Cyber incident response in social care
Also known as: Cyber incident response, Cyber attack response, Data breach response
Cyber incident response in social care is a care provider’s planned approach to detecting, containing, communicating about and recovering from a cyber attack or data breach — protecting people’s data and the continuity of their care.
Care providers hold sensitive personal and health data and rely increasingly on digital systems, which makes them a target for cyber attacks. A cyber incident response plan sets out what to do before, during and after an incident so that people’s data is protected, care can continue safely, and legal reporting duties are met without delay.
Prepare, respond, recover
An effective response has three phases. Preparation means identifying critical systems, keeping offline backups, defining roles and having a communication plan ready. During an incident the priority is to contain the damage, keep care running safely (including on paper if systems are down) and communicate with the right people. Recovery involves restoring systems, learning lessons and strengthening defences.
Communication and reporting duties
Clear communication is central to a good response. Providers should know in advance who to contact — staff, people who use the service and their families, commissioners, the ICO, and the National Cyber Security Centre or relevant reporting lines. A personal data breach that risks people’s rights and freedoms must be reported to the ICO within 72 hours, so having contacts and templates ready is essential.
- Contain the incident and protect critical data and systems.
- Maintain safe care using business-continuity arrangements (including paper fallback).
- Notify staff, people using the service, families and commissioners appropriately.
- Report a reportable personal data breach to the ICO within 72 hours.
- Review the incident and update the plan and defences afterwards.
Frequently asked questions
What is a cyber incident response plan?
It is a documented plan setting out how a care provider will detect, contain, communicate about and recover from a cyber attack or data breach, so that data is protected and care continues safely.
How quickly must a data breach be reported?
A personal data breach that poses a risk to people’s rights and freedoms must be reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) within 72 hours of becoming aware of it.
Related guides
Sources
- Digital Care Hub — cyber incident communication checklists
- National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC)
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