A Guide to Health Information Online
For Beginners
A Guide to Health Information Online – Feb 09
An Introduction to Finding Health Information Online
As our health is so vital to our happiness and wellbeing, it is important that we are
able to find trustworthy health information. With more of us turning to the internet for
help and with the massive growth of available health websites, it is often hard to
know where to start and who to trust. This taster session will show you how to find
good quality information online and how to search a few of the key health websites.
By the end of this session you will be able to do the following:

Be aware of ‘Reading Well Books on Prescription’

Locate and reserve recommended health and wellbeing titles on the
Newcastle Libraries’ website

Find good quality health information online using the Delicious social
bookmarking site

Find your nearest GP, dentist and hospital on the NHS choices website

Compare hospitals online and add your thoughts on what you thought of a
hospital on the NHS choices website

Find out the symptoms of an illness and locate information on treatments and
side effects on NHS choices

Check if a health story in the media is accurate on the NHS choices website

Find out your Body Mass Index (BMI) on the NHS choices website
The health and wellbeing section on the Newcastle Libraries
website: www.newcastle.gov.uk/healthandwellbeing
Health Information Online guide
Updated February 2015
We have always provided health information in our libraries, including leaflets and
books on a variety of subjects. However, in the last few years, we have also started
to offer collections on common mental health problems and dementia. This scheme
is called Reading Well Books on Prescription and the collections are chosen and
endorsed by a large number of health organisation such as The Royal College of
GPs, The Royal college of Psychiatrists, The Alzheimer’s Society and Dementia UK
(to name but a few).
The collections mean that you can be ensured of quality and trusted resources. The
common mental health collection is aimed at adults experiencing common conditions
including depression, anxiety, stress low self-esteem, anger, chronic pain,
eating problems, chronic fatigue, obsessions and compulsions, panic,
phobias, worry and relationship problems. It is primarily suitable for people who
are not phased by reading material and follow the suggested activities.
The dementia collection has been developed for people with dementia and their
carers. It is aimed at people who are able to read and manage book based content. It
includes material for a range of reading levels, in a variety of different formats. It
includes the following:





