DSPT Evidence Checklist Generator
Select your DSPT category and get a categorised checklist of key evidence items to plan your submission — downloadable as a PDF.
About the DSPT evidence checklist
The Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT) requires organisations to provide evidence against each assertion in their category. Category 3 organisations (care homes, pharmacies, domiciliary care, dentists, opticians) and Category 4 (GP practices) each have different evidence requirements mapped to the 10 National Data Guardian data security standards.
This checklist covers the core evidence items for DSPT v8 (2025/26). Use it to audit what you already have and identify gaps before starting your portal submission. For a step-by-step walkthrough, see our guide to completing the DSPT.
Completing the mandatory evidence items is what gets you to “Standards Met” — NHS England’s guidance says to “complete a ‘Standards Met’ assessment by responding to all the questions within the assessment which are indicated as being MANDATORY”, and the number of those depends on your organisation type (45 for Category 3 in the v8 2025/26 workbook). “Approaching Standards” is a much smaller subset, not the mandatory set — the same workbook flags only four items as “Approaching standards mandatory”. If time is tight, work the mandatory list; that is the target, not a stepping stone to it.
This checklist is a planning tool based on DSPT v8 (2025/26) requirements. The exact assertions and evidence items may differ — always verify on the official DSPT portal. This is not legal or compliance advice.