What's the difference between Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus?

Cyber Essentials is a verified self-assessment against five security controls. Cyber Essentials Plus tests the same controls with a hands-on technical audit by a licensed assessor. You must hold Cyber Essentials before doing Plus.

Do you do the work, or just assess us?

We do the work. Foresight runs the gap analysis, carries out hands-on remediation, prepares the evidence and liaises with the assessor, so you pass first time rather than paying to re-sit a failed audit.

How much does Cyber Essentials cost?

The IASME assessment fee is tiered by size from around £320 + VAT and includes £25,000 cyber liability insurance for eligible UK businesses. Cyber Essentials Plus is scoped to your estate, typically from around £1,380 + VAT.

Healthcare & AI

AI for hospices: where can hospices use AI safely?

AI can take real pressure off hard-pressed hospice teams — but clinical and patient data demand a careful, governance-first approach. Here’s where it helps, and where it shouldn’t go.

AI adoption for hospices Call 0161 738 1399

Why Foresight

Chairs the GM Hospice IT & IG Forum
Microsoft CSP & Copilot specialists
Greater Manchester, since 2006
Honest advice — not licence-selling

Quick answer

Hospices can use AI to take pressure off non-clinical teams — fundraising bid writing, HR policy queries and finance reporting — while keeping clinical and patient data firmly out of scope pending information-governance review. Because Copilot surfaces whatever a user can already access, hospices should tidy permissions and put a short AI usage policy in place first. The best first step is mapping where AI genuinely helps, then rolling it out with IG built in.

Where AI helps

Practical uses in a hospice

Area	Where AI fits
Fundraising	Bid and grant writing — Copilot or a drafting agent
HR	Repetitive policy queries — an FAQ agent
Finance	Reporting and analysis — Excel Copilot
Clinical notes	Out of scope — pending information-governance review

Doing it safely

Information governance first

Hospices hold some of the most sensitive data there is. Because Copilot surfaces anything a user can already access, over-shared files are a real risk — and clinical notes should stay out of scope until IG signs them off. We tidy permissions, apply a clear AI usage policy and complete any DPIA, aligned with the new AI-in-scope Cyber Essentials rules. As chair of the GM Hospice IT & IG Forum, we understand hospice governance from the inside — it’s all part of AI adoption for hospices.

Free downloads

Start today with our templates

The same free, ready-to-use templates we use in our audits:

“Day in the Life” AI template

Find exactly where AI will save your team time.

Download →

AI Usage Policy template

A short, practical AI policy to keep your data safe.

Download →

FAQs

Common questions

Can hospices use AI safely?

Yes — for fundraising, HR and finance work, with governance done first. Clinical and patient data stays out of scope pending an information-governance review.

Where does AI help a hospice most?

Typically fundraising bid writing, HR policy queries and finance reporting — the time-consuming, non-clinical work.

What about patient and clinical data?

It’s kept firmly out of scope until information governance signs it off. We draw clear lines around the data AI must never touch.

Do we need an AI policy and DPIA?

Yes — a clear AI acceptable-use policy and, where personal data is involved, a DPIA. We help you put both in place.

Who can help our hospice adopt AI?

We can — we chair the GM Hospice IT & IG Forum and understand hospice governance. See AI adoption for hospices, or book a readiness audit.

Give your hospice team time back — safely

Start with a fixed-fee AI Readiness Audit, with information governance built in from day one.

AI adoption for hospices Call 0161 738 1399