Patients Know Best, an online personal heath record that gives patients access to their information, will be available to ELFT service users across East London within the year. Project lead Walid Salha explains more.

What is Patients Know Best?
It’s a free online personal health record where you can access most of your appointment letters, discharge summaries, care plans and patient reports securely in one place.You’ll still get your appointment letters from the Trust as normal, but Patient’s Know Best is another way to see your appointment information. 

How does Patient’s Know Best work?
If you’re signing up to the system for the first time, simply log in through the NHS website using a phone, tablet, or computer. Then the registration page will appear where you can create a password. After completing the registration form, you can access the portal using the Patient’s Know Best web link or via the NHS app.

You can currently view your hospital appointment information, but there will be more features available in the future. It’s important to note, however, that you cannot amend or cancel your appointment. 

What are the benefits of Patient’s Know Best?
The system allows you to have greater choice and control of your healthcare by sharing your record with other people from your GP to your next of kin, by easy access to your record anytime and anywhere, and by tracking your health.

What if I don’t have an NHS login?
Don’t fret if you don’t have an NHS login, you’ll be prompted to create one via the NHS website. Then you can follow the log in and registration steps to access Patient’s Know Best.

Will Patient’s Know Best affect my care?
No, the system is designed to improve the care and experience you already receive from us. This way you’ll be more involved in decisions and get better explanations from us. 

Who can I contact for issues using Patient’s Know Best?
Please get in touch with your clinical team or GP for any issues around your health. For any issues with registering on the system, please refer to the Patient’s Know Best manual. And for issues concerning the platform, you can email elft.pkb@nhs.net. 

You can access the platform through the website my.patientsknowbest.com, or via the NHS app on my.patientsknowbest.com/?team=eastlondon-ft.