Cyber Security Essentials for Physiotherapy Practices
Your practice holds more sensitive data than most small businesses: clinical notes, patient contact details, appointment diaries, insurer claims and payment records, usually spread across an email account, a practice management system and a few cloud apps. If you work alone, you are also the IT department.
That makes you exactly the kind of target criminals like. Ever wondered what a hacker actually does all day? The reality looks more like a call centre than a Hollywood film: organised groups running a business, with targets, scripts and a CRM. Practices like yours are unfortunately in that CRM.
In this webinar, Neil Richardson, Managing Director of CREST-accredited consultancy Cyber Alchemy, takes you inside the attacker's playbook. You'll see how they pick a target, the convincing emails and fake invoices they send, how ransomware gangs decide what to charge, and how AI deepfakes now let them clone the voice of someone you trust. Then he turns it round: the handful of safeguards that stop most of these attacks, and exactly what to do in the first hours if one gets through.
What it covers
-
Inside the attacker's playbook. Who they are, how they make money, and why small clinics are worth their time.
-
What they're after. Patient and clinical records, contact and appointment data, insurer claims (Bupa etc), email and cloud accounts, payments and business finances.
-
How they get in. Phishing and email account takeover, fake invoices and payment fraud, ransomware, lost or stolen devices and supplier compromise, plus AI deepfakes and why a familiar voice on the phone is no longer proof of anything.
-
Must-haves. The baseline every practice needs,: secure email and accounts with two-step login, backups, updated devices, and knowing who has access to what.
-
Next steps. Improvements to add progressively, with what changes once you have staff, multiple sites or more systems.
-
When it goes wrong. What to do immediately, who to call, how to keep treating patients, and what the next day looks like.
-
Cyber insurance. Why it matters, the difference between individual and clinic cover, whether you may already have some through an existing policy, and the questions to ask your broker.
-
Where to get help. Support available through professional bodies and national schemes.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the webinar, attendees will be able to:
- Explain how attackers choose and approach small practices.
- Name the information and systems their practice depends on most.
- Tell the difference between essential safeguards and later improvements.
- Recognise the common signs of an attack, including deepfake calls and fake invoices.
- Take the right first steps in an incident and know who to contact.
- Ask their insurer or broker the right questions about cyber cover.
Takeaway
A one-page incident reference sheet for use during or straight after an incident: immediate actions, who to contact, what to preserve, what not to do, how to communicate with patients, and recovery priorities.
Who it's for
Sole practitioners, clinic owners and practice managers. No technical background needed.
Presenters
