Best Penetration Testing for Healthcare
The best penetration testing for UK healthcare organisations and NHS suppliers in 2026 comes from CREST-accredited providers with UK-based testers for patient-data residency, alignment to NHS Data Security and Protection Toolkit evidence requirements, a retest included for remediation evidence, and reporting that satisfies NHS procurement and information governance reviewers. This guide compares 7 providers: Precursor Security, NCC Group, Pen Test Partners, Redscan (Kroll), JUMPSEC, OnSecurity, and Bulletproof.
Seven penetration testing companies compared for UK healthcare buyers, on the criteria a trust or NHS supplier actually weighs: where the testers sit and whether patient data stays in the UK, NHS DSP Toolkit alignment, verifiable CREST accreditation, and reporting your procurement team and information governance lead will accept.
We are Precursor Security, and we have ranked ourselves first on this list.
Rather than pretend otherwise, we publish the selection criteria in full and describe every provider fairly, including where a rival is the better fit. The firms below are genuinely good at what they do; the differences are in data residency, transparency, accreditation, and who each serves best for a trust or NHS supplier. Confirm any CREST claim in the independent CREST member directory.
Seven firms, side by side
| Provider | CREST status | Pricing published | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Precursor Security | Pen Test + VA + SOC | Yes | From £2,500 |
| 2. NCC Group | Member firm | No | On application |
| 3. Pen Test Partners | Member firm | No | On application |
| 4. Redscan (Kroll) | Member firm | No | On application |
| 5. JUMPSEC | Member firm + NCSC CHECK | No | On application |
| 6. OnSecurity | Member firm | No | Instant quote via platform |
| 7. Bulletproof | Member firm | No | On application |
Verified against each provider's public website, August 2026. "No" under pricing means a rate was not published at the time of writing, not that a provider is more expensive. Redscan is part of Kroll (US-headquartered).
The 7 best for UK healthcare
in 2026
1. Precursor Security
Precursor holds triple CREST accreditation across Penetration Testing, Vulnerability Assessment, and Security Operations Centre. Every tester is a UK-based, DBS-checked employee, which matters when a test touches patient records or systems holding special-category data under UK GDPR. Testing starts from £2,500 at approximately £1,200 per consultant day, published on the website, with a retest included in every engagement and a written quote within 24 hours. Reports are built to support the evidence an NHS Data Security and Protection Toolkit submission and an NHS supplier questionnaire ask for, and findings feed detection rules through the closed-loop model, which suits an organisation expected to assure controls continuously, not once a year.
Trade-off: A UK mid-market specialist rather than a global enterprise brand, and it does not hold NCSC CHECK status for engagements that specifically mandate it.
2. NCC Group
NCC Group is one of the largest security consultancies in the world, headquartered in Manchester, with a deep research pedigree and the capacity to staff very large, multi-site trust or group-wide assessment programmes. For a large NHS trust or multinational healthcare estate running a global rollout, few firms match its bench depth.
Trade-off: Engagement model and pricing are built for enterprise procurement. Costs are on application.
3. Pen Test Partners
Pen Test Partners are the UK's best-known specialists in embedded and operational technology testing, and their public research on connected medical devices and hospital equipment is widely cited. For a healthcare organisation whose risk lives in infusion pumps, imaging equipment, or other connected devices rather than standard web and infrastructure, they belong on the shortlist.
Trade-off: A specialist focus; standard web and network testing is not their distinctive strength. Pricing on application.
4. Redscan (Kroll)
Redscan, now part of Kroll, pairs a large practitioner organisation with the backing of a global incident response and forensics business. For a healthcare group that wants its tester, its IR retainer, and its forensics provider under one roof at enterprise scale, useful if a ransomware incident ever needs forensic-grade evidence handling, the Kroll relationship is the draw.
Trade-off: Kroll is US-headquartered, worth weighing against patient-data residency preferences, and the engagement model leans enterprise. Pricing on application.
5. JUMPSEC
JUMPSEC holds NCSC CHECK status alongside CREST membership, with a strong red teaming and adversary-simulation practice. For a healthcare organisation with PSN-connected or government-adjacent systems that mandate CHECK delivery, that combination is the differentiator.
Trade-off: Pricing on application.
6. OnSecurity
OnSecurity runs a platform-first, pentest-as-a-service model with instant online quoting and quick scheduling. For a digital health startup or small NHS supplier that needs a test booked this week with minimal procurement friction ahead of a DSP Toolkit submission deadline, the platform model works well.
Trade-off: Quotes are generated through the platform rather than published as a rate card, and the model suits smaller, repeatable scopes.
7. Bulletproof
Bulletproof combines penetration testing with a broad compliance practice, including Cyber Essentials and PCI DSS support, which suits a smaller healthcare supplier that wants testing and certification handled by a single supplier ahead of an NHS procurement questionnaire.
Trade-off: A generalist breadth play rather than a testing specialist. Pricing on application.
How we ranked them for healthcare
Six criteria that matter specifically to a trust or NHS supplier, each something you can verify without taking anyone's word for it. Weighting is ours; the facts are checkable.
Where the testers physically sit and whether any work is offshored. When a test touches patient records or systems holding special-category data under UK GDPR, keeping it in-jurisdiction with vetted UK testers simplifies your data-handling obligations and NHS supplier questionnaire answers.
