NHS App
Take control of your healthcare with the NHS App Sherwood Forest Hospitals 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 is offered using an NHS accredited system called Patients Know Best (PKB). |
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It is 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.
Bringing benefits to our patients and the Trust
The introduction of digital letters enables quicker communications between our clinical teams and patients like yourself, giving you greater peace of mind.
The Trust has saved over £96,000 since the introduction of digital letters in November 2020. These cost savings have been spent on other vital services for patients within our hospitals and across the community.
Please note, this system is not to be used in an emergency. For more information on what to do if you require urgent treatment, please visit our Urgent and Emergency Care page.
Currently, all patients can view:
- Outpatient Appointments
- Letters for Outpatient and Radiology appointments
- Clinical Letters
As the system is developed, patients will be able to use their NHS App to:
- See their medical and discharge letters,
- View hospital test results, access care plans, allergies and record their medications
- Request to cancel and rebook 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 on the NHS.uk website (opens in new window) and create an NHS login. Watch this YouTube video (opens in new window) if you need guidance on how to do this.
Step 2: Register for Patients Know Best via the NHS App. View their step-by-step guide (opens in new window) on how to do this.
Logging into the portal
Using the NHS App:
Once registered, you will be taken to the area of PKB you selected to go to from the NHS App. (For example to view a hospital letter)
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.
Using a Web browser:
You can also log in directly on the Patients Know Best website (opens in new window) using your NHS log in, or the email address and the password you just created.
How to see your hospital referrals and appointments on the NHS App
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How Switching to Digital Letters Can Save Millions for Our NHS
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You can register for the portal now and will start to see your information into the portal.
No, this will not affect the care you already receive from Sherwood Forest Hospitals.
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.
Register for the NHS app on the NHS.uk website (opens in new window).
You can also check our step by step guide on how to register.
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 YouTube video (opens in new window) 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.
Some 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.
Below is an example of what you’ll see within the NHS App after you’ve registered:
Here is an example of what the Patients Know Best web portal looks like.
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 Sherwood Forest Hospitals.
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 are unable to attend your appointment, please let us know as soon as possible so we can make alternative arrangements for you and offer your original appointment to another patient.
To cancel or change your appointment call 01623 672383
Opening hours are Monday to Friday from 8am to 8pm and Saturdays from 8am to 1pm.
If you are unable to attend your appointment and do not let us know, unfortunately we will need to discharge you from our care. This means that you will need to go back to your GP if you require another appointment.
Read more information on King's Mill Hospital outpatients appointments.
Read more information on Newark Hospital outpatients appointments.
If you need any additional help or advice please contact our Patient Experience Team.
For any questions about registering for the NHS App, resetting a password, or the additional services, please email sfh-tr.nottsnhsapp@nhs.net or visit the Digital Notts NHS website (opens in new window).
To find out more about this service or to understand how your data is protected, visit the Patient Knows Best website (opens in new window).