Library services

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The King's Fund Library Service provides a unique and free source of information on health and social care policy and management. We can help with literature searches, research support and information queries.

Our services

Got a question about health and care?

Do you have a health or social care question? Need to check a reference or a fact? Our free enquiry service will soon have you up to speed.

Library support for further education colleges

There are many routes into careers in health and social care, and our team of librarians are uniquely placed to support you and your students by providing tailored training and guidance. 

The King's Fund Library database

Search our free online database of health and social care policy literature.

Evidence search

Let us uncover the available evidence on any aspect of health or social care policy.

Digital archive

Delve into the history of The King’s Fund and of health care in London at archive.kingsfund.org.uk or find out more.

Reading lists

View selected references on a wide range of health and care subjects.

Stay up to date

Subscribe to our email bulletins for the latest on health and social care

Visit the library

Book to use our library and collection and plan your visit.

Library events

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Bertie's Book Group

Named after our own King Edward VII, Bertie's Book Group focuses on books that have a medical or health care-related theme and is a great way of exploring facets of health care through fiction. 

    The group is open to all and meets online on the third Thursday of every month. Book your free place now:

    ​​​​​​​If you're not able to join us for the discussion, you can join the conversation on our Goodreads page.

    Sign up to receive our monthly Bertie’s Book Group newsletter and get information about upcoming meetings delivered direct to your inbox.

    From the archive

    In this section we delve into our rich digital archive collection in order to better tell some of the stories hidden inside. Our blogs and exhibitions use material from The King’s Fund archive to reflect on the development of the English health system from the late 19th Century, through the birth of the NHS, right up to present day.

    An orange-yellow timeline making up four shelves. On the shelves are a range of books, some of them neatly stacked, others opened as if they're being read, some leaning against one another. On the top shelf is a calendar which reads, '1897'.

    125 years of The King's Fund: a timeline

    Discover 125 years of The King's Fund's history through this interactive timeline. This traces the Fund's work from its foundation in 1897 up to the present day, exploring the themes and topics that have remained a constant focus throughout its 125-year history and how these were shaped by contemporary cultural and societal forces. 

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    Spoonful of sugar: hospital food and medicine

    This virtual exhibition from The King's Fund library service delves into its digital archive to explore the fascinating history of hospital food. Learn about the history of hospital catering and discover the societal, cultural and technological shifts that can be traced through the history of NHS hospital food.

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    The King's Fund history of nursing

    The King's Fund library has created an interactive exhibition drawn from its digital archive. In it we explore the history of nursing recruitment and training through the work of The King’s Fund and share key milestones in nursing history.

    Empire Windrush

    'You called and we came': Windrush and the NHS

    Hear stories from the Windrush generation and their descendants on their experiences of working in the NHS in our online exhibition.

    Library blog