Information and advice about dementia and normal ageing
Support following diagnosis
Practical help for carers
Personal accounts of people with dementia and their relatives and carers
Suggested therapeutic activities.
The collection includes ‘Pictures to share books’ which combine pictures and text
for adults in a meaningful way to help stimulate conversation between families,
professionals and those with dementia.
You can find out more information about Pictures to Share at
http://picturestoshare.co.uk/ or on the Newcastle Libraries Health and wellbeing
website under ‘Pictures to Share’.
Health Information Online guide
Updated February 2015
Details about the Reading Well Books on Prescription schemes and the titles of the
books can be found on the ‘Health and wellbeing section of the Newcastle Libraries
website’.
Go to www.newcastle.gov.uk/healthandwelling and click on Reading Well Books on
Prescription OR Reading Well Books on Prescription Dementia.
You can also find more information on the national website http://reading-well.org.uk/
Health Information Online guide
Updated February 2015
Details of books and how to reserve them
By summer 2015, we are hoping that the dementia collection titles will be listed on
Newcastle Libraries website so you can directly see them on the catalogue and
reserve them online. However, in the meantime, you can go on the library catalogue
separately and type in a title and reserve them yourself. Go to
http://library.newcastle.gov.uk/ and use the search box.
Health Information Online guide
Updated February 2015
However, you can directly reserve the common mental health condition books. Go to
www.newcastle.gov.uk/healthandwellbeing and click on ‘Reading Well Books on
Prescription’. The recommended titles are divided up into useful subject categories,
indicating the title, author and class number (the class number is the number which
tells you where to find the book on the shelves in the library). To find out more about
a particular book, you click on the title of the one that you’re interested in.
Health Information Online guide
Updated February 2015
After you have clicked on the title you will see the screens below:
ISBN (International
Standard Book Number)
is a unique number to
identify each book which
is published. You can
search by this number on
our catalogue and
booksellers search their
databases with this
number.
This is where you would log in
with your library card number
and pin. Remember not to
leave any spaces when typing
your card number
If you are interested in this
book, you can click on the
‘Reserve’ button. This will
mean that the book will be
reserved for you to pick
up at any of our
Newcastle Libraries. All
you need is your library
card details and pin
number.
The summary note gives
you a short description
of the book to help you
decided whether or not it
would be of interest to
you.
Health Information Online guide
Updated February 2015
The ‘Library’ column
indicates which library
the copies of the
books are located at
If you click on the plus
button, it will tell you
where you’ll find the
book in the library. It
will also tell you how
many copies there are
and if any are
available for loan
The ‘Status’
indicates if the
book is out on loan
to another
customer or if it’s
on the shelf
If anyone has
written a review of
the title the details
will be here
If there are other
books by the same
author on the
system, then it will
appear here.
Health Information Online guide
Updated February 2015
How to Access Good Quality Trusted Health Websites
Newcastle Libraries have put together a list of websites that you can trust on a
number of different topics, including health. To make sharing those website links
easily with you, we have put these websites onto a social bookmarking site called
‘Delicious’. To access ‘Delicious’ go back to the bottom of the health and wellbeing
page (www.newcastle.gov.uk/healthandwellbeing) and click on ‘range of
recommended health related websites’
When you click on ‘Delicious’ you will see the following screen:
Related tags
section gives you
the option to find
websites on a
particular health
issue / topic
To view a
website you
simply click on
the blue title
You can either scroll through all of the health pages to browse through the
bookmarked list, or use the related tags section to view websites only on a related
subject. We have included both national and local trusted health websites for you
to choose from.
Health Information Online guide
Updated February 2015
NHS Choices Website
NHS choices (www.nhs.uk/) is a fantastic website which has a massive range of services, advice and health information.
Click on ‘Video’s to see a
range of short films on
different conditions, which
includes advice from
experts.
Click on ‘Live Well’ to find a
range of useful health check
tools, such as BMI weight
calculator and different topics
on healthy living, including
stop smoking, pregnancy,
alcohol, fitness, losing weight
and much more.
Click on ‘Health A-Z’ to have
hundreds of conditions
explained. This section includes
details of symptoms, causes,
treatments and advice on how
to live with the condition.
Health Information Online guide
Updated February 2015
Click on ‘Communities’ to access
NHS choices blogs where people
come to talk about how they
manage their medical condition or
help someone else to cope.
Click on ‘Services near you’
to find your nearest GPs,
Hospitals, clinics, dentists
and many more services.
Plus compare hospitals for
treatments in your area.
Click on ‘Health News’ to
see if the health stories in
the media are accurate
and to find an unbiased
look at the research
behind the headlines.
Click on ‘Care and Support’
for information and help for
those who care for and look
after others, including legal
and financial advice.
NHS Choices Website Quiz
Give this quiz ago, to help explore the NHS choices website.
1. In the Health Tools section, use the smoking calculator to work out how much a
person who smokes 20 day would spend in 6 months on cigarettes.
2. Using the A-Z section, list the possible long-term symptoms for a woman infected
by Chlamydia, if left untreated.
3. Using the A-Z section, name some recommended complementary therapies that
are used for treating asthma
4. Using the A-Z section, name the 2 main complications for Deep Vein Thrombosis
5. Joyce lives in Newcastle (NE1 8AX), which is her nearest GPs?
6. What is the common side effect of having a lumbar puncture test?
7. Using the search box, what does F.A.S.T stand for?
8. Using Health News section, find a report on one of this week’s headlines and then
state where the study came from
9. Happy birthday, William! He’s 32 today. He weighs himself every birthday and has
learned that he weighs 90 Kg. He’s 190cm tall. Is he overweight (use the Live Well
section).
10.
Ben needs an operation for a hip replacement and wants to find out which
hospital in the area performs the most hip replacement operations last year. His
postcode is NE3 3HD.
Health Information Online guide
Updated February 2015
Other Useful Services / Tools Available On the NHS Website
There are many different services and lots of advice and information you can access
on the NHS choices website. In this session, we have only touched upon a fraction of
the services offered. Please see below a selection of other useful sections which you
can have a look at in your own time.
Local sport and fitness
teams
Downloadable Alcohol
tracker
Pregnancy Planner
5 a day Meal Planner
Health issues and
advice for different
ages, stages and
genders
Embarrassing
Conditions
Finding other services
