Across the NHS, the cyber security skills gap continues to grow at the same time as organisations face increasing operational pressure, regulatory demands and evolving cyber threats.
At M8 Solutions, we believe strengthening NHS cyber resilience is not just about technology - it is about investing in people, developing operational experience and helping the next generation of cyber professionals thrive within healthcare environments.
That is exactly why we are proud to be working closely with Marc Rouse as part of our ongoing Cyber Security mentoring and development support through our Strategic Cyber Security Managed Service provided to East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST).
Through our work across NHS organisations, M8 Solutions supports cyber resilience programmes spanning Cyber Security leadership, incident response planning, Tabletop Exercises, cyber maturity assessments and strategic cyber transformation. Our mentoring approach reflects the same philosophy we bring to our customers, practical support, operational understanding and long-term partnership focused on strengthening resilience across people, process and technology.
After joining the NHS in 2024, Marc joined EEAST’s Cyber Security team in 2025, but his background already tells the story of somebody deeply committed to protecting people, solving problems and embracing technology-led change. Before moving into NHS Cyber Security, Marc spent over a decade within Norfolk Constabulary, working across Digital Investigations, safeguarding and cyber-related policing roles.
Marc built a strong career across online harm investigations, digital evidence, operational policing and communications, with a consistent focus on protecting vulnerable people and managing complex digital challenges. He also earned a Merit in his Master’s degree in Computer Science: Cybersecurity at Wrexham University between 2021 and 2024, with his dissertation graded and impressive “Outstanding”. He is now further developing his expertise through a Level 7 MSc Artificial Intelligence Data Specialist programme while also working towards CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) certification.
For us, Marc represents exactly the type of person the NHS needs more of.
Curious. Driven. Humble. Hard-working. Passionate about making a difference.
Over the past few months, our team at M8 Solutions has been working closely with Marc through Cyber Security mentoring, helping provide exposure to different NHS environments, technologies and operational challenges beyond his day-to-day role.
Marc joined our team onsite during a live Cyber Security Tabletop Exercise (TTX) with an acute NHS organisation, gaining exposure to executive-level incident management, operational decision-making under pressure and the realities of cyber resilience within frontline healthcare. This gave him the opportunity to experience first-hand how different parts of the NHS respond to major cyber incidents, how acute executive teams make critical decisions under pressure, and how Cyber Security strategy translates into real operational impact.
For somebody building a future in NHS Cyber Security, experiences like this are invaluable.
It is easy to teach technical knowledge. What is much harder to teach is confidence, communication, stakeholder management and understanding the reality of how NHS organisations operate under pressure. That only comes from experience - and we are passionate about helping people gain it.
Our Cyber Security specialist, Tom Duffell, has been working closely with Marc throughout this journey, providing mentoring, guidance and practical insight from years of hands-on Cyber Security delivery across the NHS.
At M8 Solutions we believe the strongest NHS partnerships are built through trust, collaboration and investing in people for the long term, because the future of Cyber Security in the NHS depends on developing the next generation of talent.
And we genuinely believe Marc is one to watch.
We are incredibly proud to support Marc on his journey and look forward to continuing to work together across future projects, mentoring opportunities and NHS Cyber Security initiatives.
Because the future resilience of the NHS will depend not only on technology, but on the people trusted to protect it.
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Frequently Asked Questions:
NHS Cyber Security mentoring helps develop operational cyber security knowledge, incident response understanding and real-world experience for cyber security professionals working within healthcare environments.
Cyber Security Tabletop Exercises help NHS organisations prepare for cyber incidents by improving communication, decision-making and operational resilience. | Check out our TTX blog HERE
Technical capability, communication, stakeholder management, operational understanding and incident response experience are all critical within NHS Cyber Security roles.