Submitting your DSPT on time — a checklist

The DSPT annual submission typically has a 30 June deadline (30 June 2026 for 2025/26). Falling short of the required achievement levels — or missing the deadline — means submitting an improvement plan rather than reaching the expected standard, which can affect NHS contracts and is visible to the ICO and NHS England.

Pre-submission checklist

1. 1 The applicable contributing outcomes show as Achieved (or have an improvement plan) in the Folelse DSPT module.
2. 2 Your Information Asset Register is up to date — all assets have owners and retention periods.
3. 3 ROPA entries are complete with legal bases and retention periods.
4. 4 Staff IG training completion rate meets the DSPT threshold (95% for mandatory staff).
5. 5 All policies have been reviewed within the last 12 months and staff have acknowledged them.
6. 6 Your Data Protection Impact Assessments are approved for all high-risk processing.
7. 7 Your supplier due diligence is up to date for all suppliers with access to patient data.
8. 8 Any personal data breaches from the previous 12 months have been documented with outcomes and ICO notifications where required.
9. 9 Your DPO contact details are up to date in your Folelse organisation profile.
10. 10 Generate and download your evidence pack from Folelse.

Submitting on the DSPT portal

1. 1 Log in to dsptoolkit.nhs.uk with your ODS code and DSPT account credentials.
2. 2 Complete each contributing outcome using the evidence pack from Folelse as your reference.
3. 3 Upload supporting documents for each outcome as required.
4. 4 Review your overall completion — aim to reach the required Achieved levels across the applicable outcomes.
5. 5 Click Submit Assessment.
6. 6 Record your submission confirmation in Folelse: go to DSPT → Settings and enter the submission date.

What happens if you miss the deadline

Contact your ICB or NHS England regional team as soon as possible. In some cases, extensions are available for extenuating circumstances. Submit as soon as possible to minimise the period marked as non-compliant.