NHS England to deliver cyber resilience webinars for optometrists

NHS England will deliver two cyber resilience webinars, aimed at primary care professionals including optometrists, on 19 March and 14 April respectively.

The webinars will cover introductory cyber security issues, including sharing real-world intelligence on current cyber threats.

Simple steps to help protect organisations and information on how to help colleagues spot and respond to suspicious activity before a breach occurs will be shared during the sessions.

Information on the Data Security and Protection Toolkit, the online self-assessment tool that allows healthcare organisations to measure their performance against 10 data security standards, will also be discussed.

Primary care professionals, including optometrists, pharmacists, dentists and GPs, are being encouraged to attend the sessions.

The webinars will be held in conjunction with the City of London Police’s Cyber Griffin team, which helps businesses and individuals to protect themselves from cybercrime.

They will be repeats of previous Baseline webinars, which took place in 2025.

Cyber Baseline Part A will take place on 19 March from 2pm–3.30pm, and can be registered for online.

Cyber Baseline Part B will take place on 14 April from 2pm–3.30pm. Participants can register for the webinar here.

Chandni Maher, head of cyber security for primary care in the Department of Health and Social Care's Joint Cyber Unit, told OT: “These webinars are designed for colleagues who want to build confidence and deepen their understanding of cybersecurity in a primary care setting, aiming to help practices and sites spot vulnerabilities, strengthen operational resilience, and get ready for assurance activities such as the Data Security and Protection Toolkit.

“By improving everyday cyber hygiene and reducing the risk of system downtime, primary care organisations can deliver safer, more consistent care for patients while protecting the smooth running of their practices.”

NHS England noted that whilst the webinars are mainly aimed at colleagues working in NHS primary care, many of the topics covered are relevant across the health and care sector, so wider NHS colleagues are also welcome to attend.

For further information, please contact Chandni Maher via email.