When I used to work for Surrey NHS we set up normal USB sticks with Truecrypt. Worked like a charm. I believe they're still using it now.
Hmm, IMHO anything you use for work (that is needed for your job) should be supplied with the "correct" systems in place. If you are self employed it stands to reason that you should be complying with the protocol from the IT department. I think I would give the (read your) NHS IT department a call and ask. They should know what you require (get it in an e-mail JIC) That way you are on solid ground (at least employment wise). Sometimes you need to put up with bad systems to comply with your employer, despite the fact that using something different may be easier for you. I also suspect that any computer will also need encrypted, and that may mean your home computer (if using work data on it) Either way I doubt these (or any) open forums are the right place to ask about this, you really need an answer from your IT department...
