How can we ensure the safety of our patients if our healthcare systems are vulnerable to relentless cyber attacks? 

The digital health landscape is under unprecedented strain. In 2025, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) dealt with 204 “nationally significant” cyber-attacks, an average of four major incidents every week. The UK government has responded by proposing strengthened laws to improve cyber-defences for essential services, including healthcare. At the same time, recent news reports confirm actual data breaches affecting NHS organisations, underlining the reality behind the stats and reinforcing the urgency for action. 

Many NHS trusts and care providers continue to rely on legacy infrastructure and systems that are increasingly vulnerable in today’s threat environment. The rapid adoption of connected medical devices and cloud-based systems expands the attack surface, while evolving supply-chain and third-party risks raise exposure from external providers. Furthermore, uneven cyber maturity across organisations and gaps in incident preparedness leave health services vulnerable to disruption and data loss. 

The Institute of Government & Public Policy's Annual Cyber Health Show 2026 has been designed around the current cybersecurity challenges in the NHS, strategies for resilience, cultural transformation, innovations in cybersecurity, the importance of collaboration and learning, and the outlook on emerging trends and potential threats in healthcare cybersecurity.  

Join the Institute of Government & Public Policy for the Annual Cyber Health Conference and Exhibition 2026, which will explore strategies for minimising cybersecurity risks for health and social care organisations, safeguarding patient, service user, and staff data, and implementing measures to ensure rapid recovery from cyber attacks.