Patients Know Best

You can access your PKB record from any smartphone, tablet, or desktop device. There’s no need to update your device or install new software. Simply use your web browser to log in at my.patientsknowbest.com. You can also access PKB via the NHS App. Either you (or your carer) will need regular internet access to receive your correspondence and to access all the features.

Yes. you can only use one unique email address per registration e.g. you can’t use a family shared email if your family/friend already uses that email for their PKB account.   If you are registering via the NHSApp, it will automatically use the email address associated with that account.

Yes. This is an online service and will require you or a carer to have regular internet access to receive your correspondence via the portal and to use the additional features.

Yes. Family members and carers can, with your consent, register on your behalf. However, they should not use their own email account to do this. If you want a family member or carer to have access to your record, you can add them in the ‘sharing’ section. This will allow them to set up their own portal account and give you control about the level of access they will have to your record.

No, this will not affect the care you already receive from us. Instead, it’s designed to improve your care and experience, help you to be more involved in decisions, get better explanations from us, and give you the tools to manage your care safely at home.

Patients Know Best is hosted within the NHS network, so it’s just as secure as the information we as a hospital hold about you. We chose this system because it meets the stringent NHS requirements for health record systems and is fully compliant with the Data Protection Legislation 2018. All personal and health information is encrypted (or coded), with PKB only having access to your NHS number. This means only you and the people you choose can access your health information.

The portal is an optional service and requires you to ‘opt-in’. It provides choice to patients who wish to interact with the hospital in a digital format; it will not affect the care that you receive. If you do not wish to use the portal, you can ignore the invitation and you will continue to receive your hospital correspondence in the usual way.

You may not have information in your records when you first register but this will change over time as you visit our hospitals for treatment. In the meantime, you can add your own information – for example, by tracking your symptoms, recording any medication you take, connecting wearable devices (e.g. Fitbits or glucometers) or keeping a journal to help monitor any conditions.

At the NHS Humber Health Partnership, our top priority will always be to provide you and your loved ones with excellent standards of care.

This means ensuring that our clinicians have all the information they need to diagnose and treat you effectively at their fingertips.

While there are already mechanisms in place for sharing information between GPs, hospitals and specialists directly involved in your care, our Partnership – made up of the Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (HUTH) and Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust (NLaG) – is continuing to invest in improving and aligning our digital systems to streamline this process.

Most recently, we implemented the same Patient Administration System at NLaG which is already at use in HUTH. This system doesn’t hold clinical records. It’s for storing details such as names, addresses, dates of appointments and referrals.

While this does not mean that all staff at both Trusts have access to all patient records, it does mean it’s easier to share information about patients being treated by both Trusts between those directly involved in their care.

 What does having a combined Patient Administration System mean for patients?

You won’t really see any change in the way we work with you, other than that while our teams get used to using the new system, some things may take a little longer than you’re used to.

What does this mean for my information?

For patients who have been treated at HUTH, your records remain on the same systems as before and have not been transferred or shared to any other systems.

For patients treated at NLaG, your details have been transferred from the previous Patient Administration System (PAS) to the same system in use at HUTH.

Do you need my consent to share my information?

Explicit consent is not needed when sharing personal and clinical information for direct care purposes. The Data Protection Act 2018 reflects this and is supported by the NHS Duty of Confidentiality, which is crucial to maintain your trust when managing your care.

I have received a message from Patients Know Best (PKB) – what did this mean?

If you are registered with PKB to access letters, appointments and – for some services – provide information through surveys and questionnaires, you will have received a letter when NLaG transferred to its new Patient Administration System (PAS). These letters were generated automatically when PKB was connected to the system.

We apologise if this has caused any concerns and would like to reassure you that no members of staff at either Trust have gone into or accessed your patient records as part of this transfer process; and that no patient information from HUTH systems have been shared with anyone or any system at NLaG.

Please email PKB directly at [email protected] You only need to provide your name, the name of the organisation that created your account (i.e. this hospital) and a summary of the problem(s) you have encountered.

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You can email  [email protected] if you are being treated by Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust or [email protected] if you are being treated by Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

You can find out more about PKB’s features on their website.