DTAC V2 is now the NHS baseline
NHS England introduced DTAC form version 2.0 on 24 February 2026, with manufacturers expected to use the updated form from 6 April 2026 when requested by health and care organisations.
The update reduces duplication and clarifies scope, especially for software-based digital health technologies. For suppliers, that is helpful, but it does not remove the need for credible evidence. DTAC is still a buyer assurance exercise.
The five domains still drive trust
DTAC still brings together clinical safety, data protection, technical security, interoperability, and usability and accessibility. The form is shorter, but NHS buyers still need confidence that the product can be deployed safely and responsibly.
The practical job is to turn those domains into one coherent evidence pack: what the product does, where risk sits, how data moves, how security is managed, how users are protected and how the supplier will operate after adoption.
V2 reduces duplication, not responsibility
The updated form removes questions that overlapped with other processes such as the Data Security and Protection Toolkit and the Pre-Acquisition Questionnaire. It also gives clearer guidance on what DTAC is for, which technologies it covers and how assessments should be completed.
That means teams should not simply copy an old DTAC response into a new template. Existing evidence needs to be reviewed against the v2 questions, the product scope, the current clinical safety position and the assurance questions buyers are likely to ask next.
Neural Vibe builds the full evidence story
We do the practical work with clients: scope the product, map the applicable DTAC V2 requirements, identify gaps, design the evidence, coordinate clinical safety, IG, security, technical and accessibility inputs, and assemble the buyer-ready pack.
The goal is not just a completed form. It is a reusable assurance file that supports NHS pilots, procurement, ICB or trust review, enterprise buyer questions and future updates as DTAC, DCB 0129 and DCB 0160 continue to evolve.
Start with scope before evidence
The first question is whether DTAC V2 applies to the product, the deployment model and the NHS adoption route. V2 guidance is clearer about software-based digital health technologies, but products often sit near other routes: SaMD, AI-enabled clinical support, connected device software, remote monitoring or enterprise workflow tooling.
Neural Vibe starts by clarifying scope, intended use, clinical context, data flows, users and buyer route. That prevents the team from building evidence for the wrong version of the product or answering questions that should be handled through another assurance route.
Clinical safety usually sets the pace
DCB 0129 has not disappeared. For many suppliers, clinical safety remains the pacing item because it requires real clinical risk thinking, not just a template. The hazard log, safety case, clinical safety officer input and change process need to connect to product decisions.
If this work starts too late, it can expose questions that should have shaped the product earlier. Neural Vibe helps clients connect clinical safety to user journeys, release control, incident handling, post-market learning and the broader DTAC V2 evidence set.
Security, IG and data protection need evidence, not slogans
DTAC V2 may reduce duplication with DSPT and PAQ, but buyers still need to understand how personal data is protected, who is accountable, what processing takes place, how suppliers are controlled and how security is managed through design, build, deployment and maintenance.
We help clients turn DPIAs, ROPAs, DSPT readiness, security policies, vulnerability management, incident response, supplier assurance and technical architecture into evidence that a buyer can actually understand and trust.
Interoperability and usability are adoption risks
The later DTAC sections are sometimes treated as lighter evidence, but they often decide whether adoption will work. APIs, integration assumptions, data standards, accessibility, user support and usability all affect whether the product fits the NHS environment.
Neural Vibe helps clients explain these areas plainly: what the product integrates with, which standards matter, what is out of scope, how users are supported, how accessibility has been considered and what deployment teams need to know.
The best DTAC V2 pack becomes reusable buyer evidence
A buyer does not only want to know that a document exists. They want confidence that the organisation can operate the product responsibly after adoption. That includes incident response, vulnerability handling, release management, supplier control, data protection governance and clear clinical accountability.
The best DTAC V2 evidence therefore reads like an operating model, not a paperwork archive. Done well, it can support NHS adoption, enterprise sales, quality system maturity, medical device evidence and future DTAC updates at the same time.