Using NHS login to access PKB directly
Patients over 16 can both register and log in to PKB using their NHS login, this includes users without an existing record so they can use NHS login to verify their identity & create a PKB record.
Creating an NHS login
If you do not have an existing NHS login, you will be prompted to create one after entering your email from the NHS login sign-in page. NHS Digital have published a video and step-by-step guide on how patients can do this here .
How to sign into PKB directly using your NHS login
This step by step guide is for patients with a registered Patients Know Best record.
Click ‘Continue NHS login' from the PKB log in page
You will be directed to the NHS login sign-in page
Enter your email and click continue
Enter your NHS login password & you will be sent a One Time Password (OTP) to your mobile phone.
Enter the OTP and click continue
You will now need to agree to share your NHS login information with PKB
You will now be signed into PKB.
How to register to PKB directly using your NHS login
This step-by-step guide is for patients who wish to register for a new or existing Patients Know Best record. Patients must be over 16 years old to register via NHS Login.
Click 'Continue to NHS login' from the PKB log in page
You will be directed to the NHS login sign-in page
Enter your email and click continue
Enter your NHS login password & you will be sent a One Time Password (OTP) to your mobile phone.
Enter the OTP and click continue
You will now need to agree to share your NHS login information with PKB
You will be shown a registration form to complete. The form requires you to set up a password and security question for your PKB account, enter your address, and accept both the User Agreement & Privacy Policy for PKB.
Complete the form and click next and you will be signed into PKB with your NHS login.
Accessing PKB from the NHS App
Patients can access parts of their PKB record from within the NHS App and can use NHS login’s encrypted single sign-on to do so. This option is currently only available to users on a regional basis where the region has specified that PKB is their Patient Held Record (PHR) provider.
This allows patients to access the same PHR data inside the NHS App interface, for a more seamless and joined-up NHS experience.
Currently, the Events & Messages, Appointments, Medicines, Plans, Tests, Imaging, Symptoms, Measurements, Journal, Library & Sharing pages can all be accessed from within the NHS App.
To access PKB 'Events & messages' from the NHS App homepage, click on 'View your messages' from the homepage or 'Messages' from the navigation bar and then click on the 'Consultations, events and messages' button.
To access PKB 'Library' from the NHS App, click on the 'View links from your health team' button found in the NHS App 'Your Health choices' section under the ' Your health' menu that is found in the main navigation.
To access PKB 'Appointments' from the NHS App, click on 'Appointments' from the main navigation, then 'Hospital referrals and appointments' & select 'Additional appointment information'.
To access PKB 'Plans' from the NHS App, click on 'Your health' from the main navigation then 'Care plans'
To access PKB 'Medicines' pages from the NHS app, click 'Prescriptions' & then 'Hospital & other medicines'
To access PKB 'Symptoms', 'Measurements' or 'Journal' pages from the NHS app, click on 'Your health' then 'Your health choices' and select 'Track your symptoms'
To access PKB ‘Tests' or 'Imaging' from the NHS app, click on 'Your health' then 'Test results and imaging' then 'Hospital ordered test results’
To access PKB 'Sharing (Professionals)' page from the NHS App, click on 'Your health' then 'Your health choices and select 'Share records with your team'.
Patients can change their language at the bottom of each page.
The following areas have the PKB & NHS App integration enabled:
Bedford, Luton and Milton Keynes ICS
Bedford
Luton
Cheshire & Merseyside ICS
East Cheshire
Derbyshire ICS
Devon ICS
Hertfordshire and West Essex
West Essex
Humber Coast and Vale ICS
Kent & Medway ICS
Mid and South Essex
Northamptonshire ICS
North Central London ICS
North East London ICS
North West London ICS
Nottingham & Nottinghamshire ICS
Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin ICS
South Yorkshire ICS
Barnsley
Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICS
Suffolk and North East Essex
North East Essex
Sussex ICS
West Yorkshire ICS
North Kirklees
Wakefield
How to register for PKB from the NHS App
1. Log into NHS App with NHS login
2. Enter your NHS login email & password details
3. Enter security code sent to your phone
4. Click on any PKB jump-off point such as 'Test results & imaging' found under the 'Your health' section
5. Click continue to access PKB
6. Agree to share your NHS login information with PKB
7. Complete PKB registration form which includes setting up your password & security question & click 'Next' at the bottom of the page.
