NHS Compliance Tools · Preview

CIS2 Onboarding Playbook

A working account of my own CIS2 onboarding, milestone by milestone. Written as I go.

Working document — read this first

This isn't a finished playbook. It's a live account of my own onboarding, written as I go. Each milestone is marked with one of three positions so you can weight it accordingly:

I've done this — direct lived experience.
I'm here — mid-flight, what I can offer today.
Not yet reached — NHS Digital source only; I'll update when I get there.

Where I am now: Kairos's DOS organisation and product record are registered, the INT Application and Team Id are created, and the DOS invitation is accepted. The Supplier Assurance Assessment (SAA Id 1089) sits in my DOS queue, not yet answered. I'm waiting on Connection Manager provisioning from NHS Digital. Appointing an independent Clinical Safety Officer (I'm currently acting as interim CSO) is my next critical-path action.

Last reviewed: 30 July 2026

What's in the playbook

Where I am on each of the CIS2 milestones — marked as lived, in-flight, or not-yet-reached.
An evidence checklist per milestone you can tick off as you gather documents.
Common pitfalls from the parts I've already navigated — the two-track portal trap, the invitation-only DOS Assurance path, the SAQ-reuse precedent.
A downloadable PDF or CSV pack when you've worked through all the milestones.

Scope

This is a free preparation aid, written from my own onboarding experience. It isn't certification, isn't legal advice, and isn't a substitute for the guidance NHS England will give you directly. Every milestone links back to the official NHS Digital source.

Open the playbook