Information for Patients
Information Leaflets
On health, lifestyle, disease, tests, and related topics. Also audio, translations and stories.
Medicines & Drugs
On the benefits and side effects of prescription and over-the-counter medicines
Directories
Extensive selection of UK health websites and online videos by subject
Find A...
How to find a doctor, dentist, health professional, institution, therapist, etc
Care & Support
Support Groups
Details of 1800+ UK patient support organisations and self help groups
For Carers
Selected internet links to information aimed at carers
Benefits & Finance
Selected internet links to information about benefits, grants, and financial help
Professional Reference
PatientPlus
Covers a wide range of medical subjects - suitable for patients seeking expert level detail
Products & Sister Sites
Other Services
Visit the Patient UK pharmacy, bookshop, and medical equipment shop
EMIS Access
To book GP appointments, order prescriptions, and view your medical record online.
Health News / Features
First swine flu death in London (BBC 03/07/2009)
A 19-year-old has died from swine flu in London, health authorities confirm....(see more)
Warning over fake Tamiflu sales (BBC 03/07/2009)
People should not buy anti-flu drug Tamiflu over the internet without a prescription, experts warn....(see more)
WHO warns swine flu 'unstoppable' (BBC 03/07/2009)
The UN's top health official tells a swine flu forum in Mexico that the spread of the virus worldwide is now unstoppable. The...(see more)
First swine flu death in London (BBC 03/07/2009)
A 19-year-old has died from swine flu in London, health authorities confirm....(see more)
Warning over fake Tamiflu sales (BBC 03/07/2009)
People should not buy anti-flu drug Tamiflu over the internet without a prescription, experts warn....(see more)
WHO warns swine flu 'unstoppable' (BBC 03/07/2009)
The UN's top health official tells a swine flu forum in Mexico that the spread of the virus worldwide is now unstoppable. The...(see more)
Scots take 'sun-fry' cancer risk (BBC 03/07/2009)
Scots have an unhealthy approach to sunbathing and the highest risk of contracting skin cancer in the UK, researchers have wa...(see more)
Obesity on the rise in half of US states (Telegraph 02/07/2009)
Obesity rates continued to climb in the past year with 23 US states reporting that their adult residents are fatter now than ...(see more)
Drink kills eight Scots a day (The Scotsman 01/07/2009)
ALCOHOL is killing one Scot every three hours, figures showed yesterday as the leader of Scotland's doctors challenged MSPs t...(see more)
Breakthrough portable dialysis machine hits UK (Daily Express 02/07/2009)
A DIALYSIS machine as small as a sewing machine has been launched at a UK hospital for the first time. The portable device, w...(see more)
Universal embryo test 'very near' (BBC 30/06/2009)
A gene mapping test that can test embryos for almost any inherited disease could be available in the UK within a year, say re...(see more)
Preventing falls (BBC 29/06/2009)
The hi-tech chair that talks to elderly patients is fitted with a pressure pad device which is activated when the patient tri...(see more)
Losing a loved one in middle age can treble risk of developing dementia (The Scotsman 03/07/2009)
MIDDLE-AGED people who live alone may have double the risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer's disease in later life compa...(see more)
Sound waves offer prostate hope (BBC 02/07/2009)
An experimental therapy using sound waves may offer people with early stage prostate cancer an alternative treatment option, ...(see more)
Problem pregnancy 'autism risk' (BBC 01/07/2009)
Complications during pregnancy and giving birth later in life may increase the risk of having a child with autism, a review o...(see more)
Doctors call for ban on drink ads to tackle alcohol abuse (The Scotsman 03/07/2009)
ALCOHOL advertising should be banned as part of efforts to tackle problem drinking, doctors said yesterday. The British Medic...(see more)
Youngsters 'drinking dangerously' (BBC 02/07/2009)
One in four young drinkers consume dangerous quantities of alcohol every week, but the number of underage drinkers is falling...(see more)
Swine flu 'shows drug resistance' (BBC 29/06/2009)
Experts have reported the first case of swine flu that is resistant to tamiflu - the main drug being used to fight the pandem...(see more)
'I'd like to contact my birth mother but will it just upset everyone?' (Telegraph 29/06/2009)
In Lifeclass this week Lesley Garner advises a reader on whether or not she should get in touch with her birth family....(see more)
Is there any hope for a marriage in which the husband has a secret friendship with another woman? (Telegraph 22/06/2009)
In Lifeclass this week Lesley Garner ponders the future of various marriages in which the husband enjoys an intense secret re...(see more)
Pillowtalk: Graham Norton (Telegraph 28/05/2009)
The problem of the flirtatious sister and the new boyfriend / Could my husband be a secret alcoholic? He's been out of work f...(see more)