8. Arrive in PKB & review sharing settings, click 'continue' and then 'save' on the last page. You will then be taken to the PKB jump-off you selected in step 4.
How to set up Single Sign On to PKB from the NHS App
1. Log into NHS App with NHS login
2. Enter your NHS login email
3. Enter NHS login password
4. Enter the security code sent to your phone
5. Click on any PKB jump-off point such as 'Test results & imaging' found under the 'Your health' section
6. Click continue to access PKB
7. Agree to share your NHS login information
8. Arrive in PKB
How to change PKB language in the NHS App
Once in PKB, scroll to the footer to find the language dropdown
Select the language you would like from the dropdown
PKB will be translated
Accessing PKB Events & messages
1. Click on 'View your messages' from the homepage or 'Messages' in the navigation menu
2. Click on 'Your hospital and specialist doctors'
3. Click 'Continue'
4. You will land on the PKB Events & messages page
Accessing PKB library
1. Click on 'Your heath' in the main NHS App navigation menu
Click on 'Your health choices
Click on 'View links from your health team
3. Click 'Continue'
4. You will land on the PKB Library page
Accessing PKB appointments
1. Click on 'Upcoming & past appointments' from the NHS homepage or from the 'Your health' page
Click on 'Hospital referrals and appointments' in the submenu
3. Scroll to the bottom of the page & click on 'Additional appointment information'
4. Click 'Continue'
5. You will land on the PKB main 'Appointments' page
Appointment messaging
Some organisations offer appointment messaging, this allows you to send secure messages to reschedule or cancel your appointment to the appointments team.
If your organisation offers this service, you will see the option to request to reschedule or cancel your appointment when you click on the three dots at the top right of your appointment. You can read more about appointment messaging here
Ask to reschedule or cancel your appointment.
Accessing PKB Wayfinder appointments
The NHS App is working with acute NHS Trusts to enable patients to securely view summary details of their referrals and scheduled appointments within the NHS App. If your Trust is taking part in this programme (Wayfinder), you will find any upcoming appointments from that trust in the NHS App in the Appointments section. If the appointment is stored in PKB, you can access more detailed information for that appointment by clicking on the ‘View or manage this appointment’ button.
You can read more about the NHS App Wayfinder features on the NHS England website here
The acute trusts that are part of this programme are:
Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (Went live 8th Nov 2022)
York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (Went live in Nov 2022)
East Cheshire NHS Trust (Went live in Nov 2022)
The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust (Went live in Nov 2022)
Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (Went live in Dec 2022)
East Sussex Hospital Trust (Went live in July 2023)
Chelsea & Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (July 2023 - May 2024)
The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (July 2023 - Aug 2024)
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (July 2023 - May 2024)
London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust (July 2023 - Aug 2024)
Dartford & Gravesham NHS Trust (Went live on 26th September 2023)
Mid-Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (Went live on 26th September 2023)
University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (Went live on 26th September 2023)
Barts Health NHS Foundation Trust (Went live on 26th September 2023)
University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (Went live on 10th November 2023)
Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (Went live on 10th November 2023)
Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (Went live on 28th November 2023)
Medway NHS Foundation Trust (Went live on 28th November 2023)
Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (Went live on 12th December 2023)
University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust (Went live on 19th December 2023)
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust (Went live on 13th February 2024)
Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust (Went live 9th September 2024)
Click on 'Upcoming & past appointments' from the NHS homepage or from the 'Your health' page
Click on 'Hospital referrals and appointments' in the sub menu
3. Click on 'View or manage this appointment' for any appointment
4. If the appointment is from PKB, you will be directed to PKB. Click 'Continue'
5. You will land on the PKB 'View appointment' page
Appointment messaging
Some organisations offer appointment messaging, this allows you to send secure messages to reschedule or cancel your record to the appointments team. If the organisation that added the appointment offers this service, you will see buttons to reschedule or cancel your appointment. You can read more about appointment messaging here ❗
No appointments to view
If the appointment is from an organisation that is not part of this programme, or you have no appointments booked, you can still access your PKB appointments by clicking on ‘View appointments’ in the ‘Other services’ section.
