Rationale
Annex A gives the rationale for the document, the terms it uses and their relationship to other standards. It is informative, not a requirement.
What the public record carries
Not stated in the public record beyond the annex title, its informative status and the introduction's description. Annex A is not a source of requirements and must not be cited as one.
Basis. The public contents name Annex A and describe it as informative. The first edition's introduction says the annex explains the reasoning behind the document, the words it uses and how those words sit beside other standards. The annex text is not public.
Why it matters in a health estate
An informative rationale is the most useful annex for a CISO who has to win an argument. It explains why the document groups the elements as it does and how it relates to the other standards that address particular aspects of the same properties. It does not create an obligation. Confusing an informative annex with a requirement is a common review finding and an easy one to avoid.
What to do now
Use Annex A to write the board note, not the register. Quote its reasoning in the narrative and keep the register's rows tied to the normative clauses. Mark every annex reference as informative in the register.
The evidence a reviewer will ask for
| Evidence | What it is |
|---|---|
| Board note | The reasoning behind the programme, drawn from the rationale and written for a board |
| Normative map | The clauses that carry requirements, kept apart from the informative annexes |
| Related standards | The other standards the annex relates to, named but not quoted |
| Citation rule | A note that informative annexes are never cited as requirements |
What a reviewer will ask
A reviewer will ask whether a cited line is a requirement or an explanation. An informative annex cited as a requirement is a defect in the register, not in the standard.
Common gaps
- An informative annex is cited as an obligation in a supplier questionnaire
- The board note quotes the rationale as if it were a requirement
- The register does not mark which units are informative
- A related standard is described without being read
Before the draft publishes
Mark every annex unit as informative and check that no plan item depends on one as an obligation.
If the draft changes this row
The draft is edition 2 and 62 pages, one page more than the first edition. Its text and any change summary are not public as at 21 October 2026. This row follows the published first edition's structure, which is what your procedure should name today. The change watch emails you when the record changes or the draft text lands, and the row is re-read then. No one can tell you what moved before that, and this page does not guess.
Related rows
Who this binds. The reader who has to explain the document to a board, a regulator or a supplier, because the annex gives the reasoning behind it.