NHS OpenAthens

Need help? Contact your OpenAthens administrator (Note OpenAthens is also referred to as Athens).

Register: valid users can register for an NHS Athens username.

  • Check which NHS Athens organisation you should register with.
  • Register by completing this online form. Please follow the instructions on the form.
  • Use an NHS-network computer if possible.
  • If using a non-NHS computer, you must use an NHS, academic or work-based email address.

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 10 and 100 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. Try 3 to 4 short words with numbers interspersed if you are struggling to get something accepted.]

Accessing your account details: login to your account.

Keeping your Athens 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.
  • If you know that your Athens account will terminate as you change organisations it may be worth asking your Athens administrator for a short extension so that you can complete the transfer, likewise let your new Athens administrator know your new contract end-date.

Other problems: if you have any other problems or need any help contact the e-Resources librarian.

Students on placement with the NHS are eligible to apply for an NHS Athens username and password in order to access NHS-subscribed resources for the organisation that they are on placement with. This is only available for the duration of your placement. This is known as an NHS Trust Athens account.

Completing the online form:

  1. You must register for the NHS organisation where you are on placement.
  2. If you have an NHS-based email account use this and you will be verified automatically. Note that you must monitor this email account. You will be sent an email to complete the registration process and update emails are also sent on a regular basis.
  3. Otherwise, if you have a university email account use this. Note that you will NOT be automatically verified but will be placed in a queue. This queue is processed on a regular basis.
  4. Accounts registered with personal email accounts eg hotmail and google mail will be rejected.
  5. You MUST complete the address for the NHS organisation where you are on placement; include the department, hospital or clinic name and the NHS Trust name. Home, university or school addresses are not acceptable.
  6. You should select Position Duration as temporary and enter the end date of your placement.
  7. You can register online here.

If you already have an NHS-HE Athens account with your university you may not be able to register for an NHS Trust Athens account using the email address linked to your NHS-HE Athens account.

Keele students on NHS-funded courses (medicine, midwifery, nursing and physiotherapy) are eligible for an NHS-HE Athens username and password. This will be available for the duration of your course and will provide you with access to NHS core content only.

Using your NHS-HE Athens account will give you:

  • Access to NHS Core Content resources, including ebooks, ejournals and databases that may not be available to you through your Keele resources
  • Access to the BNF and BNF app provided by NICE
  • Access to the e-Learning for Healthcare Hub
  • Experience of using NHS resources prior to starting work as a professional

To request an NHS-HE Athens account please email library.eresources@keele.ac.uk with your request and copy your Liaison Librarian Steve Parton, at s.parton@keele.ac.uk, into the email. You cannot make this request via the NHS online form

Please note that these accounts are managed by Campus Library and any queries should be directed there.

There are now a range of Athens usernames / passwords that you are given to allow you to access different sets of resources. This page will try to explain what they are:

  Keele computer username / password NHS-HE Athens username / password NHS Trust Athens
Format acb123

eg. lia921

nhsac________

eg. nhsacfjones001

nhs__________

eg. nhsfjones028

Resources Keele University subscribed resources available via Shibboleth National NHS subscribed resources (known as NHS Core Content) National NHS subscribed resources (known as NHS Core Content).
Local NHS Trust subscribed resources, managed by the Health Library
Who gets its All Keele University staff and students Keele University students who are on an NHS-funded course (medicine, midwifery, nursing and physiotherapy) Students on placement at an NHS Trust
How to get it Allocated by Keele Campus Library Allocated by Keele Campus Library You must apply online (see the Students on placement tab above)
Problems? Administered by Keele Campus Library Administered by Keele Campus Library Administered by Health Library for North Staffordshire (at the CEC)