Data Protection Advice

Your organisation will have it's own Information Governance best practice principles which you should be following and you will undertake your own training periodically, but here are a few pieces of "housekeeping" and things to note about PKB.

Using your home post code

When anyone registers on PKB they are asked to provide their address including post code. The post code is particularly important as this is used should you forget your password and want to reset it yourself- you are asked for your post code, date of birth and answer to your secret questions before you are able to choose a new password. For professionals it is important to register on PKB using you home post code.

This is so that you and your colleagues are not listed under the same work post code and so, should someone try to get into your account without your knowledge, they will find it more difficult to guess your post code. The post codes are not displayed to anyone else on PKB and you can review your details at any time through the My Account section at the top right of any page once logged in.

Choosing a good password

It is vital that the password you choose is a good one, because your password is what prevents other people from accessing your medical records. The password must be hard for other to guess, but easy for you to remember.

A good technique is to use the first letters of a phrase. However, do not pick a well known phrase like “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” (Aaadktda). Instead, pick something like “My dog’s first name: Rex” (Md1stn:R) or “My sister, Peg, is 24 years old” (Ms,P,i24yo).

You can only use a password with the rules listed below. These are to ensure you use a strong and secure password.

  • The password's length must be eight or more characters.

  • Your password needs at least one capital letter, one lower case letter, one number, and one punctuation mark.

Timeout and logging out

Your account will automatically log you out after 30 minutes of inactivity, and it is important not to leave your account logged in and unattended, especially if you are using a shared computer. Each member of your team should have their own PKB account and only one session of PKB can be logged in at any one time so it is crucial that you remember to log out once you are done.

Autosaving of discussions and care plans

Whilst you are editing or composing discussion message or care plans the system will autosave what you have written every 1 minute so that if you get called away to do something else your work will not get lost. When you return the message or section of the care plan will be visible only to you in a draft state ready for you to continue editing and eventually save or send.