Healthcare Library
Our library provides our staff, placement students, carers and other NHS members, with access to a range of printed and electronic materials, including books, articles, journals and research publications.
We can also help you with evidence searching to support your decision making, and offer training to help you develop your own searching skills.
While our library isn’t open for general public use, we do have a range of self-help books and materials that carers can borrow.
We are able to source books and articles we don’t have in stock so please contact us if you're unable to find a resource you need.
Read our Library and Knowledge Service Annual Report 2022-23 (pdf)
Read our Library and Knowledge Service Strategy 2023-2026 (pdf)
Berkshire Healthcare staff
Our library is free to use for all our staff and any students who are on placement with us, plus any other organisations that have agreed access arrangements, such as public health staff in Berkshire West.
Staff from other NHS South Trusts
If you’re working for another NHS South Trust or GP Practice, you can visit our library or contact us to loan books and access references.
If you work for another NHS organisation, you may be able to use our services for a fee.
Contact us to find out more.
Email library.healthcare@berkshire.nhs.uk
If you’re a member of staff or a visitor, you can join our library by completing our online membership form.
Complete our online membership form (opens new browser tab)
General public
Unfortunately, our library isn’t open for general public use. There are a range of libraries across Berkshire open to everyone, such as:
- Bracknell Forest Borough Libraries (visit their website - opens new browser tab)
- Reading Borough Public Libraries (visit their website - opens new browser tab)
- Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Public Libraries (visit their website - opens new browser tab)
- Slough Borough Public Libraries (visit their website - opens new browser tab)
- West Berkshire Public Libraries (visit their website - opens new browser tab)
- Wokingham Borough Public Libraries (visit their website - opens new browser tab)
We have many resources available to all Trust staff and students. Some resources can also be accessed by other NHS staff and visitors. If you need help finding books or resources, contact us and we’ll see how we can help.
An NHS OpenAthens account gives access to our library resources and clinical tools listed here.
Watch the Why reigster for NHS OpenAtherns video on YouTube
All of the web links below will open in a new tab in your browser.
Register or log in to OpenAthens (opens in a new browser tab)
Clinical Tools
- BMJ Best Practice (visit the website - opens a new tab)
- BNF (visit the website - opens a new tab)
- BNFC (visit the website - opens a new tab)
- Maudsley Prescribing Guidelines in Psychiatry 14th edition (visit the website - opens a new tab)
- Royal Marsden Manual of Nursing Practice (visit the website - opens a new tab)
- UpToDate (visit the website - opens a new tab)
eBooks and eResources
- AMED (visit the website – opens new browser tab) – search complementary medicine, palliative care, physiotherapy, occupational therapy
- British Nursing Index (BNI) (visit the website – opens new browser tab) – search nursing in the UK
- Browzine (visit the website - opens a new browser tab)– browse our journal collection
- Cinahl (visit the website – opens new browser tab)– search nursing and allied health
- Cochrane (visit the website – opens new browser tab) - search systematic reviews and controlled trials
- Embase (visit the website – opens new browser tab)– search medicine, psychiatry, drug and pharmaceutical research
- Emcare (visit the website – opens new browser tab) – search nursing and allied health
- Health Research Premium Collection (visit the website – opens new browser tab) - Search health and social care publications and evidence-based resources.
- HMIC (Health Management Information Consortium) (visit the website – opens new browser tab) – search health and social care management
- Internurse (visit the website - opens new browser tab) – access the UK’s largest collection of peer-reviewed nursing content including British Journal of Nursing (BJN)
- Library catalogue (visit the website - opens new browser tab)– find a full list of our books
- Medline (visit the website – opens new browser tab) – search medicine, nursing, dentistry, psychiatry, the health care system
- NHS Knowledge and Library hub (visit the website - opens new browser tab)- search high quality NHS knowledge and evidence resources
Read our PDF guide on how to use the Knowledge and Library hub (pdf)
- Oxford University Press eBooks (visit the website - opens new browser tab)– access over 130 titles including the Oxford Handbook and Oxford textbook series.
- PsycInfo (visit the website – opens new browser tab) - Search journal articles, books and dissertations in psychology and psychiatry.
- Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection (visit the website – opens new browser tab)
- PsycTherapy (visit the website - opens new browser tab)– a collection of over 500 videos of therapy sessions by well known therapists
- PTSDPubs (visit the website – opens new browser tab) – search journal articles, books and dissertations on post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Social Policy and Practice (visit the website – opens new browser tab)– search social science research
- SocINDEX (visit the website – opens new browser tab) Search full text journals in the social sciences, humanities and health.
