Department of Health (England)
Telephone: 020 7210 4850 (9am – 5pm Monday to Friday)
www.dh.gov.uk

Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (Northern Ireland)
Telephone: 02890 520 500 (9am – 5pm Monday to Friday)
www.dhsspsni.gov.uk

Health Protection Agency
Provides impartial advice and information to health professionals and the public, including communicable diseases, emergency planning and bioterrorism.
Telephone: 020 8200 4400
www.hpa.org.uk

Health & Care NI
Gateway for healthcare in Northern Ireland.
www.n-i.nhs.uk

NHS Direct
On-line website and 24 hour nurse and health information service.
Telephone: 0845 46 47
www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk


NHS Direct Wales
On-line website and 24 hour nurse and health information service for those living in Wales.
Telephone: 0845 46 47
www.nhsdirect.wales.nhs.uk

NHS24
The on-line website and 24 hour nurse and health information service for those living in Scotland.
Telephone: 08454 24 24 24
www.nhs24.com

NHS Gateway
Provides information about the NHS services in the UK with links to the four countries' individual web sites.
www.nhs.uk

NHS Health Scotland
Provides information for improving health in Scotland.
www.hebs.scot.nhs.uk

NHS Wales
Health of Wales Information Service (HOWIS) provides one-stop shop for information on health issues for those living in Wales.
www.wales.nhs.uk

Scottish Executive Health Department
Telephone: 0131 556 8400
www.show.scot.nhs.uk

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI)
An independent expert advisory committee set up to advise the Secretaries of State for Health, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on matters relating to communicable diseases, preventable and potentially preventable through immunisation.
www.advisorybodies.doh.gov.uk/jcvi/index.htm

Wired for Health
Provides information relating to the National Curriculum and the National Healthy School Standard.
www.wiredforhealth.gov.uk

Community Hygiene Concern
A charity providing public information on parasite infections in humans and pets, including lice, scabies and toxoplasmosis.
Telephone: 020 7686 4321
www.chc.org

Contact a Family (incorporating The Lady Hoare Trust)
Contact a Family for families caring for a disabled child or a child with specific health conditions face many challenges: isolation and anxiety, lack of joined-up services, financial worries and inadequate information.
Freephone helpline 0808 808 3555 for families and the professionals who help them.
Telephone: 020 7608 8700
Email: info@cafamily.org.uk
www.cafamily.org.uk

Developing Patient Partnerships (DPP), formerly Doctor Patient Partnerships
Health education charity to improve knowledge and communication between professionals and patients. Includes news, information, campaigns, teaching modules for teachers, parents and students in key stages 1,2 & 3.
Telephone: 020 7383 6715
www.dpp.org.uk

Inmed Ltd
Meningitis-related information and education for health professionals.
Telephone: 01453 76800
www.inmed.co.uk

Meningitis Trust
International charity providing support, education & awareness and research about meningitis. It has a 24-hour help line with a network of community groups & volunteers.
Telephone:  24 hr help line   
UK: 0845 6000 800
Republic of Ireland: 1800 523196
Head Office: 01453 768000
Northern Ireland: 0845 1200 663
Scotland: 0845 120 4885
Wales: 0845 120 4886
Rep. of Ireland: 01 276 2050
www.meningitis-trust.org.uk

Meningitis Research Foundation
Funds scientific research, raises awareness and provides information on meningitis and septicaemia in the UK and Republic of Ireland.
Telephone: 24 hour help line   
UK: 080 8800 3344
Republic of Ireland: 1890 41 33 44
England: 01454 281811
Scotland: 0131 228 3322
N Ireland: 028 9032 1283
Rep Ireland: 01 496 9664/5
www.meningitis.org

National AIDS Helpline
Free and confidential advice and information to anyone concerned about HIV and AIDS.
Telephone 0800 567 123.

