Next generation Wi-Fi and Cybersecurity considerations

The future of Wi-Fi and associated performance metrics will play an increasingly critical role in shaping efficient and patient-centred services. Advanced Wi-Fi capabilities will not only need to handle new connected devices and medical applications but also be agile enough to adapt to emerging wireless technologies and healthcare innovations.

Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 brings opportunities for the NHS to incorporate significantly faster speeds, greater capacity, and improved performance in dense environments. The incorporation of new technologies within these new Wi-Fi standards will allow for more efficient spectrum use, lower latencies, and enhanced throughput, which is essential for applications such as real-time remote monitoring and telemedicine.

The NHS will need to establish updated benchmarks and parameters for next-generation Wi-Fi standards. Specific attention must be given to ensuring that infrastructure upgrades align with established metrics for signal strength, interference management, and quality of service.

Given the sensitivity of healthcare data and the increasing number of cyber threats, cybersecurity remains a key concern in the management of Wi-Fi networks. Metrics related to security, such as incident detection times, response effectiveness, and system resilience are standard parameters in evaluating Wi-Fi performance.

Security and governance legislation, regulation and policies

NHS organisations should have a robust local security policy in place for all communications, networking, and IT equipment that adheres to relevant NHS and government national policies and guidelines. Relevant information is below.

NHS England:

• Data Security and Protection Toolkit

Government:

• Secure by design - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
• Data protection: The Data Protection Act - GOV.UK

National Cyber Security Centre

• Secure design principles - NCSC.GOV.UK
• Cyber Assessment Framework - NCSC.GOV.UK