Patients Know Best (PKB)
Coming early Spring 2026
In early 2026, Bolton NHS Foundation Trust is planning to start providing patients with access to some of their secondary care health information by implementing the Patients Know Best (PKB) patient portal.
Patients Know Best is BFT’s free online patient portal which provides you with access to your personal health information and designed to improve your patient experience. PKB will enable you to access NHS services and information via a website you can access from any device, and the NHS App using your NHS login and give you more choice and control over your care.
All your information is securely stored in one place with instant notifications when new information is made available.
FAQ's
Click here for other ways to register (e.g letter invite, SMS or email)
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. 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, the PKB software meets NHS requirements for health record systems and is fully compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Only the minimum level of data necessary to verify you has been uploaded. All personal and health information stored is encrypted.
If you want the family member or carer to have access to your portal record they can be added in the ‘Sharing’ section. This will allow them to set up their own account and allow you to control the level of access they have to your record.
For more information click here.
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.
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.
This is your choice if you want to interact with the hospital in a digital way and requires you to ‘opt in’. Ignore the emails inviting you to register if you choose not to use this method.
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