SENSE
Information on the risks of Rubella to the unborn child.
Telephone: 020 7272 7774
www.sense.org.uk

The (UK) Patients Association
Provides news, information plus database of support groups.
Telephone: 020 8423 9111
www.patients-association.com

Association for Nurse Prescribing
Professional body with news, information, publications and membership.
www.anp.org.uk

Association of Occupational Health Nurse Practitioners
Professional body representing Occupational Health.
Telephone: 0116 281 3720
www.aohnp.co.uk

Association of Medical Microbiologists
Professional association concerned with all aspects of medical microbiology and infection in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland.
Telephone: 020 7377 7242
www.amm.co.uk

British Medical Association
Information about UK healthcare with a comprehensive links section plus a link to the British Medical Journal with a search facility of its archive.
Telephone: 020 7387 4499
www.bma.org.uk

Community Practitioners' and Health Visitors' Association
Professional body representing nurses and health visitors working in primary and community healthcare.
Telephone: 020 7505 3000
www.amicus-cphva.org

Infection Control Nurses Association
Professional body representing those both working in the field and with an interest in infection, prevention and control.
Telephone: 01506 811077
www.icna.co.uk

Royal College of Midwives
Professional body representing midwives.
Telephone: 020 7312 3535
www.rcm.org.uk

Royal College of General Practitioners
Professional body representing General Practitioners.
Telephone: 020 7581 3232
www.rcgp.org.uk

Royal College of Nursing
Professional body representing nurses working in acute, primary and community healthcare.
Telephone: 020 7409 333
www.rcn.org.uk

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
Professional body representing paediatricians.
Telephone: 020 7307 5600
www.rcpch.ac.uk

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Part of the US Department of Health and Human Services, the main agency for protecting the health of Americans.
www.cdc.gov

Children’s Vaccination Programme
Charity by Bill & Melinda Gates promoting worldwide equal access to new vaccines.
www.childrensvaccine.org

Health Scotland
Information for parents, healthcare professionals and the wider public on immunisation in Scotland.
www.healthscotland.com/immunisation

Immunisation Gateway
Independent electronic reference book on immunologic drugs by US author John Grabenstein.
www.immunofacts.com

Immunization website
Department of Health website providing information on childhood immunisation.
www.immunisation.org.uk

MMR website
Department of Health website on the MMR vaccine with an expert panel that answers questions from the general public.
www.mmrthefacts.nhs.uk

The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI)
Partnership dedicated to making sure that all children have equal access to vaccines.
www.vaccinealliance.org

The Science Museum
Excellent interactive site has on-line exhibition on the MMR debate that presents it in an informative and understandable format.
www.sciencemuseum.org.uk

The Vaccine Page
Independent, scientific news and data on vaccines with annotated database of vaccine resources on the internet.
www.vaccines.org

The World Health Organisation
News, information and resources for health, with sections on infectious diseases, child health, vaccines and travel advice.
www.who.int

US Institute of Medicine
Currently undertaking a series of reviews of vaccine safety with the first review published in 2001 into MMR & autism - available in pdf or online.
www.nap.edu/catalog/10101.html

British Travel Health Association
Telephone: 0141 300 1132
www.btha.org

BBC Travel Health
www.bbc.co.uk/health/travel

CDC Traveler’s Health
www.cdc.gov/travel

Divers Alert Network
www.diversalertnetwork.org

International Society of Travel Medicine (USA)
Telephone: 00 1 77 0736 7060
www.istm.org

Malaria Reference Laboratory
www.malaria-reference.co.uk

NATHNAC
National Travel Health Network Centre works in partnership with the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and the Health Protection Agency, Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre. It provides guidance and information in travel medicine for health professionals.
Telephone: 020 7380 9234 (9am – 12 noon, 2pm – 4pm Monday to Friday)
www.nathnac.org

WHO International Travel Health
www.who.int/ith

Bandolier
Evidence-based healthcare site with a links section.
www.jr2.ox.ac.uk/bandolier

British Association for Sexual Health and HIV
Professional association that promotes education on genito urinary medicine, HIV and other aspects of sexual health.
www.bashh.org

BestTreatments
Website looking at medical research that is published in journals worldwide. Using Clinical Evidence it looks at all the evidence and decides how well treatments work, whether the research is good enough, and how serious the side effects are.
Telephone: 020 7383 6995
www.besttreatments.co.uk

