Skip to main content

NHS OpenAthens – maintaining your account

All NHS staff can register for an NHS OpenAthens account. This will give you access to the online resources such as ebooks, journals and databases that the library and NHS subscribe to on your behalf. 

You can complete many of the actions needed to maintain your account online. 

Register 

You can register for an account by completing this online form. Use your NHS-based email address so that you are approved automatically. 

Access Resources 

You can access all the online content available from our NHS resources page. 

Password Reset 

You can reset your password if you forget it.  

[Passwords are case sensitive, between 8 and 20 characters long, and need to contain a mix of letters and non-letters. They cannot be the same as your username, contain ascending or descending series of characters or common patterns. It is often best to include numbers within the body of the password, rather than at the end.] 

Renew Your Account 

All accounts are for a fixed term. When your account is due for renewal you will be sent an email by the system. This should contain a link to click to allow you to action the renewal request. Note that you may need to copy the link URL and paste it into your browser if the link does not appear to work. 

Keeping your OpenAthens account up-to-date 

Make sure your email address is valid and you monitor it. 
Check Athens / Eduserv email are not interpreted as spam. 
To change your details, login to your account. 

Changing your NHS organisation 

If you are moving to or from another NHS organisation then you can take your NHS Athens account with you. 
To change your NHS organisation login to your account. 
Select the "Change Organisation" option and follow the instructions. 

Problems? 

Please contact your OpenAthens administrator if you are experiencing any problems with your account or are having trouble accessing resources. All contact details are available on our website. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

British Journal of Healthcare Assistants

The British Journal of Healthcare Assistants is essential reading for healthcare support workers, healthcare assistants (HCAs) and assistant practitioners (APs). It supports career development and patient care, offering a range of articles highlighting best practice and training and helping practitioners to extend their knowledge and skills. What articles does it publish? Here are some articles from  a recent issue : Importance of team building for healthcare staff. Sgts Bowles K. British Journal of Healthcare Assistants 2026;20(9): doi.org/10.12968/bjha.2026.0038 . [This article explores a team-building day facilitated by the Royal Army Medical Reserve Services for first-year student nursing associates. The event was designed to help students develop communication, teamwork and problem-solving skills while working together in a relaxed and supportive environment. Through a series of practical activities, students were encouraged to consider different approaches to leadership ...

Login to Library Search – step-by-step instructions for NHS staff

  Library Search is a discovery tool, allowing you to find items within the library collections. You can search Library Search without logging in to view books and ebooks available in our collections. By logging in to your library account on Library Search you can access a range of additional functionality, such as: Viewing details of your library account Submitting a request to hold a book for you Adding items to your e-bookshelf Saving searches Note that for NHS users logging in to Library Search does not give you access to full-text items. As an NHS member of staff you access online resources using your NHS OpenAthens username. Anatomy of a Library Card First let’s take a quick look at the most important components of your library card. Your library card and library card number give you access to print resources as well as library services. They confirm that you are a member of the library. Your name : this will be printed on your card, so you’ll know it’s yours!...

Library Search for NHS Users

Looking for books and ebooks at the Health Library? Library Search provides the library catalogue which includes all the books in the collections held at the Health Library (CEC), Campus Library and Health Library at County. NHS staff use Library Search differently from Keele University staff and students. Make sure you make the most of your library membership by learning how to use Library Search to get the information you need. Complete our short online tutorial Library Search for NHS Users. You'll learn: What Library Search is How you use Library Search to manage your library account What you can search for in Library Search The tutorial includes links to step-by-step instructions. Don't miss out on our valuable resources, learn to use Library Search.