Patients are now able to use Patients Know Best (PKB) to view parts of their hospital or mental health record online.
PKB is a free, secure online platform that’s being used by:
- Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust
- Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
- And many other NHS organisations around the country
It allows patients to see some of the information held by these NHS Trusts, such as:
- Upcoming hospital or mental health appointments
- Appointment letters (for some services)
- Test results, such as radiology reports
- Hospital discharge summaries
It’s designed to help patients stay informed and involved in their care. Some services also offer additional features, such as messaging, questionnaires, and information libraries.
Accessing your GP health record via PKB
Patients also have the option to link their GP health record to their PKB account. This is the same information that is already available through the NHS App.
To do this, you’ll need to actively request access through your PKB account. The process is managed entirely by PKB, not the GP practice. Linking your record is completely optional and won’t affect the care you receive from us.
Read more about adding your GP health record to your PKB accountNeed help or have questions?
Please note: Patients Know Best is not managed by GP practices. We’re not able to help with queries about hospital records or technical issues.
If you need support using PKB or have questions about your hospital or mental health information, the best place to start is with the Trust providing your care:
You can also find step-by-step guidance in the PKB Patient Manual, which includes help with things like logging in, using the portal, and sharing your record.
How to register and access your PKB account
You can access PKB in two ways:
- Through the NHS App on your smartphone or tablet
- By visiting the PKB website at https://my.patientsknowbest.com and clicking ‘continue to NHS login’
Once you log in, if information is available for you, it will appear automatically in the NHS App under sections like:
- Hospital referrals and appointments
- Messages
- Test results and imaging
Notifications and privacy
When new information is added to your record, you’ll receive an email from no-reply-uk@patientsknowbest.com. If you’ve enabled notifications in the NHS App, you may get alerts there too.
You remain in control of your record. You can:
- Choose who can see your information (e.g. family members, carers, healthcare professionals)
- Decide whether to share your full record or just selected parts
- Update your sharing preferences at any time
We hope this information is helpful. As Patients Know Best is managed by local hospital and mental health trusts, please contact the relevant NHS organisation directly if you have any questions about your record or need support. You can also find helpful guides in the PKB Patient Manual.
