Athens Account Information

Further information about Athens is available on Eduserv's website.

Already have an NHS Athens account?

• Log in to access all your resources.
• If you have forgotten your password, reset it on our password reset page.
• Contact your local Athens administrator if you have forgotten your username or need help with your Athens account.
• Go to My Account if you need details about your own account, or want to change your organisation or email address.
• Go to My Library for details of your local health library and a list of all the resources you can access with your Athens account.

Want an NHS Athens account?

• Check the eligibility criteria to see if you're entitled to an NHS Athens account.
• Register on our online form when you've read the guidance below.

Registration process

If you register on the NHS network (N3) or provide an NHS email address...

Your account will be created automatically and immediately. You will receive an automatically generated activation email straight away.

If you register with a professional, work or academic email address...

Your application will be considered by an Athens administrator. You will receive a decision within fifteen working days. Please do not contact your administrator about your application unless over it is over fifteen days since you registered.

If the administrator has any questions about your application, they will contact you for clarification. If you not eligible, they will contact you to tell you why. If you are eligible, you will receive an automatically generated activation email.

When you receive the activation email...

Click on the link in it to activate your account. You have sixty days after receiving the email to complete the process. If you don't receive an activation email in your inbox, please check your junk mail folder.

If you are not on N3 and you provide a personal email address...

Your application will be automatically refused. You will receive no further notification from us about your registration. Note that you can change your email address after your account has been set up.

Valid email addresses

If you register on N3, you can use any email address you like, including personal email addresses (though NHS email addresses are preferred).

If you're not on the NHS network, but do have an NHS email address (nhs.net or nhs.uk), please provide this.

If you're not on N3 and don't have an NHS email address, you must provide a professional, work or academic email address. We need this to verify your identity and your eligibility for an Athens account.

Professional, work or academic email addresses are addresses which are from your educational instititution or place of work, or prove that you are a member of a particular profession (such as doctors.org or doctors.net). They are not personal email addresses.

Personal email addresses (such as hotmail, gmail or yahoo) are not valid.

If you are not in the NHS, and do not have a work, professional or academic email address but still think you are eligible, contact your regional administrator. You will need to tell them which of the eligibility criteria applies to you, and provide proof of your eligibility. We would normally expect to see the web address and contact details of the company you work for, and your professional registration number (where applicable).

Registering under the right organisation

All NHS trusts and certain other organisations are listed in the online registration form.

If you work for a regional or local non-NHS organisation or any NHS-commissioned care provider, please register in your region. If you can't find your organisation, contact your regional administrator for advice. Note that a number of regions have "miscellanous" organisations (such as "Non-NHS healthcare staff based in Yorkshire").

If you work for a national organisation, refer to our page on NHS Athens national organisations for further information.

If you are a student on an NHS-commissioned education programme which involves practice and placement within NHS provider services (point G of the eligibility criteria), you cannot register online unless you are on placement. If you are not on placement, and your university or college has signed up to NHS Athens, your account will be created for you by your university or college librarian.

Social care staff who work for local authorities (point D of the eligibility criteria) have access to social care resources in addition to national content. If you would like these resources, you should apply for a SCIE Athens account.

Expiry Date. How do I renew my account?

You will receive an email 4 weeks before your Account Expiry Date. This email contains a link to a page allowing you to request a renewal. The Athens administrator is notified of your request. Your request will be assessed against the eligibility criteria, this renewal process is not automatic, so please do not expect an immediate renewal. You will either then receive an account activation email or an email from the administrator explaining why the account cannot be activated