Accessing PKB Plans
1. Click on 'Your health' from the main NHS App navigation menu
2. Click on 'Care plans'
3. Click 'Continue'
4. You will land on the PKB Plans page
Accessing PKB Medicines
1. Click on ' View and manage prescriptions' on the NHS App homepage or from the 'Your health' menu
2. Click on 'Hospital & other medicines'
3. Click 'Continue'
4. You will land on the PKB Medicines page
Accessing PKB Symptoms
1. Click on 'Your health' in the main NHS App navigation menu
2. Click on ‘Your health choices’
3. Click on 'Track your symptoms'
4. Click on 'Track your health'
You will land on the PKB Symptoms page
Accessing PKB Measurements
1. Click on 'Your health' in the main NHS App navigation menu
Click on ‘Your health choices’
Click on 'Track your symptoms'
Click on 'Track your health'
You will land on the PKB 'Measurements' page
Accessing PKB Journal
1. Click on 'Your health' in the main NHS App navigation menu
Click on ‘Your health choices’
Click on 'Track your symptoms'
Click on 'Track your health'
You will land on the PKB 'Journal' page
Accessing PKB Tests
1. Click on 'Your health' in the main NHS App navigation menu
2. Click on 'Test results and imaging'
3. Click on 'Hospital-ordered Test results'
Click on 'Test results'
You will land on the PKB Tests page
Accessing PKB Imaging
1. Click on 'Your health' in the main NHS App navigation menu
2. Click on 'Test results and imaging'
3. Click on 'Hospital-ordered Test results
Click on 'Imaging reports'
You will land on the PKB Imaging page
Accessing PKB Sharing - Professionals
1. Click on 'Your health' in the main NHS App navigation menu
Click on 'Your health choices'
3. Click on 'Share records with your health team'
You will land on the PKB Professionals page
Notifications from PKB in the NHS App
Notifications & Messages about appointments (Coming soon)
PKB will send Notifications & Messages (N&M) in the NHS App for appointment activity, this will include sending an NHS App message and an associated native Apple or Android push notification. We will be trialling N&M with a single trust in October and if successful, we will roll out to other trusts live with the Wayfinder programme later this year.
The actions that will trigger an NHS App N&M, will be:
A new appointment in the patient’s record
An update to an existing appointment in the patient’s record
An appointment cancellation
We will expand to other events such as appointment reminders, documents and questionnaire notifications in the future.
Troubleshooting
If you see this error screen it means the details on your NHS login do not match those on your PKB record so we were unable to link your accounts.
Contact our support desk with the reference provided on the screen to troubleshoot.
If you see this error screen it means your registration is complete but your organisation need to activate your record
A clinician or administrator from any organisation with access to your record simply needs to log in to the system to activate your account, when this is complete, we will send you an email to you to let you know.
If you see this error screen, it means the email linked to your NHS login is attached to a record in PKB already, which is not a patient record.
Please note that the NHS login is only to be used in conjunction with a patient record. You will need to make sure the email on your NHS login is not the same email used for your PKB professional or coordinator role so you can link it to your patient record.
If you see this error screen, it means your NHS login details have changed since they were originally paired with PKB & the connection needs to be reset. Click on the link to reset the connection.
Users who have updated or changed their NHS login credentials will be shown this screen which allows them to reconnect their NHS login to PKB to re-enable Single Sign On.
If you see this error screen, it means your clinical team has marked your record for no access.
Please contact the clinical teams with access to your record to find out why you are unable to access.
This may be a temporary restriction. Please use your existing PKB username and password to log in., or contact your clinical team if you have not yet registered and they can invite you via email.
Age restrictions
Proxy access in the NHS App
Proxy access in the NHS App currently only relates to the GP services, as they offer the ability to do proxy. When "proxying" all other services such as Patients Know Best are shuttered off / hidden and therefore will not be accessible.
Custom log in page
Default PKB welcome message:
Welcome [Patient first NAME]
Patients Know Best is a single place to store your health information.
Start building your record
Here are some examples to get you started:
Track your health: Go to measurements
Add your emergency data: Go to medicines
Plan your care: Go to plans
Add your upcoming appointments. Go to appointments
Records from your health & social care teams
New clinical teams are adding data to PKB every day. Meanwhile, the more data you add, the more useful your PKB record is to your clinicians.