Business Continuity Planning

Technology has changed the way we work together. Sharing data digitally and communicating with others remotely are just a couple of examples of how we use technology in social care. As we continue to use technology in this way, we must do it safely and put steps in place to reduce the risk and impact of a data breach or cyber attack.

Business Continuity Plan Template

A business continuity plan details what you would do if your services were disrupted by something out of your control. Ideally these situations would never happen, but a good plan would cover what you would do in the event of an incident so that you could continue to operate your business.

From floods to fires, power outages to cyber attacks, and everything in between – it’s about preparing your business for all eventualities.

This template has been created to cover data and cyber security issues for your organisation and it makes suggestions as to how you can test your plan to ensure it works in practice. You also need a business continuity plan in place if you are using the Data Security & Protection Toolkit (DSPT) to check your policies, processes and procedures.

Business Continuity Plan Audit Tool

Buckinghamshire Council developed a business continuity plan audit tool to help you understand how thoroughly data and cyber security are addressed within your continuity plan. This tool can also be used by local authorities to help them understand how assured they should feel about the level of planning in place to minimise the impact of a data breach or cyber attack.

Digital Care Hub’s top tips for implementing a good plan

• Don’t assume you will be back to normal in a few days – plan for longer periods of time. Some cyber attacks are known to have caused outages for months, so you should ensure that your plan covers longer periods of time and that you have systems in place to support that.
• Test your plan. This is crucial, as there is no real way of knowing your plan works if you don’t test it.
• After testing your plan, sign and date it so that future staff members can refer back to it and make any necessary changes.
• Consider vulnerabilities specific to your business type and structure. Make sure these are included in your plan.

Webinar: Implementing a robust Business Continuity Plan

In partnership with the National Cyber Resilience Centre and Institute of Public Care, Digital Care Hub ran a webinar covering the current context of cyber attacks and how to protect your care service. It focussed on business continuity plans in details and what free support and resources are available to strengthen your care service’s resilience to a cyber attack.