There are lots of things to think about when searching the internet for health information which can be difficult, especially during stressful times.
You need to be sure that the information you find is reliable and up to date which can be hard to find out. This guide put together by The Patients Association gives good advice about what to look for when searching for health information online to help you check that what you find is trustworthy:
https://www.patients-association.org.uk/finding-trustworthy-information-online
This short course made by Learn My Way is a good way to improve your knowledge of how the internet can support your health. It’s free to access and covers GP services and the NHS website:
https://www.learnmyway.com/subjects/improving-your-health-online/
The BBC has a news webpage all about health and is a good source of up-to-date health information and health related news stories.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health
To help you find good health information, the Royal Papworth Library has put together a collection of weblinks on a range of health related and other relevant topics. There is also a link to information about a number of health apps that you might be interested in downloading to your smartphone or tablet.
Click on the drop-down menu bars below to find online resources about the topics you are interested in.
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NHS: Health A-Z – An alphabetical list of health conditions https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/ |
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Patient – Expert health articles, tips and information on a wide range of conditions, medicines and treatments https://patient.info/ |
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NHS YouTube – NHS YouTube page with links to videos on a range of health conditions and patient experiences NHS - YouTube |
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NHS: Every Mind Matters – Expert advice and practical tips to help you look after your mental health and well-being https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/ |
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NHS – Support and information for your mental health https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/ |
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Mind – National mental health charity -Advice, support and information on mental health issues. There are also links to local Mind networks https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/ |
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NHS: 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/live-well/ |
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NHS: Let’s Do This – Free tools and support to help you make healthy choices and changes to your lifestyle https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/ |
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NHS: Medicines – A-Z list of medicines, including brand names, with key facts, how and when to take, side effects and common questions https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/ |
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Patient – 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://patient.info/medicine |
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Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency – Government guidance on medicines and drugs, drug safety, product information about medicines and patient information leaflets https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/medicines-and-healthcare-products-regulatory-agency |
The links below are all jargon busting lists which will help you to make sense of terms and abbreviations you may see in health information or hear during conversations with health professionals. If you do not understand any health information you are given, please ask your healthcare provider to explain it to you.
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Think Local Act Personal – A-Z list of health terms and abbreviations https://www.thinklocalactpersonal.org.uk/Browse/Informationandadvice/CareandSupportJargonBuster/ |
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NHS Confederation – A-Z list of over 1000 health related abbreviations https://www.nhsconfed.org/publications/acronym-buster |
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Patients Association – Short A-Z dictionary of commonly used health terms and their meanings https://www.patients-association.org.uk/Handlers/Download.ashx?IDMF=6d008e98-2ca5-4ee6-bf7b-41670279f5bd |
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Asthma + Lung UK (formerly British Lung Foundation) – Health advice on lung conditions and asthma, helpline, and local support groups https://www.asthma.org.uk/ |
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British Heart Foundation – Information, support and advice from this cardiovascular research charity https://www.bhf.org.uk/ |
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Cystic Fibrosis Trust – Information, support and advice on all aspects of cystic fibrosis and living with this condition https://www.cysticfibrosis.org.uk/ |
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The Sleep Charity – Information and advice on sleep issues https://thesleepcharity.org.uk/ |
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Charity Choice – A searchable directory of UK charities which lists their web addresses and contact details. The health charities section can be found at this link: https://www.charitychoice.co.uk/charities/health |
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Royal Papworth Hospital – Patient information leaflets library. Search for a specific leaflet or use the A-Z list to find the one you need https://royalpapworth.nhs.uk/patients-and-visitors/patient-information-leaflets
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Easy Health – Online library of accessible health information https://www.easyhealth.org.uk/pages/easy-read-health-leaflets-and-films |
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Healthtalk – Search for people’s real-life experiences of health conditions and treatments. 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 https://healthtalk.org/ |
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NHS: Social care and support guide – information on support services and options for carer’s and families of people with illnesses and disabilities https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/social-care-and-support-guide/ |
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Carer’s Trust - Local support contact information, information on caring for people with specific conditions, financial advice and health and well-being support https://carers.org/ |
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Carers UK – 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://www.carersuk.org/home
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Citizens Advice – Information, help and support for carer’s including carer’s assessment information and financial advice https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/family/looking-after-people/carers-help-and-support/ |
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NHS: Services near you – Click on the NHS service you want to find the service nearest to where you live. Search by postcode or town for a range of NHS services https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/services-near-you/ |
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Healthwatch – Find your local Healthwatch service for help finding health and social care services in your area https://www.healthwatch.co.uk/your-local-healthwatch/list |
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The Reading Agency: Reading Well Booklists – The Reading Agency has put together a range of book lists 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 https://reading-well.org.uk/books |
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Full Fact – Claims made by people and organisations are checked by this organisation. Includes a range of topics with a section on health for you to double check information you may have read or heard https://fullfact.org/health/ |
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BBC Reality Check – A BBC news service dedicated to fact checking on a variety of current topics including health. It examines the facts and claims behind a story to try to determine if it is true https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/reality_check |
Below is a list of health-related apps you may find useful. You can search and download these from either the Apple app store or Google Play store depending on what device you are using.
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NHS app – The NHS app allows you to access your health record, view and edit appointments and order repeat prescriptions. You can also search for health advice and information and view and download your Covid pass for travel abroad. To have full access you will need to provide photo ID. |
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Ada – A free symptom checking app created by doctors. The Ada app asks you questions about your symptoms then assesses your answers against its medical dictionary of 1000s of conditions. It then provides a personalised report with possible medical conditions as well as information on treatment and preventions.
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Medisafe – An easy-to-use medication reminder app. Manage your medications and receive reminders to take each of your medications, notifications when your prescriptions are running low and connect to caregivers in real time so they are aware of a medication has been missed. |
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Google Fit – A simple, activity tracking app. Set daily targets and keep track of your activity. You can also check your heart rate through the app by holding your finger over your phone’s camera!
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Pzizz – Pssizz is a sleep app which aims to help you sleep better by ‘creating beautiful “dreamscapes” — a mix of music, voiceover and sound effects designed using the latest clinical research — to help you sleep better at night or take power naps during the day. Free to download and free access to ‘classic Pzizz’ content.
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My Possible Self – A free mental health app with tools to help you identify habits you want to change, manage anxiety, tackle depression, improve your sleep and reduce stress. |
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Active 10 – A free app that records the steps you take each day making it easy for you to track your progress and keep active. It also gives you tips to increase your activity.
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NHS Quit Smoking – This free app gives you daily support to stop smoking and tracks your progress.
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MyDrinkAware – An alcohol tracker to help you drink less. Track units and caloires consumed and sleep quality to help you change your drinking habits and lead a healthier lifestyle. Set realistic goals to help moderate your drinking and plan and celebrate drink-free days.
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