Project Overview
Situation
Mid Cheshire Hospitals was looking to improve the visibility of its technology estate, particularly in relation to tracking patching status across its devices. The aim was to ensure compliance and to employ the best tools to protect critical systems from vulnerabilities including cyber threats.
Solution
The ITHealth Dashboard streamlines asset management and patching, whilst enhancing both cyber security and operational visibility, providing a single-pane-of-glass solution that drives greater efficiency.
Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust operates across three main sites – Leighton Hospital in Crewe, Victoria Infirmary in Northwich, and Elmhurst Intermediate Care Centre – along with community services and GP surgeries across South Cheshire and Vale Royal. With nearly 5,500 staff, it provides a wide range of healthcare services, including A&E, maternity, outpatients, therapies, and children’s health. The Trust’s IT infrastructure team has 12 members, including a single dedicated cyber security role, making efficiency and visibility crucial in managing its digital estate.
The Situation
Mid Cheshire Hospitals wanted to improve the way it managed and secured its digital estate. Visibility and the ability to track patching status across devices, identify vulnerabilities, prioritise remediation, and ensure compliance across multiple sites were a key priority. The team wanted to remove time-consuming manual processes to monitor assets, which would in turn support timely patching of the devices. To improve efficiency, strengthen security oversight, and support IT team resources, the Trust needed a streamlined solution for asset management and vulnerability tracking.
“The ITHealth Dashboard has completely transformed our operations. We now have complete visibility across our digital environment, and the patching process is significantly more streamlined.”
Stuart Lawton
Cyber Security Manager
Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS FT
The Solution
After being introduced to the ITHealth Dashboard during a regional Cheshire and Merseyside cyber group meeting, Mid Cheshire Hospitals’ Cyber Security Manager saw first-hand how other trusts were benefiting from the solution. Impressed by the demonstration and positive feedback, he quickly realised that the ITHealth Dashboard could provide his team with much-needed visibility and efficiency.
The ITHealth Dashboard was deployed in May 2020, providing Mid Cheshire Hospitals with a unified security dashboard that tracks devices, monitors patching statuses, and prioritises vulnerabilities. Its detailed reporting features have streamlined compliance, enabling the team to track and resolve issues more efficiently. The Cyber Alert automation has been particularly valuable, improving response times by rapidly identifying affected assets and eliminating time-consuming manual searches, allowing remediation to begin much sooner.
Custom reports have been set up to help remediate SMB1 and Everyone shares and to ensure that Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is rolled out across all devices. Windows build reports help track versions on devices (how many are on supported versions or nearing the end of support), allowing the team to plan updates and ensure compliance. Medical device visibility is also available in the ITHealth Dashboard, which has been achieved through a partnership with Cynerio, enabling the Trust to better protect critical assets.
The ITHealth Dashboard is used across the entire digital team: the desktop team for unsupported software detection, the network team to monitor vulnerabilities on switches, and the cyber function for patching status and overall security. Reporting insights from the ITHealth Dashboard are also fed into bi-monthly cyber group meetings, facilitating collaboration and informing strategic decisions on cyber security.
“The single-pane-of-glass view in the ITHealth Dashboard gives us complete visibility of our estate, allowing us to quickly identify and address security issues. It’s a huge time-saver and has significantly improved collaboration across our team.”
Stuart Lawton
Cyber Security Manager
Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS FT
Results and Next Steps
Since adopting the ITHealth Dashboard, Mid Cheshire Hospitals has seen significant improvements in security and efficiency. The ability to track patching status, monitor network vulnerabilities, and access real-time cyber alerts has allowed the IT team to be more proactive and responsive. With the ITHealth Dashboard, they can now identify and address issues promptly, leading to a more secure environment for both staff and patients.
Moving forward, the Trust plans to continue using the ITHealth Dashboard’s features to support ongoing security efforts, including the use of the CAF-DSPT workflow module. The Trust is also looking forward to future updates, with plans to expand their use of the ITHealth Dashboard to cover Linux devices and enhance reporting capabilities. Their three-year renewal with ITHealth reflects their confidence in the solution and its ongoing value to their cyber security strategy.
“We rely on the ITHealth Dashboard every day – it’s become an essential part of how we manage security and compliance. That’s why committing to a three-year renewal was an easy and strategic decision – it saves us the hassle of annual renewals, and we know we’ll continue to benefit from it.”
Stuart Lawton
Cyber Security Manager
Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS FT
