HCRG Care Group once again praised for high standards of data protection and security

by Communications Team on 1st August 2023

HCRG Care Group has been awarded ‘Substantial Assurance’ – the highest award for handling information and data security against the Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT).

DSPT is a tool which allows organisations to measure their compliance against the National Data Guardian’s ten data security standards, and helps identify areas of full, partial or non-compliance.

HCRG Care Group has received this status for the third year running and has successfully met the 95% Data Security training compliance target.

In 2018 the Information Governance toolkit (IGT) was withdrawn and replaced with the new DSPT. It was developed by NHS Digital in response to The National Data Guardian’s Review of Data Security, Consent and Opt-Outs published in July 2016 and the subsequent Government response, Your Data: Better Security, Better Choice, Better Care, published in July 2017.

The DSPT requires organisations to be assessed against the following ten standards:

  • Personal Confidential Data
  • Staff Responsibilities
  • Training
  • Managing Data Access
  • Process Reviews
  • Responding to Incidents
  • Continuity Planning
  • Unsupported Systems
  • IT Protection
  • Accountable Suppliers

Deborah Tonkin, Head of Information Governance and Data Protection Officer at HCRG Care Group, said, “Information Governance and data security is everyone’s responsibility and I’m extremely proud of colleagues for their continued support, adapting to new processes and completing their Data Security training.

“This is a great result and shows that as an organisation, we treat the information we hold on patients, service users and colleagues seriously.”