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Take control of your healthcare with the NHS App

Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust is pleased to offer our patients an online service that gives you secure access to your health record via the NHS App.

It’s designed to improve your patient experience, access to NHS services and information and you can use it to manage your health.

This service is free and available to adult patients (those over 18) and is offered using an NHS accredited system called Patients Know Best (PKB).

It’s part of our promise and ongoing commitment to give you more choice and control over your care. Once you have registered with PKB and as we develop the system, you will be able to access appointment letters, see appointment details and access online information and resources about your care on the NHS App.

Please note, this system is not to be used in an emergency situation. For more information on what to do if you require urgent treatment, please click here.

Currently, patients are able to view:

  • Admit and discharge information

  • Selected appointment information

  • Electronic Discharge Notifications (EDN) 
  • ED outcome letters
As the PKB system is developed, patients will be able to use their NHS App to:

  • see their appointments, medical letters, test results, care plans, allergies and record their medications

  • book appointments, record observations in a journal and access resources created by you

  • use secure messaging, shared care planning and symptom tracking in real-time

  • access self-management tools to make it easier and safer to monitor or track their health condition so they can quickly get help and support when needed

How to register

Step 1: Register for the NHS App and create an NHS login - click here to be guided on how to do this

Step 2: Register for the portal via the NHS App. View our step by step guide on how to do this.

Logging into the portal

Once registered, you will be taken to the area of PKB you selected to go to from the NHS App. 

A welcome email will be sent to your email address. 

You no longer have to manually sign in when navigating to PKB from the NHS App, your NHS login can now do this for you. 

You can also log in directly to PKB from a web browser using your email address & the password you just created.  

Frequently asked questions (FAQs):

You can register for the portal now and will start to see your information in to the portal. 

No, this will not affect the care you already receive from Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust.

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.

You can register now via the NHS app. 

You can also check our step by step guide on how to register.

Find out more about other ways to register (e.g. letter invite, SMS or email).

Currently, health and care professionals have access to information held about you by their own organisation only. With Patients Know Best, you can view information about your health, all in one place.

Did you know?
Health and care organisations that look after you already hold your medical information on paper or other computer systems. Putting the information in Patients Know Best gives everyone involved in your care the opportunity to see and add to it in one single place. This can help ensure you get the best care and avoid unnecessary tests and treatment.

The system is compliant with the NHS network and is NHS-accredited. So it’s just as secure as the information your healthcare providers already hold about you. However, it’s unique because it also gives you, the patient, access to your information via any web-enabled device.

Patient information is encrypted (or coded) and only people who have permission to view your information can do so.

We encrypt data in both transit (i.e. when the information comes in and out) and storage.

Yes. Learning how to use a new online platform may seem overwhelming at first, but don’t worry - Patients Know Best is designed to be simple, straightforward and secure.

Take a look at this short video to find out more about how you can use it once you've registered.

If you do not wish to use the PKB portal, simply do not sign up and you will continue to be contacted as normal

ome patients may not have any information in their records when they first register. However, this will change over time as you visit the hospital for treatment. You can still add your own information, such as tracking your symptoms or recording any medication you take.

During the early stages of the launch, you may receive multiple notifications from the portal. This is just while our teams are making changes and optimising the way the portal works.

However, if you access the portal your latest appointment details will remain clear. We apologise for any inconvenience.

If you do not have an existing NHS login, don’t worry. You will be prompted to create one after entering your email from the NHS login sign in page.

If you do not have the NHS App, you can download it.

Below is an example of what you’ll see within the NHS App after you’ve registered:

PKB Portal screenshot.png

 

pkb portal example.png 

Here is an example of what the portal looks like.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Your welcome page displays a message from the first healthcare organisation that became connected to your record in the Patients Know Best platform. There are a number of local NHS trusts who use this platform to provide patient portal services and you may have previously received care from them, or may still be a patient there too.

At the moment, the welcome message can’t be changed but this will hopefully be available soon. You will still see appointments and other details that we  share with you via the portal, even if the welcome screen shows another trust.

Any data, letters and results you receive are clearly marked with their source in your patient portal record. If you receive data from us, the notification email will clearly state that it has come from Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust.

You can check which other healthcare organisations are connected to your record under the ‘Sharing > Professional’ section.

You also have full control over your records. If you do not want your records to be connected to a particular NHS trust, you can revoke their access to your record.

If you have a query in relation to an appointment please contact our switchboard team and they can direct you to the department you require:

If your enquiry is related to your Health Record,  Registration, Password or any other general enquiry please contact: dgn-tr.pkbinfo@nhs.net

To find out more about this service or to understand how your data is protected, click here to be redirected to the PKB website.