in addition to GPs and
Hospitals
Health Information Online guide
Updated February 2015
Find local sports and fitness teams by clicking on ‘Services
near you’. Select browse ‘services a-z’ and click on ‘S’ and
then ‘Sports and Fitness’.
Use the alcohol tracker to calculate alcohol units and keep a
drinks diary on your desktop. Go to ‘Live Well’ section and
click on ‘Health Check Tools’ and then ‘Alcohol’. There is
also a downloadable version for iphones.
The pregnancy planner contains all you need to know to
have a healthy and happy pregnancy whether you’re
planning to have a baby, are pregnant, or have just given
birth. This planner will make sure you get the care that's
right for you. Go to ‘Live Well’ Section and click on
‘Pregnancy’ and then ‘Pregnancy planning toolkit’.
Use the 5 a day meal planner tool to plan your meals and
create a shopping list. Go to ‘Live Well’ section and click on
‘Health Check’ tools and then ‘Healthy eating’.
Find out what health issues face different genders at
different stages and get advice from the medical experts. Go
to ‘Live Well’ section and select ‘All Live Well topics’. Look
under ‘Men’s health’ or ‘Women’s health’ and find the age
group you want.
Go to ‘Videos’ section and type in the search box
‘Embarrassing Conditions’ to become informed on those
issues that are often too embarrassing to talk about.
There are a range of services which you can find by clicking
‘Find and Choose Services’. These include bereavement
support, diabetes clinics, dementia support, internet
pharmacies, complimentary therapies, psychological therapy
services, weight loss support and sexual health.
Interesting health related directories & interactive tools
Website
Web Address
Health A-Z - Conditions and
treatments
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Pages/BodyMap.aspx?Index=A
Medicines A-Z
http://www.nhs.uk/medicine-guides/pages/default.aspx
Common health questions
http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/home.aspx
Personal health budgets
http://www.nhs.uk/choiceintheNHS/Yourchoices/personalhealth-budgets/Pages/about-personal-health-budgets.aspx
BMI healthy weight
calculator
http://www.nhs.uk/tools/pages/healthyweightcalculator.aspx?W
T.mc_id=101007
Healthy eating selfassessment
http://www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/HealthyEating.aspx
Fitness self-assessment
http://www.nhs.uk/tools/pages/fitness.aspx
Other Tools (e.g. Heart age
tool, Blood pressure quiz,
Sleep self-assement)
http://www.nhs.uk/tools/pages/toolslibrary.aspx
Health Information Online guide
Updated February 2015
A selection of recommended websites (taken from Delicious)
Website
Web Address
Centre for Mental Health
Works to improve the quality of life for www.scmh.org.uk/info/mental_health_information.aspx
people with mental health problems.
Depression Alliance
The leading UK charity for people
with depression provides information
and support services to those who
are affected by it.
Drink Aware
Website with alcohol tips and advice.
Eating Disorders Association
Information about eating disorders,
how to get help and online support.
Frank
A to Z list of substances explains
appearance and use,
effects, chances of getting hooked,
health risks and UK law. Includes
information on peer pressure
Glasgow STEPS
A website with information,
assessment and self help regarding
stress problems. It deals with
common stress such as depression,
anxiety, phobias, sleep issues, selfesteem, panic attacks, anger,
bereavement and much more
Hearing Voices Network
User network, information about
strategies and support groups.
MDF The Bipolar Organisation
Works to enable people affected by
bipolar disorder/ manic depression to
take control of their lives.
Health Information Online guide
Updated February 2015
www.depressionalliance.org
www.drinkaware.co.uk
www.b-eat.co.uk
www.talktofrank.com
www.glasgowsteps.com
www.hearing-voices.org
www.mdf.org.uk
Website
Mental Health Net
Promotes online mental health
education and provides up-todate information of mental health
and illness topics.
Newcastle Carers Centre
A local independent charity
working citywide to provide
dedicated support and information
to adult carers living in Newcastle
or caring for someone living in
Newcastle.
NHS Life Check
NHS Life Check is a free service
to help you find out how you are
doing.
MIND
Downloadable information leaflets
and advice on mental health
problems for both young people
and adults.
Mindapples
An independent organisation
dedicated to promoting
mentally healthy living for
everyone.
MoodGYM
A free self help programme to
teach cognitive behaviour therapy
skills to people vulnerable to
depression and
anxiety.
National Institute for Health and
Clinical Excellence
Mental Health and Behavioural
Conditions - details of all the
clinical guidelines, published or in
development.
PsychNet-UK
Contains links to articles on
mental illness, fact sheets,
articles, forums, software
downloads and research sources.
Designed for professionals,
students and the
layperson.
Health Information Online guide
Updated February 2015
Web Address
www.mentalhelp.net
www.newcastlecarers.org.uk
www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/LifeCheck.aspx
www.mind.org.uk
www.mindapples.org
www.moodgym.anu.edu.au
http://guidance.nice.org.uk/Topic/MentalHealthBehavioural
www.psychnet-uk.com
Website
Psychological Services
(Newcastle)
Newcastle Psychological
Services aim to help residents of
Newcastle who may be experiencing
mental health difficulties. Use this
website to do self checks, refer
yourself and find advice and trusted
information.
Rethink
Information on different types of
mental illnesses and
disorders, what causes mental illness
and treatments and therapies.
Royal College of Psychiatrists
Readable, user friendly and accurate
information about mental health
problems.
Sane
Aims to raise awareness of mental
illness, campaign to improve services
and to initiate and fund research into
the causes of serious mental illness
through its research
centre.
Understanding Childhood
Provides downloadable information
leaflets for families and childcare
professionals to help raise
emotionally
secure children.
Health Information Online guide
Updated February 2015
Web Address
www.newcastlehealthyminds.nhs.uk
www.rethink.org
www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinfo.aspx
www.sane.org.uk
www.understandingchildhood.net
Health Watch Newcastle
Healthwatch Newcastle is an independent organisation set up to:
1) Find out what people think about local health and social care services (GP’s hospitals,
dentists, opticians, care homes and home care)
2) Make sure providers and commissioners of health and social care services listen to what
people say
We want to hear from you if:
 You have an experience or opinion about using these services that you want to share
 You want information about current health and social care services in Newcastle
 You are unhappy with your care or the care of a friend or relative
Tell us about your experiences of using health and social care services in Newcastle
 What was good
 What was bad
 What could be better?
We provide free, confidential and independent information about health and social care services
in Newcastle. We can help you:


When you don't know what to do if you are unhappy with your care or the care of a friend or
relative
When you need information about health and social care services in Newcastle
Telephone
Website
Email
0808 178 9282
www.healthwatchnewcastle.org.uk
[email protected]
Health Information Online guide
Updated February 2015