Whether the provider's testing produces the kind of evidence a Data Security and Protection Toolkit submission needs. The Toolkit is a self-assessment; no provider certifies you against it, but annual CREST-accredited testing is commonly used as supporting evidence. See our DSP Toolkit compliance page.
Company and individual CREST accreditation, checkable in the public directory. It is the accreditation most NHS trusts, suppliers, and their auditors look for on a penetration testing supplier.
Whether verification of your fixes is included or sold back as a second engagement. NHS procurement and DSP Toolkit submissions need remediation evidence, and paying twice for it is avoidable.
Whether the report has an executive summary, business impact, and prioritised remediation that an NHS procurement team and an information governance lead will accept, not raw scanner output.
Whether findings feed ongoing detection rather than sitting in a PDF until next year. A sector expected to assure controls continuously benefits from the closed-loop model.
Red flags for a healthcare
organisation or NHS supplier
Whichever firm you choose, including us, walk away if you see these.
Offshore testers handling patient data
Ask where the testers on your engagement physically sit and whether any work is subcontracted overseas. When a test touches patient records, data residency and vetting are not paperwork, they are the answers you give NHS procurement and your information governance lead.
A scan dressed up as a penetration test
Engagements priced under £500 a day are automated scans with a human cover sheet. Ask how many days of manual testing, by whom, with what certifications. NHS procurement wants evidence of real testing, not a tool report.
POA-only pricing under an NHS procurement deadline
A firm that cannot indicate a day rate before a discovery call adds procurement drag when you are working to a DSP Toolkit submission or NHS contract deadline. UK CREST day rates run £1,000 to £1,500.
No retest, so no DSPT or insurer evidence
A test without verification of your fixes is half a service. If the retest is a separate paid engagement, your remediation evidence for DSP Toolkit submissions and cyber insurers costs double.
Accreditation that does not check out
Verify every CREST and CHECK claim in the official directories. A supplier claiming an accreditation it does not hold is a bigger risk to a trust than the finding itself.
Reports NHS procurement and DSPT will not accept
Ask for a redacted sample. If it reads like raw scanner output with no executive summary, business impact, or prioritised remediation, your information governance lead and NHS procurement contact will get nothing from it.
Healthcare penetration testing prices
CREST-accredited testing runs £1,000 to £1,500 per consultant day. At Precursor's published rate of approximately £1,200 per day: external network from £2,500, web application from £3,750, internal network from £6,250, and full multi-scope assessments from £10,000. Full pricing with worked examples is on our cost guide.
Full cost guide with worked examplesMore on securing a healthcare organisation or NHS supplier and the services referenced above.
Compare us against anyone on this list.
UK-based, DBS-checked testers for patient-data residency. Fixed pricing published before you call. A written quote within 24 hours of scoping. Retest included.
Penetration testing for healthcare
The questions NHS suppliers and healthcare buyers ask most when comparing UK providers.
UK penetration testing runs from £2,500 for a small external network test to £25,000+ for a full multi-scope assessment, at roughly £1,000 to £1,500 per consultant day from a CREST-accredited provider. For healthcare specifically, a small supplier or clinic typically budgets an annual web application and external test ahead of its DSP Toolkit submission, while a trust or larger supplier usually runs testing across a wider scope including internal network and cloud. Most firms price on application; Precursor publishes its rates. Full pricing with worked examples is on our penetration testing cost guide.
The NHS Data Security and Protection Toolkit is a self-assessment against national data-security standards, and it does not name a specific penetration testing provider or mandate one by brand. Several of its assertions expect an organisation to show appropriate security testing has taken place, and annual CREST-accredited penetration testing is commonly used by NHS organisations and suppliers as that evidence. Precursor's testing is built to support the evidence a DSP Toolkit submission needs, but the assessment itself is completed by your organisation, not certified by us.
NHS suppliers handling patient data are generally expected to complete the NHS Data Security and Protection Toolkit, hold appropriate certifications such as Cyber Essentials or Cyber Essentials Plus, and provide evidence of regular, appropriately scoped security testing rather than a one-off scan. Buyers and procurement teams also expect to see where testers are based, whether a retest verifies remediation, and a report that a supplier questionnaire and information governance lead can act on. CREST accreditation, verifiable in the public directory, is the standard most NHS procurement teams look for.
That depends entirely on the provider. Where the testers physically sit and whether any work is subcontracted or offshored determines where any patient data the test encounters is handled, which matters under UK GDPR's special-category data rules. Ask any provider directly where the testers on your engagement are based and whether work is ever sent overseas. Precursor uses only UK-based, DBS-checked employees, with no offshoring.
Healthcare organisations and NHS suppliers commonly shortlist a mix of specialists and larger consultancies. This guide compares seven: Precursor Security, NCC Group, Pen Test Partners, Redscan (Kroll), JUMPSEC, OnSecurity, and Bulletproof. The right choice depends on where the testers sit, whether pricing is published, whether a retest is included for your DSPT and remediation evidence, and whether the firm can produce reports your NHS procurement contact and information governance lead will accept. Confirm any CREST accreditation in the public directory at crest-approved.org.