Accessing PKB via the NHS App

Owned by Stephanie Tew
Last updated: Dec 13, 2024
4 min read

Given current national focus on the NHS App, we thought it timely to provide a refresher on PKB’s existing integration both as a Patient Engagement Portal (PEP) provider and the only Personal Health Record currently integrated into the NHS App .  

Today, most of our NHS customers direct patients to access PKB through the NHS App as the national ‘front door’ - last month alone over one million patients logged into PKB via the NHS App and NHS login.  But what is their experience when they get there? 

During our session we covered:

  • The patient’s journey and overview of the PKB screens they can access through the NHS App including appointments, messaging, care plans and test results

  • NHSE’s Wayfinder programme and how Appointment and Notification screens differ for Wayfinder

  • Display of test results

  • Q&A - an opportunity to ask questions

Session demo and questions

Pkb User Group - Accessing Pkb Via The Nhs App - LOW.mp4

 

Questions and Answers which we were unable to answer during the session

  1. Do patients have the same password to log in to PKB directly as well as through the NHS App or do they need more than one?

When registering for PKB (Patients Know Best), patients are required to set up a separate PKB password. This ensures they can still access their PKB account even if the NHS service used for authentication is temporarily unavailable. Setting up this password helps maintain uninterrupted access to their health information.

  1. How does it work if a Trust has more than one PEP provider integrated with NHS App - what does that look like for a patient?

Currently, Wayfinder supports only one Patient Engagement Portal (PEP) per patient to add individual appointment information on the Wayfinder “Hospital appointments page”. However, if the PEP is not PKB and the patient is in an area where the PKB - NHS App integration is enabled, they will also see a jump-off point to the PKB main appointments section at the bottom of the Hospital appointments page, and all other PKB jump off points within the NHS App. 

We also understand that Wayfinder is looking to allow multiple PEPs to populate the upcoming Document & Questionnaire Management library. 

  1. Do Trusts have the option to switch off notifications from PKB where the Trust is using a different PEP supplier for appointment management?

PKB will only send NHS App Notifications and Messages (N&M) about appointments if the trust is already using PKB as their PEP supplier for Wayfinder appointment management and that trust requests for it to be enabled.  

  1. Further to the above, is it possible to have notifications ‘on’ for some things from PKB but not for others? 

As above, the NHS App Notifications & messages can be switched on for appointments.

PKB also sends NHS App notifications for new messages within PKB. This is currently switched on for all trusts but notifications are only sent if the patient has access to PKB via the NHS App previously. The notifications & messaging feature for messaging is likely to be expanded in 2025. 

  1. PKB has a defined registration process. The NHS App as front door could in theory replace this process. Can PKB confirm an NHS App only approach will give full PKB options functionality?’ 

Currently, not all PKB features are accessible through the NHS App, and there are no additional links planned at this time. However, we would like to make all PKB features available to patients via this route. Over the coming months, we will be collaborating closely with the NHS App team to understand their vision for integrating PKB further within the app. 

  1. Can a patient use an email address to register for PKB that is already in use and registered by another patient or does it have to be unique? 

A patient cannot use an email address that is already in use by another user, it has to be unique.

  1. If a patient is accessing test results via the NHS App and these results are LOINC mapped in PKB would that same LOINC mapping also apply when viewing them in the NHS App?

Currently, a patient can access PKB test results via the NHS App from the ‘Hospital-ordered Test results' jump-off point, from which the user is taken to their results in PKB. LOINC-mapped results will all appear in the corresponding chart in PKB with any result mapped to the same LOINC code. 

NHS App is hoping to show test results from Secondary Care within the NHS App in the future, at this stage we are unaware if they have decided for these to be LOINC mapped. 

  1. Can trusts view metrics around patient usage of PKB functions via the NHS App? What metrics are available?

PKB can provide trusts with data such as:

  • number of patients accessing data from your trust via NHS App broken down by datatype

  • number of logins from NHS App

9. When will proxy/carer access be available to PKB via the NHS App 

We have done some discovery work in the past with NHS App to link NHS Proxy access to PKB carer access but due to some significant pending changes to the NHS Proxy access, this work was paused. We have also designed a ‘Caring’ jump off point, so carers can access the PKB records of people they care for from the NHS App and would like to see this added to the NHS App / PKB integration roadmap in the future.