Healthcare security and privacy certification unveiled by (ISC)2

(ISC)2 has launched a new security certification for healthcare workers, declaring it the first foundational global standard of its kind.

The organisation, which claims to be the largest not-for-profit professional body for information security workers in the world, launched the HealthCare Information Security and Privacy Practitioner (HCISPP) accreditation to prove healthcare workers have the knowledge and expertise needed to deal with industry-specific security concerns.

Tim Wilson, an (ISC)2 volunteer and NHS IT director who helped develop HCISPP, told IT Pro: "There is a need for some sort of international certification. In the NHS, which is the third largest public sector organisation in the world, we deal with a huge amount of personal data and some of that information does go overseas, so we can get advice from experts working in other regions on treatments for cancer and that sort of thing.

"There is also something in the NHS called the IG toolkit that requires users to have a recognised security qualification. We feel this will help fill the gap because although there are certain qualifications out there, there isn't one aimed directly at health people."

Furthermore, Wilson said it could help in international recruitment efforts, as the certification is universal.

Additionally, the certification requires the professionals who undertake it to carry out continuous training in order to keep their certification. This, Wilson said, can also count towards workers' continuous professional development requirements for working within the NHS.

To attain the HCISPP, applicants must have a minimum of two years' experience in one knowledge area, such as security, compliance and privacy.

Further information on the certification, as well as the exam outline, can be found here.