Crisis Communication & Press Templates

Version: 1.0 (Approved Jan 2026) Approval Authority: SIRO & CTO

1. Procedure for New Statements

If a scenario arises that is not covered by these templates:

1. Drafting: SIRO drafts the statement based on the CTO's technical brief.
2. Review: Legal counsel/DPO reviews for GDPR compliance.
3. Sign-off: Both Directors must provide written (email/Slack) approval.
4. Release: Distributed to affected Trusts first, then public channels if required.

2. Template A: System Outage (No Data Breach)

Subject: Technical Service Interruption: CheckTick Content: "CheckTick is currently experiencing a technical service interruption affecting [Service Name]. Our engineering team is working to restore services. At this stage, there is no evidence of unauthorized access to patient data. We advise clinicians to revert to local paper-based continuity plans for survey collection until further notice. Next update: [Time]."

3. Template B: Confirmed Data Incident (Breach)

Subject: Important Security Update regarding CheckTick Content: "We have identified a security incident that may have affected a subset of data within our platform. We are working closely with the NHS England Cyber Operations team to investigate the scope. Protecting patient data is our highest priority. We have notified the ICO and are contacting all affected Data Controllers (NHS Trusts) directly with specific details and mitigation steps."

4. Template C: Social Media / Website Banner

"CheckTick is currently investigating a technical issue. We are committed to transparency and will provide updates as they become available. Please contact [email protected] for immediate assistance."