Managing and sharing information effectively and safely in social care

There are some rules you must follow when you handle personal data. These are set out by GDPR and the National Data Guardian’s 10 data security standards. There’s a free toolkit you can use to help you meet them.

The Digital Care Hub has launched its first-ever Cyber Game—an interactive and engaging way for care managers and care workers to learn about cyber security and data protection.

Through real-world scenarios, players test their knowledge, make decisions, and receive scores based on security, time, and cost. This gamified approach helps improve retention and provides real-time feedback on identifying and responding to cyber risks.

The three videos for frontline staff have been developed to be used in team meetings or group learning sessions with a facilitator, e.g. registered manager or inhouse trainer, to encourage discussion and commitment to team and individual actions.

A catalogue of cyber security related advice and guidance provided by the National Cyber Security Centre.

This guidance will help small and medium-sized adult social care providers to reduce the risk and impact of a cyber incident, respond if one is taking place, and recover effectively after an incident.  

In today’s digital age, healthcare organisations face increasing cybersecurity risks. This course equips you with the essential knowledge and skills to protect sensitive patient data and prevent cyber attacks.

From resident records to staff details and financial information, care homes handle a huge amount of sensitive data—so it’s important to keep it secure.
 
In this edition, we’ll sharing practical resources, webinars, and training to help you and your team stay cyber-savvy. Whether it’s spotting a phishing email, securing your systems, or understanding data protection, these tools will help you build confidence and keep everything running smoothly.

This page, aimed at providers in Sussex, covers key information on cyber security in health and social care settings.

The Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 introduces important updates to the UK’s data protection and privacy laws. The aim of the changes is to make rules simpler for organisations, encourage innovation, help law enforcement agencies to tackle crime and allow responsible data-sharing while maintaining high data protection standards.

This online learning module will summarise the importance of keeping personal data secure, as well as the data protection requirements under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA).

This newsletter focuses on strengthening your approach to information governance. It brings together key resources to help you meet your legal obligations, improve digital resilience, and protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the data you handle every day.

This free elearning course is for those with responsibility for data security and protection in small to medium sized care and support organisations in England. We have used the term data security and protection lead to describe this role.

You can use this course to improve your knowledge of data protection and cyber security and to support your continuing professional development (CPD). The course meets the training requirements within the Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT) and builds on the existing Data security and protection elearning for social care staff.

This free elearning course is for all staff working in adult social care services in England. Care providers can use this course to improve and assess their staff’s knowledge of data protection and cyber security – including their individual responsibility to keep information safe. The course meets the training requirements within the Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT).

This is the only free elearning resource on this topic specifically designed for social care staff. The scenarios reflect situations that staff face within adult social care settings – including care homes, supported living, home care and community services. It covers all client groups, and all staff with access to personal data. It supports staff’s continuing professional development (CPD).

This Data Security Awareness Level 1 session meets the statutory and mandatory training requirements and learning outcomes for Information Governance in the UK Core Skills Training Framework (UK CSTF) as updated in May 2018 to include General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).

This session is also aligned to the new data security standards that came out of the National Data Guardian’s 2016 review. It therefore meets the requirement for Level 1 staff training in data security.

Explore the Adult Social Care (ASC) Terminology Data Catalogue and find out more about the Minimum Operational Data Standard (MODS) and Reporting Minimum Data Specification (RMDS).

This guidance is for care providers and outlines key information on digital record systems. It reflects developing best practice, particularly where digital systems help improve the quality and safety of care.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) offers a free Early Warning tool designed to help organisations, including adult social care providers, detect potential cyber threats promptly. By monitoring your organisation’s IP addresses and domain names, the system alerts you to suspicious activities such as malware infections, network abuse, or exploitable vulnerabilities.

These timely notifications enable you to address issues swiftly, safeguarding sensitive data and ensuring uninterrupted care services. Registration is straightforward, simply provide your organisation’s IP addresses and domain names to start receiving alerts. 

This guidance is about the appointment of Caldicott Guardians, their role, responsibilities, competencies, knowledge, training, and continuous professional development.

This workbook provides the steps required to create an Information Asset Register (IAR) & a Record of Processing Activities (ROPA) for evidence item 1.1.2 in the DSPT.

This course will equip you with the knowledge and skills to safeguard patient data and comply with regulatory requirements, including GDPR and the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

This programme includes 4 information governance sessions. You can access the sessions free of charge even if you do not work for an NHS organisation and / or do not have an NHS email address.

This module covers the basics of protecting data in the health and adult social care sector and good information governance management including how to avoid breaches, good practice when handling personal / sensitive data and the role of the Information Commissioner’s Office. 

Using electronic records to capture assessments, diagnostics, care plans and interactions with a person and their family are now commonplace within health and social care services

Gain essential cyber security knowledge and skills, to help protect your digital life. You will learn how to recognise the threats that could harm you online and the steps you can take to reduce the risks.

This learning resource supports adult social care employers meet the Data Security Protection Toolkit basic awareness needs for the frontline workforce.

In an increasingly digital world, cyber security is fast becoming a main concern for many organisations. With complex online scams and cyber crime, it’s essential that organisations have an understanding of preventative measures to maintain cyber security, including techniques and security checks needed to store data securely. 

Data protection compliance is an essential legal requirement for all organisations. Since the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force in May 2018, it is more vital than ever that everyone who works with personal data understands the laws and acts in compliance, as the penalties can be severe.

This free UK government toolkit provides up-to-date cybersecurity advice to help small businesses guard against cybercrime. After answering a few simple questions, you’ll receive a tailored action plan with step-by-step guidance to tackle common threats like email hacking, data breaches, and ransomware.

This recorded webinar supports care providers with implementing and maintaining their Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT) policies. It offers practical guidance on creating a compliant Record of Processing Activities (ROPA) and building and maintaining an effective Information Asset Register (IAR).

The Records Management Code of Practice for Health and Social Care (from this point onwards referred to as the Code) is a guide for you to use in relation to the practice of managing records. It is relevant to organisations working within, or under contract to, the NHS in England. The Code also applies to adult social care and public health functions commissioned or delivered by local authorities.

How to identify and protect against the risks associated with sensitive personal information in your data holdings.

Sussex Digital In Reach Team provides a free platform on which Care Providers across Sussex can access free advice and support on technology, digitalisation and data protection. We are run by the care providers for the care providers.

These principles apply to the use of confidential information within health and social care organisations and when such information is shared with other organisations and between individuals, both for individual care and for other purposes.

This guide aims to help social care employers understand their requirements under the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) regarding data protection roles.

This report, published in March 2025, presents the findings of a project aiming to develop an accurate understanding of the state of cyber security risks in the adult social care sector. It was commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS Transformation Directorate.

This webinar recording, shared in July 2024, covers some essential cyber security advice for social care providers in Sussex. The video covers key information on the risks of cyber crime with risks to keep your care service safe.