Setting up NHS Login

We have a page in our patient manual which describes how you create an NHS Login to access Patients Know Best. The NHS have also made a video to explain the steps you should take to create an NHS Login:

 

I don’t have photo ID

NHS Login will allow you to prove who you are without sending photo ID if your GP is in England. 

You can tell your GP surgery that you want to register for their online services. They will ask you to fill in a form and give you the following three registration details:


  • A Linkage Key (could be called Passphrase)

  • An ODS Code (could be called Organisation Code or Practice ID)

  • Your Account ID


Screenshot 2025-01-19 at 15.42.38.png 

You can use these three registration details to prove who you are with NHS Login instead of using photo ID.


Please note: You can use the 3 registration details from your GP surgery’s online services only once to set up an NHS login. Once you have used them once, you cannot use them again on a different NHS login using a different email address.


Link to NHS Login support page

I didn’t get an email with a security code

If you did not receive the confirmation email NHS Login sent you, check your spam or junk folders. Also, make sure that you entered your email address correctly.


Make sure emails get to your inbox by adding the email address [email protected] to your contact list or 'Safe Senders' list.


There is already an NHS Login account linked to my email

If you try to create an NHS Login account and see a message saying it already exists, it usually means one of two things:


There’s already an account with the email address you entered.
This can happen if the email address you’re using has been registered before. It’s common for a shared email address (e.g. one used by a partner or child) to already be linked to another account.


There’s already an account linked to your NHS number, but it’s using a different email address.
This can happen if you’ve registered before for NHS Login but with a different email address.


What you can do

Try signing in using the email address linked to the account. If you’ve forgotten the password, use the “Forgot Password” option to reset it.


If you’re unsure which email was used, check all your email accounts (including spam or junk folders) for a message from [email protected]. This will help you find the right email address.

 

If you still can't access your NHS Login account, contact NHS Login support for help