About Us

The Library at West Middlesex Hospital is dedicated to the memory of Patricia Bowen who served at West Middlesex University Hospital as the first professional medical librarian from 1984 until her retirement in October 2004.

The Patricia Bowen Library supports the education, lifelong learning, training, research and clinical support needs of all Trust staff and students on clinical placements at West Middlesex University Hospital site.

Joining the Library

Out of Hours Access

Computer & Other Facilities
The library has computers, study spaces and printing/scanning facilities available 24 hours a day. The library book stock aims to reflect the interests of all readers. The library’s catalogue and e-books are available at all terminals in the library.

eLearning & Health & Wellbeing Zones

The library has dedicated spaces for eLearning and Health & Wellbeing,  Health & Wellbeing Zone contains comfy chairs for staff to relax, read wellbeing books, a dedicated PC for listening relaxation/meditation audio cd’s and viewing health and wellbeing audio visual material and related websites.

The collection includes:

  • Mindfulness
  • Stress and Anxiety Management
  • Emotional Resilience
  • Meditation
  • Yoga, Pilates & Tai Chi
  • Healthy Eating

We also have a range of resources to help staff to relax and stay healthy, including on-going jigsaw puzzles, colouring books and colouring pencils to help staff to relax and de-stress, so feel free to pop in and do a bit of jigsaw and colouring. This is part of our Health & Well-Being at work initiative.

A private study room with a Trust networked PC and Imperial networked PC is available for quiet study or group study during library opening hours. Library members can book the room for quiet study/group study for few hours only. This is because to give equal chance to all the library members to utilize the facility. Please contact the library  for more details and how to book this room.

Books 

Journals

Inter Library Loans
Book titles and journal articles not held in the library can be requested via the inter-library loan service.  There is a small charge for this service.

Current Awareness
The Library can offer a variety of Current Awareness solutions pertaining to your field of practice or interest area. The service includes receiving table of contents alerts via email for specific journal titles and or new citations relating to interest area(s).  Please contact the library for details.

Literature Searches
Library staff conduct literature searches for work related information. Please contact the library for details.

Training
Regular group training sessions for searching for evidence using databases and the Internet are run by library staff.  Training on a one to one basis or sessions tailored to the needs of a specific team can also be arranged with the library trainer by request.  Please contact the library for details.

Photocopying & Printing
A photocopier is available in the 24 hour section of the library for photocopying of items of library stock, please see the NHS Copyright poster next to the photocopier.

Quiet Study Room
A private room with Trust networked PC and Imperial networked PC is available for quiet or group study during library opening hours. Contact the library for more details.

Library Documents

Library Charter

Patricia Bowen Library services in a page

Annual report 2025-26

Library Newsletter spring 2024

Patricia Bowen Library Privacy Policy

  Staff

Library and Knowledge Services Manager : Uma Devalapalli

Assistant Librarian:  Louise Levitt

Library Assistant: Fiona Price

How to Find Us

how to find

Library News & What’s new

Library Training Sessions - Jul-Aug

Library Relocation and Book Sale Announcement

Later this year, the West Middlesex Hospital Library will be relocating to a smaller space within the Diagnostic, Treatment and Education Centre (DTEC). As a result of this move, the library will be selling a large portion of its book stock.

Read More

Library Relocation: Print journal holdings available for free

 The Westmid Library will move to the new Diagnostic, Treatment and Education Centre (DTEC) building later this year. Because the new space is much smaller, we will be disposing of our print journal collection. Before that happens, we invite staff, teams, and departments to take any individual journals or entire sets from our holdings free of charge. For a complete list of available journals, please contact us. You are also welcome to visit the library in the Education Centre to browse our print collection. We are open Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 4:30 pm.

Health & Wellbeing Collection

Our wellbeing collection has a range of self-help and mood-boosting-books for library members to borrow. Books includes:

  • Mindfulness
  • Stress and Anxiety Management
  • Emotional Resilience
  • Meditation
  • Yoga, Pilates & Tai Chi
  • Healthy Eating

Access full list of  Health & Wellbeing Book Collection

We also have a range of resources to help staff to relax and stay healthy, including on-going jigsaw puzzles, colouring books and colouring pencils to help staff to relax and de-stress, so feel free to pop in and do a bit of jigsaw and colouring.

Board Games

We have a collection of educational board games which can be used in training sessions and to gain CPD credits. Below board games recently added to our existing collection.

Menopause Game

Team resilience game

Dysphagia game

Hydration game

Mental health at work  Map game

Mental health awareness

LGBT+ in the workplace game

Safeguarding game

If you’re interested in borrowing these board games for your CPD or training or if you have any questions please email chelwest.library.infoservice@nhs.net

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Access Journals, eBooks, Point of care Tools and Staff Publications (login with OpenAthens)

Search e-journals



DynaMedAccess DynaMed, clinical decision support tool on the Trust intranet without password, access remotely with NHS OpenAthens, download the app to access on mobile devices anywhere. See the quick guide for details

 

Access BMJ Best Practice, clinical decision support tool on the Trust intranet without password, access remotely with NHS OpenAthens, download the app to access on mobile devices anywhere. See the  user guide for details.


Staff Publications lists:

COVID- 19 Staff Publications

WMUH -2025

CWMH (can download only on the Trust computers)

Institutional Repository of Staff Publications

Latest Health Management Bulletin

BBC News – Health

Cardiac arrests have gone up during very hot weather, and it's not just among the elderly and frail, experts are warning.
Researchers launch a "Laughter Lab" to explore how laughing can improve wellbeing and health.
Researchers launch a "Laughter Lab" to explore how laughing can improve wellbeing and health.
BBC Medical Editor Fergus Walsh speaks to St John's ambulance service about treating heat exhaustion.
Full emergency cover remained in place and patients were told to attend all scheduled appointments unless advised otherwise.