Publish date: 17 November 2025
On Friday 7 November 2025, Phil Huggins, Director for Cyber Policy and National Chief Information Security Officer for Health and Care, visited NHS Informatics Merseyside (IM) to meet with the organisation’s Cyber and IT Security Team – recently named Cyber Team of the Year at the 2025 National Cyber Associates Network (CAN) Awards.
The prestigious national award recognises teams that have demonstrated exceptional contribution to the NHS cyber community, delivered measurable organisational impact, and embedded key values of collaboration and innovation within their work.
In addition to winning the top team award, IM’s Cyber and IT Security Team was also highly commended in the Pete Rose Outstanding Achievement Award category - a testament to their unwavering dedication and significant contributions to improving cyber resilience across the NHS.
During his visit, Phil Huggins met with members of the Cyber and IT Security Team to learn more about their achievement and innovative approach to protecting NHS systems and data. He said:
“It was a pleasure to meet the Cyber and IT Security Team at IM and learn more about their work.
“Their proactive approach combines strong technical skills with effective collaboration, playing an important role in safeguarding patient data and supporting digital health systems.”
Over the past year, the team has:
• Provided critical support during cyber incidents to ensure continuity of essential NHS services.
• Rapidly deployed advanced threat protection solutions to strengthen cyber defences across the region.
• Developed an innovative Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF)-based Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT) repository, streamlining compliance and governance processes.
• Introduced monthly assurance dashboards, offering greater transparency and insight into cyber security performance.
• Played a key role in a major incident response, working in close collaboration with national cyber security teams and stakeholders.
• Fostered a culture of learning and professional development, creating opportunities for job shadowing and career progression within the team.
Reflecting on the team’s achievements, Phil Huggins added:
“Winning the Cyber Team of the Year award highlights their dedication to supporting NHS colleagues and strengthening system resilience through ongoing improvement.”
Stephen Appleton, Chief Digital Information Officer (CDIO) at Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust said:
“Cyber security is one of the most significant threats facing the healthcare system, making it a critical area of focus within our digital work.
“At Mersey Care, we are extremely proud to have a dedicated, skilled, and knowledgeable cyber security team working with us through IM - a team renowned for their willingness to go the extra mile and for their strong connections both locally and nationally within the cyber security community.
“Receiving national recognition for their work represents a major achievement and is testament to their expertise, commitment, and innovation in delivering secure, reliable, and resilient digital services that are vital to our ongoing transformation and efficiency goals.”
Andy Green, Head of Cyber and IT Security, at IM, added:
“We are honoured to have been recognised nationally for our work and to welcome Phil Huggins to meet the team. This recognition reflects the hard work, skill and passion of every team member who goes above and beyond to keep NHS systems secure. We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved together and grateful for the support of colleagues within IM and those we support.”
