NHSE to monitor ‘cyber vulnerabilities’ in NHS suppliers

As reported in HSJ, NHS England is investing £4.3 million in a contract to review cyber security risks for critical NHS suppliers.

The contract spans up to four years and seeks a “supply chain specialist” to enhance cyber risk visibility, assurance, and resilience across the NHS supply chain.  This specialist will also assist in developing a “national supplier management platform” to track cyber security risks. The initiative comes in response to the increasing cyber threat posed by vulnerabilities in suppliers’ systems.

By mapping critical and common suppliers, the NHS aims to manage systemic and aggregate cyber risks more effectively.

The work is part of NHSE’s cyber improvement program, which aligns with supply chain management efforts.

Despite previous concerns about budget cuts, the program’s annual budget is shown as £200 million, with delivery targeted by 2025.’