Vegetarians 'avoid more cancers' (BBC 30/06/2009)
Vegetarians are generally less likely than meat eaters to develop cancer but this does not apply to all forms of the disease,...(see more)
Why junk food really is addictive (Telegraph 28/06/2009)
Ice cream and chocolate bars are addictive because the mix of ingredients in them activates our "bliss point" according to ...(see more)
Salads 'rival Big Macs for fat' (BBC 25/06/2009)
Pre-packed salads are often not the healthier option, with some supermarket items higher in calories and fat than a Big Mac a...(see more)
Magic bullet is my weapon (Daily Express 30/06/2009)
PROSTATE cancer sufferer John Marshall is under no illusion that a powerful new radioactive drug is adding years to his life....(see more)
My stammer was cured in four days (Daily Express 30/06/2009)
MY STAMMER began for no apparent reason when I was eight. A year later I started speech therapy sessions to try to overcome ...(see more)
Osteoporosis risk (BBC 28/06/2009)
11-year-old Lauren on how she protects her bones. She has a good diet - plenty of calcium and no fizzy drinks; exercises regu...(see more)
Damages claims 'hitting' NHS care (BBC 30/06/2009)
Escalating fees from no win, no fee solicitors are hitting NHS patient care, the BBC has been told. Steve Walker, chief of th...(see more)
Beat the heat (BBC 29/06/2009)
How to keep cool when the mercury is rising?...(see more)
Doctors condemn 'commercial' NHS (BBC 29/06/2009)
Doctors urge the government to row back on its "dogmatic commercialisation" of the NHS in England....(see more)
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Latest featured video
The Ryvita Challenge
Fern Britton presents a web video on the Ryvita 14 day summer fit challenge, which is a healthy eating plan to help women kick start their way to a healthier lifestyle.
Product of the Month
alli 60mg hard capsule - 42
Patient UK Pharmacy Price £27.69
Great news for adults with a BMI of 28+ who want to lose weight and who understand the importance of sensible eating
Book of the Month
Healthy Eating: The Prostate Care Cookbook
by Margaret Rayman, Kay Gibbons, Kay Dilley
Scientists have found that eating the right foods can make all the difference
Nearly 800 patient information leaflets on health, disease and related topics
Nearly 800 information leaflets on specific drugs and medicines
Details of 1800+ UK patient support organisations, self help groups, health and disease information providers etc
Over 1000 pages of links to UK websites on health, disease and related topics. Each website listed has been selected and reviewed by a GP
Hundreds of links to UK websites with short online videos related to health, disease and lifestyle
Get information on how to go about finding a specific medical professional or institution e.g. a doctor, a hospital, a dentist etc
View our document detailing sources of information and help for carers
Find our what choices are available to you when your GP refers you to a specialist
View and/or join in discussion about health, lifestyle and disease in our interactive forum.
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We currently have over 140 poems and stories about medical conditions
Health Matters is an innovative book about lifestyle, disease risks, diseases and treatments
PatientPlus is an extension to Patient UK, covering a wide range of medical subjects in more detail. We currently have over 2200 of these articles
We currently have links to some 1400 clinical guidelines, which aim to help health professionals and patients make the best decisions about treatment or care for a particular condition or situation
Evidence based medicine addresses the question ... "What is the evidence we have to justify the treatments used in clinical practice?"
Find out more about it here
This page lists details of (and links to) online medical textbooks and journals
This page lists details of (and links to) online medical images, pictures and atlases
Find out what Medline® is and how it differs from PubMed®
Go to our online pharmacy where you can buy over-the-counter products for home delivery
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View an A-Z list of products which are available in our pharmacy
We currently have nearly 500 recommended books on health, lifestyle and disease
Have a look in our medical bookshop, where you can buy books for home delivery
Have a look in our medical equipment shop, where you can buy products for home delivery
Find out what Emis Access is, who it's available to and how to become involved
Find out how to book an appointment online with your GP or Practice Nurse, or how to order your repeat prescriptions online. Only applicable if your GP surgery uses EMIS Access (many do)
Find out how to view your medical record online. Only applicable if your GP surgery uses EMIS Access (many do)
This will take you to the EMIS Access status page where you can see the system's current state-of-play.
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Read frequently asked questions on the Emis Access service