British National Formulary
Searchable on-line BNF.
www.bnf.org

Caring for Kids
Website developed by the Canadian Paediatric Society.
www.caringforkids.cps.ca

Childalert
Information on parenting topics and concerns for child safety and well-being.
www.childalert.co.uk

eGuidelines
Lists new or updated guidelines from NICE, professional bodies and other sources.
www.eguidelines.co.uk

International Herpes Alliance
A global association of patient support organisations and health professionals concerned about genital herpes.
www.herpesalliance.org

International Herpes Management Forum
Aims to improve the awareness and understanding of herpes viruses.
www.ihmf.org

Insect Research & Development Ltd
Entomological research-based organisation providing information on a wide range of insects.
www.insectresearch.com

Informed Health Online
Produced by Health Research and Education Foundation Ltd based in Melbourne Australia, providing information and resource tools.
www.informedhealthonline.org

Jenner museum
Website of Edward Jenner who was famous for introducing the smallpox vaccination in the UK in the 18^th century. Good information, and has interactive games plus educational material for key stage learning 1 to 4.
www.jennermuseum.com

King’s Fund
Independent charity with emphasis on health service management with an extensive links section.
www.kingsfund.org.uk

Legislation in the UK
Access to legislative documents on-line.
www.hmso.gov.uk/legislation/uk.htm
www.northern-ireland-legislation.hmso.gov.uk
www.scotland-legislation.hmso.gov.uk
www.wales-legislation.hmso.gov.uk

Lice Advisory Bureau
Information on treatments, common questions about head lice and a section for teachers.
www.headliceadvice.net

Medicines for children
New section on the MHRA website providing information, reference material and further links on the subject of medicinal products for children, and the research being undertaken in this area.
http://medicines.mhra.gov.uk

Medicines
Electronic medicines compendium with information on over-the-counter and prescription-only medicines in the UK.
www.medicines.org.uk

MedicineNet
On-line information source provided by a network of US physicians and allied health professionals
www.medicinenet.com

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE)
Provides best-practice guidance for patients, health professionals and the general public with downloadable guidelines. Please note, on 1 April 2005, NICE joined with the Health Development Agency to become the new National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.
www.nice.org.uk

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) National Institutes of Health
NIAID is the part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that conducts and supports research into infectious, immunologic, and allergic diseases.
www.niaid.nih.gov

Netdoctor
A collaboration between doctors, healthcare professionals, information specialists and patients, providing, wherever possible, quality-assessed information on the basis of the principles of evidence-based medicine.
Tel: +44 (0)20 7424 7850
www.NetDoctor.co.uk

New South Wales Multicultural Health Communication Service
NSW government site to help health professionals provide information in a wide range of languages.
www.mhcs.health.nsw.gov.au

National Network for Immunization Information
Affiliated to all the relevant American professional associations to provide scientifically valid information related to immunisation.
www.immunizationinfo.org

Patient Group Directions
Centrally maintained archive of patient group directions developed for use in specific localities.
www.groupprotocols.org.uk

Prodigy
Supported by the Department of Health it has a section for nurse prescribers including guidance on antibiotic prescribing, the formulary and information on professional development.
www.prodigy.nhs.uk

Queensland Health
Website by the Queensland government in Australia on a wide range of health related issues.
www.health.qld.gov.au

Surestart
Government programme for developing childcare facilities, improving health and education.
www.surestart.gov.uk

The Law Society of Northern Ireland
www.lawsoc-ni.org

The Law Society of England and Wales
www.lawsociety.org.uk

The Stop TB Partnership
A partnership hosted by the World Health Organization, Stop TB is a global movement to accelerate social and political action to stop the unnecessary spread of tuberculosis around the world.
Tel: + (41) 22 791 2708
Email: info@stoptb.org
www.stoptb.org

TSO
The Official Documents Website published by The Stationery Office on a broad range of subjects including the economy, work and welfare, health, transport and the environment.
www.official-documents.co.uk

