Feature updates

1. Plan input fields now have the same styling as input fields elsewhere in the PKB UI

We are updating how we display input fields within the action plan section of a plan to match the rest of our UI. In this release, we have updated the following input fields when the plan is being edited:

• dates

• dropdown menus

• checkboxes

2. Teams can configure whether professionals can edit advanced questionnaires submitted by patients

Clinical teams sending advanced questionnaires, via the UI or FHIR API, can now choose whether a professional should be able to edit their answers after submission. If the professional ticks the ‘Allow professionals to edit patient’s answers after submission’ button when choosing which questionnaire to send, the professional can edit the patient’s answers after they have submitted the questionnaire.

When a professional edits a patient’s answers, they are recorded as the author on the QuestionnaireResponse resource and their name is displayed in the thread view for that questionnaire in the patient’s record.

New features

1. NHS App Notifications & Messages about appointments

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 are trialling N&M with a single trust in December 2024 and other trusts live with the Wayfinder programme can choose to switch on the feature in January 2025.  

The actions that will trigger NHS App N&M, are: 

• 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.

User Journey

• Patients will receive a message in their NHS App message inbox alongside an associated push notification. 

• Clicking on the push notification will take the patient through the authentication process to open the NHS app and then go straight to the message in the NHS App Messaging inbox. 

• The message will contain a summary of the appointment update and a link to view the appointment. 

• Clicking on the link will take the user to the PKB ‘View appointment’ page.

Email notification fallback

To ensure patients are contacted promptly about appointment updates whilst preventing notification overwhelm, we include the following rules when sending NHS App N&M notifications:

• If the message sent to the NHS App is read within 4 hours of sending, patients will NOT be sent an email notification

• We will send an email if:

  • we receive a ‘rejected’ or ‘un-notified’ status 

  • we don’t receive a ‘notified’ status within 1 hour

  • if the NHS App message has not been opened within 4 hours

You can read more about our NHS App integration here.

Bug fixes

1. Consultation answers no longer appear pre-filled

We have resolved an issue that was causing patients to see their previous answers pre-filled after clicking ‘Start consultation’. This issue is now resolved, meaning patients will never see pre-filled answers when starting a consultation.

2. Error on Profile page

We have resolved an issue that caused patients to encounter an error page when accessing the Profile page via a link in their email notifications. Patients can now successfully log in and view their Profile page without any errors.

3. Error managing files in the team library

Some coordinators were unable to add, edit or delete files from their team library. This issue has now been resolved and files can be managed in the library as normal.

Feature updates

1. Plans now support collapsible sections

Teams can now add collapsible sections to their plans. We support this via the HTML <details> and <summary> tags. For more information please see Customise your action plan.

2. Minor display improvements in Plans

We have made improvements to the plan layout by:

• increasing the spacing between sections

• increasing sub-section spacing in the action plan section

3. Updated NHS login consent screens

We have enhanced the text and styling for patients opting not to share their NHS login information with PKB. These updates provide a clearer warning screen to better inform patients about the implications of not using NHS login and help them understand the potential limitations of their choice.

4. Updated phone number placeholder text

We have updated the placeholder phone number text so it is more consistent across fields and applies to all phone number types.

Bug fixes

1. Standardising ‘Show password’ box size

We have corrected the ‘Show password’ box size on the NHS login registration form to be consistent with other parts of our user interface.

2. Improved user experience for iOS users registering via NHS App

We have resolved an issue where the embedded privacy video in the user agreement automatically opened for iOS users accessing the registration form via the native NHS App. This fix ensures smoother navigation and improved user experience.

Feature updates

1. Profile page update

We have removed the password section from the Profile page. Users can now update the Profile page without needing to re-enter their password to save each change.

2. Improvements to the notification panel

We've made minor adjustments to the notification panel to make each row clickable and enhance text alignment for certain languages. This update improves usability and visual consistency, ensuring a more accessible experience for users across diverse language settings.

3. Professionals can configure whether advanced questionnaires are editable after submission

Professionals sending advanced questionnaires can now choose whether a patient should be able to edit their answers after submission. If the professional ticks the ‘Allow patients to edit answers after submission’ button when choosing which questionnaire to send, the patient can edit their answers after they have submitted them. If the professional does not tick the ‘Allow patients to edit answers after submission’ button, the patient cannot edit their answers after submission.

Feature updates

1. Test results with comments only

We now allow users to add test results via the User Interface without a value if a comment is supplied.

2. Prioritising the new user option on the self-registration page

We have prioritised the 'Are you a new user' section on the self-registration page, making it the first option for patients on small screens to enhance accessibility and streamline the registration process.

3. Removing the option to edit plans on the user interface when they are sent as a PDF via HL7

Care plans sent as PDF via HL7 will no longer have editable fields, and the ‘Edit’ button will not be shown. To prevent editing a plan, organisations can send a plan with a PDF attachment in OBX-5 (i.e. with a combination of APPLICATION/PDF) of an HL7 MDM T02 message. For all other combinations, the ‘Edit’ button will still be shown. For additional details on how to edit a care plan, please see How do I update a plan?

4. Advanced questionnaires CSV export

Team professionals and coordinators can now export their patients' responses to advanced questionnaires as a CSV. Questionnaires that have responses can be exported from the ‘Questionnaires' page. Read our manual page to find out more about the new CSV export. Only teams that have advanced questionnaires enabled in the UI will be able to export their patients' answers in this way. To enable advanced questionnaires in the UI for your team, please contact your Customer Success PM.

Bug fixes

1. SIU-15 triggering NHS App new message notification

We have resolved an issue that was incorrectly triggering an NHS App message notification when an SIU-15 (Appointment cancellation) was sent via HL7.

Feature updates

1. Supporting information text on test result pages

We have updated the text in the “Important' section of the test results page to include ‘The healthcare professional who requested the test will review these results and can discuss them with you at your next visit.’.

2. Two-factor authentication usability improvement

If a user enters a two-factor authentication code from their authenticator application just after a new token has been generated, it will now be accepted. We extended the validity window to make it easier for users to manage their two-factor authentication. You can read about setting up two-factor authentication in our manual.

3. Advanced questionnaires can be added without a release

Advanced questionnaires can now be created, updated and linked to clinical teams without a PKB release. To arrange for an advanced questionnaire to be built or added to your team, speak with your Customer Success Project Manager.

4. Advanced questionnaire email notifications

Clinical teams using the $send-questionnaire-request operation can now suppress the email notifications sent to patients when a questionnaire request is sent. To suppress the email notification, the notificationFlag parameter can be added to the API call. For example API calls, see our advanced questionnaires API spec.

Bug fixes

1. Ampersand display on ‘View appointment’ page

We have resolved an issue that prevented the correct display of ampersands (&) in the appointment name within the navigation menu.

2. Advanced questionnaires ‘author’ field now refers to the patient, not the sending team

The ‘author’ field on a QuestionnaireResponse now references the patient who completed the questionnaire, not the team that sent it. This fixes a discrepancy between our implementation and the spec for the FHIR QuestionnaireResponse resource.