Knowing me, knowing you...

How well do you know the NHS? Have you been brought up abroad and are completely non-plussed by this UK obsession with a healthcare service? Take some time to learn a little...

The King’s Fund is a good resource for information on the development and organisation of the NHS. Read the following articles to get some facts and figures:

How does the NHS in England work and how is it changing? (King’s Fund)

Watch this animation to discover the key organisations that make up the NHS and how they can collaborate with partners in the health and care system to deliver joined-up care.

Key facts and figures about the NHS (King’s Fund)

What's the NHS annual budget? How many doctors and nurses are there? What's the cost of an operation? 

NHS workforce in a nutshell (King’s Fund)

We know the NHS is facing a workforce crisis, but how many people work in the NHS in England and what are their roles?

Health inequalities in a nutshell (King’s Fund)

Health inequalities are avoidable, unfair and systematic differences in health between different groups of people. Here King’s Fund examine the key data on this complex and wide-ranging issue.

More articles from the King’s Fund on the NHS: The NHS in a nutshell Essential facts and figures to understand the NHS, health and social care in England.

What about anything from the Health Library collection? You’ll need to join the Health Library before you can borrow any items. Then take a look at this suggested reading list:

The NHS at 70 : a living history (Health Library book)

This book traces the history of our health service, from Victorian healthcare in the early 20th century, through a timeline of change to the current day, comparing the problems and illnesses of 1948 to those we face seventy years later.

Organising care around patients : stories from the frontline of the NHS (Health Library book)

In these true and compelling accounts, we learn the experiences - good and bad - of people grappling with birth and death, caring for loved ones, living with mental illness, coping with long-term conditions, and struggling in older age. This book is a call to action aimed at healthcare professionals, managers and politicians: a manifesto for more patient-centred care.

Dear NHS : 100 stories to say thank you (Health Library book)

Curated and edited by Adam Kay (author of multi-million bestseller This is Going to Hurt), Dear NHS features 100 household names telling their personal stories of the health service. Contributors include: Paul McCartney, Emilia Clarke, Peter Kay, Stephen Fry, Dawn French, Sir Trevor McDonald, Graham Norton, Sir Michael Palin, Naomie Harris, Ricky Gervais, Sir David Jason, Dame Emma Thompson, Joanna Lumley, Miranda Hart, Dermot O'Leary, Jamie Oliver, Ed Sheeran, David Tennant, Dame Julie Walters, Emma Watson, Malala Yousafzai and many, many more.

Many different kinds of love : a story of life, death and the NHS (Health Library book)

Michael Rosen wasn't feeling well. Soon he was struggling to breathe, and then he was admitted to hospital, suffering from coronavirus as the nation teetered on the edge of a global pandemic.

How Britain Loves the NHS : Practices of Care and Contestation (eBook)

EPDF and EPUB available Open Access under CC-BY-NC-ND licence.

What does it mean to love a healthcare system? It is often claimed that the UK population is unusually attached to its National Health Service, and the last decade has seen increasingly visible displays of gratitude and love. While social surveys of public attitudes measure how much Britain loves the NHS, this book mobilises new empirical research to ask how Britain loves its NHS.

Patient Voices Collection

This collection features books and DVDs on the broad topic of the patient experience, whether factual or fictional. Learn more about how patients experience the NHS and cope and live with a range of health conditions.

Borrow

To borrow any items from the Health Library make sure you become a member. Download and complete the application form and bring it to the library with your NHS id badge.

For more help please contact the Health Library.

Change your life - read this book

With so many life-enhancing books promising life-long happiness, it is a wonder so many of us are so miserable. We have an entire collection to help you find your inner peace even if it is just for half an hour. Check our Reading Well collection for stories, journeys, poetry and self-help titles. We have 3 new titles to share: Rapport: the four ways to read people by Emily Alison & Laurence Alison "Get what you want from even the most difficult characters. Rapport reveals that every interaction follows four styles- Control (the lion), Capitulate (the mouse), Confront (the Tyrannosaur) and Co-operate (the monkey). As soon as you understand these styles and your own goals you can shape any conversation at will. And you'll be closer to the real secret- how to create instant rapport." The Courage to be disliked: how to free yourself, change your life and achieve real happiness by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga "The Japanese phenomenon that teaches us the simple y...

New resource - Renal Drug Database for UHNM staff

The Renal Drug Database is now available to all UHNM staff! What is the Renal Drug Database? The Renal Drug Database is an online drug reference tool providing additional drug detail relevant to renal patients, on renal dialysis or with kidney transplants. Each of the over 900 monographs provides guidance on Clinical Use, Dose in Normal Renal Function, Dose in Renal Impairment, Important Drug Interactions, Metabolism and Administration, with information validated under the governance of the UK Renal Pharmacy Group. How do you access the Renal Drug Database? You will need an individual username and password to access this resource. Note it is not an NHS OpenAthens authenticated resource. Request your username / password either by completing our online form or contacting librarian Cheryl at the Health Library c.kent@keele.ac.uk. Link directly to the Renal Drug Database or via the link on our NHS Resources page . Key Features RDD has a simple search interface to enter the drug you ...

Help the NHS understand how you access evidence - complete the survey

NHS staff - Your help is required to build understanding of needs for access to evidence in the NHS. The national team for Knowledge and Library Services are researching how NHS staff currently access and use evidence. We have completed interviews with people from all parts of the team and in all settings across the NHS in England. The next phase of the research will seek to validate the needs that have been identified as a result. We want to understand the picture for clinical and non-clinical staff, students and apprentices, those in regular contact with their Knowledge and Library Service and those who are not. You can read about previous user research that informed the creation of the Knowledge and Library Hub and be assured that your input can make the difference. If you can help, please complete this brief survey The survey will close 12 April 2026

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