NHS Digital to Expand IT Security Service

Three brand new IT security services are expected to be gradually rolled out among NHS organisations.

Computer Weekly has reported that the services were developed by CareCert, the cyber security branch of NHS Digital. CareCert was launched in 2015.

The scheme aims to improve IT security resilience in social care and health through making resources, training and broadcasts available to healthcare providers.

CareCert Knowledge, an online learning portal, is among the services that will be offered. This particular service aims to train staff in the fundamentals of cyber security.

NHS Digital and Health Education England developed the portal’s content. It will also launch CareCert Assure to aid organisations in evaluating their IT security defence against standards set by the industry.

Andy Williams, chief executive of NHS Digital, spoke about the launch, saying:

“Good digital security is key to all roles in health and care, and we want to give NHS organisations the benefit of our expertise in this area so that we can promote best practice across the sector.

“We want to work with as many organisations as possible, and are seeking their feedback, so we can develop and test them according to organisations’ particular needs.”

NHS Digital is right to be concerned about IT security, especially in a sector such as health, where confidentiality of data is of extreme importance. Other sectors could also benefit from such vigilance, and that includes individual businesses within those sectors. They could start by making more cyber security jobs open to those who are trained to maintain safety and confidentiality of both systems and data.