- Stahl eBooks (visit the website - opens new browser tab)– access Cambridge portfolio of neuropsychopharmacology books by Dr Stahl
- Trip Pro (visit the website - opens new browser tab)– Clinical search engine to find high-quality research evidence
NHS Knowledge and Library hub
Search high quality NHS knowledge and evidence resources
Visit the NHS Knowledge and Library hub website (opens new browser tab)
Read our PDF guide on how to use the Knowledge and Library hub (pdf)
Watch the Navigating the NHS Knowledge and Library Services hub video on YouTube
Resources for Public Health Staff
Public Health staff in the local authorities of Reading, West Berkshire and Wokingham are able to use our services. These include book loans, article supply, training and evidence searching.
Complete our online membership form (opens new browser tab)
Public Health staff in Slough, Bracknell and Windsor and Maidenhead should contact Wexham Park Library at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust.
Visit the Public Health Portal on the Frimley Health website (opens new browser tab)
You can also contact the UK Health Security Agency library team
Visit the UKHSA Library webpage (opens new browser tab)
OpenAthens accounts
Local authority public health staff are eligible for an OpenAthens account. You will need to choose Public health staff in England’ as your Organisation when registering. Contact them for any queries around your OpenAthens account.
Email libraries@phe.gov.uk
Register or log in to OpenAthens (opens new browser tab)
Resources
Local authority public health staff have access to a range of resources provided by United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and Health Education England. These include over 5000 journal titles.
Search across a range of content from multiple information sources on the Ebsco Discovery Service website.
Visit the Ebsco Discovery Service website (opens new browser tab)
More information about resources and support from the UKSHA library for local authority public health teams can be found on the UKSHA website.
Visit the UKSHA library website (opens new browser tab)
The library provides a number of resources to support international nurses recruited by Berkshire Healthcare to adapt to NHS practice and prepare for their Nursing and Midwifery Council OSCE
An OpenAthens account may be needed to use some of these resources.
Visit NEXUS to read more about OpenAthens (must be connected to our trust network)
Journals and eBooks
- Browzine - (visit the Browzine website - opens new tab). Access to full text articles in British Journal of Community Nursing, British Journal of Nursing, Independent Nurse, Journal of Community Nursing, and Nursing Standard
- Deconstructing the OSCE / Duncan Harding (2014) - (Read using OpenAthens - opens new tab)
- How to pass your OSCE : a guide to success in nursing and midwifery / Jacqueline Bloomfield, Anne Pegram, Carys Jones - (Read using OpenAthens - opens new tab)
- NHS Knowledge and Library hub (visit the website - opens new tab) - Search and download eBooks and journals. You can use this instead of searching the Library Catalogue for books and databases such as Cinahl for journal articles
- Nursing and health objective structured clinical examination : survival guide / Nina Godson - (Read using OpenAthens - opens new tab)
- Nursing OSCEs : a complete guide to exam success / edited by Catherine Cabellero - (Read using OpenAthens - opens new tab)
- Professional values in nursing / Lesley Baillie and Sharon Black - (Read using OpenAthens - opens new tab)
- Oxford Handbooks in Nursing - A series of handbooks covering all areas of nursing, from mental health to diabetes - (visit their website - opens new tab)
Clinical skills and procedures
- ClinicalSkillsNet - (visit our NEXUS page - must be connected to trust network) - An online guide to clinical skills
- Royal Marsden Manual of Clinical and Cancer Nursing Procedures - (visit the website - opens new tab) - An online version of this key nursing text. The Manual includes over 350 evidence-based clinical procedures related to every aspect of care
Point of care tools
- BMJ Best Practice (visit the website - opens new browser tab). A clinical decision support tool that brings together regularly updated research evidence with the knowledge of international experts. It offers a step by step approach to help manage patient diagnosis, prognosis, treatment and prevention
- British National Formulary (BNF) and British National Formulary for Children (BNFC) (visit the website - opens new browser tab). The BNF and BNFC provide UK health professionals with authoritative and practical information on the selection and use of medicines
- CKS (visit the website - opens new browser tab). Clinical Knowledge Summaries are short summaries of current evidence for primary care professionals. There are over 370 topics to choose from
- NICE Guidelines (visit the website - opens new browser tab). UK guidance which recommends the care and services suitable for most people with a specific condition or need, and people in particular circumstances or settings
- UpToDate (visit the website - opens new browser tab). A clinical support tool that includes a collection of medical and patient information and a number of medical calculators
Health literacy is about people having enough knowledge, understanding, skills and confidence to use health information to make decisions about their health.
