You can now securely access your outpatient letters and hospital appointments electronically via the NHS App.

The NHS App already allows you to see your vaccinations status, order repeat prescriptions, book and manage GP appointments, get health information and advice, view your NHS Number and view your GP health record securely.

The new service, which is completely free, will link your hospital information in the App, allowing you to view your hospital outpatient appointment letters and appointment details and add information to your record, such as measurements, data from devices such as fitness watches and symptoms.

In the future it will also give you secure online access to hospital scans and test results and it’s all thanks to some extra technology that we have added to the app for our patients.

How to register

1. Download the NHS App

First you need to register for the national NHS App, which you can do by searching for ‘NHS App’ in the App Store or Google Play and following the instructions. If you don’t have a smart device you can also sign up and access the service via a web browser.

You will be asked to follow a number of steps to verify your identity so that you can securely log in and access all of the services in the national NHS App.

2. Sign up to our additional service in the NHS App, run by Patients Know Best (PKB)

To get access to your hospital appointment letters, you need to follow a few further steps:

• Open ‘messages’ in the NHS App and select ‘consultations, events and messages’
• A message will open asking if you agree to share your NHS login information with Patients Know Best. Click ‘I agree’
• Register with your email address, a strong password and a security question
• Accept the privacy agreement and click the ‘register’ button
• You’re all set! Next time you log into the app you will be able to see both your GP and hospital appointment information.

Please be reassured that whilst PKB is our partner in providing this service, they do not have any access to your health information, which remains secure. Your information doesn’t move from the NHS and you will be the only person who can view the information available through the App.