We are excited to share key updates regarding the integration of Patients Know Best (PKB) with the NHS App’s Notifications & Messages (N&M) feature, designed to create a more seamless patient experience.

What is changing?

We are transitioning our NHS App notifications to the NHS App’s updated and improved workflow.

In January, PKB will trigger an NHS App message for activity in Events & Messages. Our existing native in-app notification will also change to the NHS App’s newer, improved method. This is for :

New documents
New Advanced Questionnaires
New messages from healthcare professionals

Screenshots of different types of messages in PKB accessed via the NHS App.

The new NHS App message means patients will receive a permanent, easily locatable message in their NHS App inbox with a link back to the corresponding activity in PKB. This ensures important information is not missed and provides consistency across other messages flowing into the patients’ NHS App.

The NHS App message and new in-app notification will work anywhere in England, not just in the 20 ICSs that have enabled PKB’s personal health record screens. This national infrastructure should increase engagement from patients outside of the ICS of PKB’s customers.

Screenshots of the new user journey from NHS App showcasing the integration with Patients Know Best, highlighting message notifications and document access.

Maximising engagement

All NHS organisations in England using PKB will get this improvement, unless they request otherwise. It extends the functionality, giving patients equitable access across regions, and does not require the region to enable the PKB / NHS App integration.

We will continue to use email/SMS as a fallback channel if the notification fails or if the patient does not read the message in the NHS App message within four hours. This follows other notification services in the NHS App, such as NHS Notify.

A single inbox experience in the NHS App

To further simplify navigation, the ‘Events & Messages’ jump-off point in the NHS App will move into the main NHS App Messages inbox. This fits PKB into other communications the patient gets in the NHS App. It adds PKB’s advanced messaging features into the NHS App Messages inbox, such as large attachments – pictures and videos – and multi-directional communication – between patient, clinical teams and family members.