Improving and supporting health literacy can result in:
- Improved health and health outcomes for patients
- Better patient and professional relationships
- Improved understanding of medication information, instructions and adherence
- Reduced risk of serious health problems resulting from misunderstanding and communication
- Reduced re-admissions and repeat appointments
- Reduced health inequalities
Read our health literacy and information techniques guide (pdf)
Training and eLearning
Want to learn more about health literacy, how it affects patients and what you can do to support them? We provide a 90 minute health literacy course.
Visit our blog to see more information and dates (opens new browser tab)
Health Education England (HEE) have provided a free health literacy eLearning programme
Visit the HEE website to read more and register for access (opens new browser tab)
If you're a member of staff at Berkshire Healthcare, you can register for the eLearning programme through Nexus.
Visit Nexus to register for the eLearning programme (opens new browser tab)
Resources
Read the Health literacy ‘how to’ guide (PDF on the NHS Library website)
Visit the Health Literacy Place on the NHS Education for Scotland website (opens new browser tab)
Visit the Health literacy levels local authority data website (opens new browser tab)
Research Support
If you need help researching evidence you can submit a request to our team.
Submit an evidence search request form (opens in a new browser tab)
We also regularly run Finding the Evidence Workshops. Contact us to learn more and book your place.
Sign up for our KnowledgeShare service and we’ll contact you whenever we find highly relevant evidence documents related to your field.
Submit a KnowledgeShare membership form (opens in a new tab)
Training
We can provide training and support via Microsoft Teams – on how to search for evidence, accessing journals, health literacy, critical appraisal, referencing and making the most of your NHS OpenAthens account.
Register or log in to OpenAthens (opens new browser tab)
Visit our blog to see our training dates (opens new browser tab)
Contact us to find out more and to book your place.
Opening times
The Library space at Prospect Park Hospital will be unstaffed on Wednesday and Friday afternoons for the next few months. On these afternoons the library team will provide an online service via email and online resources to assist you with enquiries.
From September 2024 there will be some additional unstaffed mornings or afternoons in the library space.
Date | Library space staffed, and Virtual Service | Virtual Service Only |
---|---|---|
Thursday 5 September | 8.30am to 1pm | 1pm to 4.30pm |
Tuesday 11 September | 8.30am to 1pm | 1pm to 4.30pm |
Thursday 10 October | 1.30pm to 4.30pm | 8.30pm to 1pm |
Tuesday 29 October | 8.30am to 1pm | 1pm to 4.30pm |
Thursday 31 October | 8.30am to 1pm | 1pm to 4.30pm |
Staffing hours will be:
Monday Tuesday and Thursday, from 8.30am to 4.30pm
Wednesday and Friday, from 8.30am to 1pm
Berkshire Healthcare staff can still access the library space outside of these times. If you are based at Prospect Park Hospital, you can use your ID card. If you're based elsewhere, please contact Reception.
We also offer a virtual service via email. Contact us to find out more.
Day of the week | Library space staffed, and Virtual Service | Virtual Service Only |
---|---|---|
Monday | 8.30am to 4.30pm | |
Tuesday | 8.30am to 4.30pm | |
Wednesday | 8.30am to 1pm | 1pm to 4.30pm |
Thursday | 8.30am to 4.30pm | |
Friday | 8.30am to 1pm | 1pm to 4.30pm |
Saturday and Sunday | Unstaffed |
Contact us
Call 0118 960 5012
Email library.healthcare@berkshire.nhs.uk
Follow us on Twitter (new browser tab)
Visit our blog (new browser tab)
Resources
We have guides and links to partner websites if you need help with Accessibility and tips for developing your writing and online search skills.
We would like everyone to be able to access the Library and Knowledge Service easily, and we welcome your feedback and suggestions of how we can improve.
Visit our Accessibility resources page
Call 0118 960 5012
Our user guides cover tips and tricks to help you access our online resources and develop your skills.
Contact us if you need further assistance, or to book training sessions with us on these topics.
Call 0118 960 5012