence, research, guidelines, and innovations are published every day, shaping how care is delivered and improving patient outcomes. Finding and filtering relevant information can be a challenge. Your Health Library can help – learn more about our current awareness service. What Is a Current Awareness Service? A Current Awareness Service is designed to help busy NHS professionals stay informed without the need to constantly search for new information. It delivers regular, targeted updates on the latest publications in your specific area of interest. Instead of spending hours trawling through databases or journals, you receive summaries of the most relevant research—straight to your inbox. Why does it matter to NHS staff? Keeping up with evidence-based practice is a core part of delivering high-quality care. The Current Awareness Service helps yo...

Ebsco is changing for NHS users. Act now to save your content!

Ebsco is changing the interface for its databases, such as Cinahl and Medline. These databases are used for running literature searches. The platform for ebsco databases is also called ebscohost. The change is expected to take place on the 14 th July. Have you saved searches or search alerts? You will need to act to avoid losing things you have saved. Why is EBSCOhost changing? There has been little change to EBSCO databases over a number of years.   EBSCO say the new version will offer an enhanced experience and allow the addition of new features. What isn’t changing? Your access to EBSCO databases will continue to be via the Health library website and your existing NHS OpenAthens login.   The account you use to save things (My EBSCO) will be retained although some content will be lost if you do not act. What do I need to do?   Will I lose my saved searches? If you do not use EBSCOhost or ebsco databases then no action is required. If you do use EBSCOhos...

Pride Month - June 2026

  Pride Month takes place in June every year in the UK with the aim of celebrating and honouring LGBTQ+ communities all around the world. It is about acceptance, equality and raising awareness of issues affecting the community, including health related issues.   RELATED LIBRARY RESOURCES     The Health Libraries, both at the Royal Stoke and County Hospitals, offer numerous resources on LGBTQ+ related health topics. In the lists below you’ll find a small selection of items from our collection. To locate these items, simply go to our online catalogue or ask at the counter.  This document covers the following resources – books , journals , journal articles and patient information .   BOOKS       How can we be wrong?: A bio-fictional LGBTQIA+ memoir ; Austin, Max; 2024 – part of our Patient Voices Collection. Clinician's guide to LGBTQIA+ care: cultural safety and social justice in primary, sexual and reproductive healthcare ; Mukerjee, Ro...

NHS staff can get free access to thousands of ebooks and articles

 Get the best evidence from essential resources such as ebooks, journals and databases. Whenever you’re looking for the right information for confident clinical decisions, career development, research projects or support for patient care, make sure you can access the best evidence. Access NHS and Health Library subscribed resources using your NHS OpenAthens username and password. What is NHS OpenAthens and are you eligible? Complete our quick quiz NHS OpenAthens – what’s fact or fake? to learn… What is NHS OpenAthens? Are you eligible? What resources you can access? How can you register? home page for the nhs openathens quiz Practice evidence-based healthcare by accessing the best evidence using your NHS OpenAthens username. More help Contact the Health Library for more help finding and accessing the information you need.

Ebsco databases (Cinahl and Medline) will be changing for NHS users

 The NHS will be moving to a new version of the EBSCOhost interface used to search journal literature including the CINAHL database.  The transition is expected to take place on the 14 th July.  Action may be required if you have have saved searches and regular alerts set up. You can continue to access the databases from the Health Library website , using your NHS OpenAthens username. We will share opportunities to learn more about how to search on the new EBSCOhost shortly. Some FAQs have been created to support the change – please do look and take action to ensure you do not lose saved work. What is happening to EBSCOhost and what do I need to do as a user?  

Health Literacy: teach back and chunk and check

 Communicating effectively with your patients is an important aspect of your healthcare job. Understanding the health literacy of your patients is elemental in supporting their healthcare needs and ensuring good healthcare outcomes. Do you get it right? South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust have produced some videos to demonstrate how the teach back and chunk and check techniques can help you to communicate effectively with your patients. Phone call example Pharmacy example Directions example For more help developing patient information check out our etutorial 10 steps to creating patient information.

Follow the Health Library on Social Media

 We have updated the social media channels we use. You can now follow us: On Instagram as part of  Keele Libraries On Facebook as part of  Keele Libraries On LinkedIn as part of  UHNM Health Libraries We'll still post to our Health Library News blog and Information Skills for Health blog . So make sure you keep up-to-date with all the news from the Health Library!

Skin Cancer Awareness Month - May 2026

  As we head towards summer it is important to look after your skin and protect it from the sun.  Skin Cancer Awareness Month takes place every May to highlight the risks associated with exposure to ultraviolent light & to raise awareness about the importance of sun protection. RELATED LIBRARY RESOURCES     The Health Libraries, both at the Royal Stoke and County Hospitals, offer resources related to this topic. In the lists below you’ll find a small selection of items from our collection. To locate these items, simply go to our online catalogue or ask at the counter.  This document covers the following resources – books , journals , journal articles and patient information .   BOOKS   Skin Cancer ; Cazzato, Gerardo; 2025; (IntechOpen) – available online as an Open Access e-book Fast Facts: Skin Cancer ; Agnew, Karen L; Bunker, Chris; Arron, Sarah T; 2013; (Health Press); 2 nd edition – only available as a Keele e-book ABC of Skin Cancer ; Ra...