The Vegetarian Society
Provides information about being a vegetarian.
www.vegsoc.org

The Vegan Society
Information on being a vegan and related issues.
www.vegansociety.com

The Aspergillus Trust
Fungal research trust providing information and educational material on aspergillus.
www.aspergillus.man.ac.uk

The Anaphylaxis Campaign
UK charity set up by allergists to providing information to health professionals and parents.
www.anaphylaxis.org.uk

UK Medicines Information
National medicines information site including new products, trials, product updates and therapeutic guidelines.
www.ukmi.nhs.uk

Barnardos
National charity helping vulnerable children and young people.
www.barnardos.co.uk

Childline
Confidential service for children and young people in the UK; helpline 0800 1111.
www.childline.org.uk

Kidscape
National charity aiming to prevent bullying and child sexual abuse, offers a helpline, training and educational material; telephone helpline 08451 205 204. 
www.kidscape.org.uk

The Community Practitioners’ and Health Visitors’ Association (CPHVA)
Professional association and trade union for community nursing and health visitors, has advice for health professionals on child protection; telephone 020 7939 700.
www.amicus-cphva.org

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN)
Professional association and trade union for community and hospital nursing, has advice for health professionals on child protection; telephone 0845 772 6100.
www.rcn.org.uk

Note: these sites are not endorsed or recommended by Healthcare A2Z but they do represent a small sample of commonly visited sites by parents, there are also many others not represented within this listing.

JABS 
A support group for parents with vaccine-damaged children and campaigns on vaccine-related issues around compensation and access to information.
www.jabs.org.uk

Netmums
A local network for mums providing information and advice on being a mum with young children in your home town.
www.netmums.com

The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC)
A national, non-profit educational organisation founded in 1982 in the USA. It supports parents with vaccine-damaged children.
www.909shot.com

Public domain photo libraries where nurses can download images for educational purposes, or obtain images for largely reduced fees.

Public Health Image Library (PHIL)
PHIL is an extensive collection of still images, image sets, and multimedia files related to public health.
phil.cdc.gov/Phil/default.asp

The Wellcome Trust Photo Library
A medical photo library covering the history of medicine, modern biomedical science and clinical medicine, which  offers preferential rates for images used for academic/personal research or lectures. Pricing covers a material cost, and post and package charges.
www.medphoto.wellcome.ac.uk

Brook
Free and confidential advice on sexual health, contraception, pregnancy testing and counselling for young people up to the age of 25.
Freephone 0800 0185 023 (open 9am – 5pm, Monday to Thursday, and 9am – 4pm on Fridays).
www.brook.org.uk

Child Accident Prevention Trust
National charity committed to reducing the number of children and young people killed, disabled and seriously injured as a result of accidents.
Telephone 020 7608 3828.
www.capt.org.uk

Cleft Lip and Palate Association
This site answers some of the most commonly asked questions about cleft lip and palate and provides information on the services and advice offered by CLAPA - The Cleft Lip and Palate Association.
Telephone: 020 7833 4883
www.clapa.com

Eating Disorders Association
Includes a Youthline for young people who are affected by eating problems.
Telephone 0845 634 7650 (open 4pm – 6.30pm, Monday to Friday. Calls are charged at the local rate, but the helpline can call you back).
www.edauk.com

Frank
Free confidential drugs information to help anyone affected by drugs.  Open for advice 24 hours a day.
Telephone 0800 77 66 00.
Or, for those with hearing difficulties; Textphone FRANK on 0800 917 8765.
www.talktofrank.com

NCH
Children’s charity that supports and informs children and young people whose parents are splitting up.
www.itsnotyourfault.org

The National Deaf Children’s Society
UK’s leading charity in childhood deafness, providing information and support for all professionals working with deaf children, deaf young people and their families. 
Freephone helpline on 0808 800 8880 (voice and text) or email helpline@ndcs.org.uk
www.ndcs.org.uk

Young Minds
National charity committed to improving the mental health of all children and young people.
www.youngminds.org.uk