From Cyber Security Awareness to Assurance: Strengthening Cyber Resilience in the NHS for 2026

Cyber Security Awareness Month in October helped to build tremendous global awareness. But NHS organisations now need to progress from Cyber Security awareness to Cyber Security assurance.

With rising threats and evolving NHS England Cyber Security requirements, simply recognising that risks exist is no longer enough. NHS organisations must move beyond awareness to actively mitigating cyber risks and assuring stakeholders that the organisation is cyber ready 

Awareness is the Start - Assurance is the Goal

During the global Cyber Security Awareness Month initiative, organisations focussed on phishing, passwords, and insider threats. Whilst these are important, they only represent a small part of the wider picture. True cyber assurance comes from being able to evidence that your organisation is prepared for all potential vulnerabilities and threats.

That means answering key questions:

• Are we aligned with DSPT, CAF, and NIS2 requirements?
• Is our cyber governance clear and have individuals been made accountable?
• Do we have visibility of assets, identities, systems and data flows?
• Are appropriate incident response mechanisms in place?

If any answer is unclear, it’s time to start thinking about strengthening your organisation’s cyber assurance.

Aligning Governance with Frameworks
NHS organisations can measure their level of assurance through compliance with the CAF-aligned DSPT.

Best practices for achieving strong DSPT compliance includes:

• Conducting an early DSPT gap analysis
• Scoping essential systems and data flows
• Assigning clear outcome ownership across Cyber Security, Digital and IG teams
• Providing accurate, clear, evidence-based statements for each DSPT requirement

When completed accurately, completion of the DSPT becomes part of your year-round cyber governance framework, not just an annual submission.

Strengthening Technical and Policy Controls 

Building cyber assurance also requires reinforcing both technical and procedural measures such as:

• Modernising legacy systems
• Implementing network segmentation and Zero Trust architecture
• Continuous vulnerability assessment and CREST-accredited Penetration Testing
• Strengthen supply chain security
• Comprehensive staff training and awareness

These steps support DSPT compliance while also improving long-term cyber resilience and maintaining patient trust.

Preparing for 2026

With new legislation emerging – including the UK Cyber Security and Resilience Bill – and rising expectations across NHS organisations, 2026 will require stronger, more demonstrable Cyber Security maturity.

Now is the ideal time to review:

• Your alignment with the DSPT, CAF and NIS2
• Your organisation’s ability to evidence assurance
• Governance maturity and overall cyber readiness

Acting early reduces risk and builds sustainable confidence.

How M8 Solutions Facilitates 

M8 Solutions supports NHS organisations in moving confidently from cyber awareness to cyber assurance through services designed to strengthen every layer of Cyber Security maturity, including:

• CISO-as-a-Service
• Cyber Security gap analysis
• CAF/DSPT audits & evidence support and preparation
• CREST-aligned Penetration Testing
• Incident response planning
• Cyber Security awareness training

We help NHS teams build sustainable, measurable cyber assurance - ready for 2026 and beyond.

Ready to strengthen your cyber resilience?

Book a call with M8 Solutions and start your journey from Cyber Awareness to Cyber Assurance.

Contact us here