NHS Data Security Guide

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NHS Data Security Guide

Meet DSPT requirements, secure patient data, and pass CQC inspections

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Healthcare providers face some of the strictest data protection requirements in any sector. Patient confidentiality is paramount, regulators are vigilant, and the consequences of a breach are severe. This guide covers the IT controls needed to protect patient data and meet regulatory requirements.

14 min

Read Time

Checklist Items

Dec 2025

Last Updated

What's In This Guide

1. Data Security & Protection Toolkit

2. Clinical System Security

3. Network Segmentation & Guest WiFi

4. CQC Inspection Preparation

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Data Security & Protection Toolkit

The DSPT is an annual self-assessment that all organisations handling NHS patient data must complete. It covers 10 National Data Guardian standards.

Key Requirements:

•Personal Confidential Data: Identify what you hold and where

•Staff Responsibilities: Training and awareness

•Training: Annual cyber security training for all staff

•Managing Access: Principle of least privilege

•Process Reviews: Regular review of who has access to what

•Responding to Incidents: Documented procedures

•Continuity Planning: Backup and disaster recovery

•Unsupported Systems: No Windows 7/XP without risk mitigation

•IT Protection: Antivirus, patching, firewalls

•Accountable Suppliers: Due diligence on third parties

Submission Deadline:

30th June annually. Status affects ability to access NHS systems.

Common Fail Points:

•Staff training not completed (or not documented)

•Outdated systems still in use

•No documented incident response procedure

•Backup testing not evidenced

Action Checklist

Identify all personal confidential data assets

Critical

Complete staff cyber security training

Critical

Document incident response procedure

High Priority

Test backup restore procedure and document results

High Priority

Review user access permissions quarterly

Recommended

Clinical System Security

Clinical systems (EMIS, SystmOne, Vision, Dentally, etc.) contain highly sensitive patient data. Their security is paramount.

Access Control:

•Individual logins for every user (no shared accounts)

•Role-based permissions (reception can't access clinical notes)

•Automatic session timeout after inactivity

•Audit trail of who accessed which records

Integration Security:

•Secure connections to NHS Spine

•NHSmail for clinical correspondence

•Encrypted connections for remote access

•No patient data on personal email accounts

Workstation Security:

•Screen positioned away from patient view

•Automatic screen lock after 5 minutes

•Privacy screens on reception PCs

•Smartcard required for NHS Spine access

Action Checklist

Eliminate shared login accounts

Critical

Configure automatic session timeout

High Priority

Install privacy screens on reception PCs

Recommended

Review clinical system audit logs monthly

High Priority

Ensure all clinical staff have NHSmail accounts

High Priority

Network Segmentation & Guest WiFi

Patients expect WiFi. But letting them on your clinical network is a serious security risk.

The Three-Network Model:

1.Clinical Network: Staff PCs, clinical systems, NHS Spine

2.Corporate Network: Admin PCs, email, non-clinical applications

3.Guest Network: Patient WiFi, isolated from everything else

Guest WiFi Best Practices:

•Completely separate VLAN (can't see clinical network)

•Bandwidth throttling (patients don't slow down clinical work)

•Content filtering (block inappropriate sites)

•Terms of use acceptance (liability protection)

•No password, or simple daily-changing password

Implementation:

Modern access points (like Ubiquiti UniFi) make this straightforward. A single device can broadcast multiple network names (SSIDs), each on a separate VLAN.

Action Checklist

Implement VLAN segmentation

Critical

Create isolated guest WiFi network

High Priority

Configure bandwidth limits for guest network

Recommended

Add terms of use splash page

Recommended

Test that guest devices cannot access clinical systems

Critical

CQC Inspection Preparation

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NHS Data Security Guide

What's In This Guide

Contents

Data Security & Protection Toolkit

Key Requirements:

Submission Deadline:

Common Fail Points:

Action Checklist

Clinical System Security

Access Control:

Integration Security:

Workstation Security:

Action Checklist

Network Segmentation & Guest WiFi

The Three-Network Model:

Guest WiFi Best Practices:

Implementation:

Action Checklist

CQC Inspection Preparation

Premium Content

Ready to Implement?

Related Resources

Signal for Help

Send a Signal