The government’s big plan for the 10 Year Health Plan for the NHS laid out a big role for delivery. However, the Highland Marketing advisory board felt the missing implementation plan will have some big issues to address, from addressing the state of NHS IT today, to finding the time and money to deliver on its vision.
The government has published its 10 Year Health Plan, Fit for the Future. Picking up from Lord Darzi’s investigation into the state of the NHS in England, it says the service is “at a historic crossroads” and must “reform or die.”
Its vision for reform is a new model of care that will be achieved through the now-familiar three shifts (from hospital to community, treatment to prevention, and analogue to digital) and delivered by a shake-up of NHS structures, finance, and regulation.
The plan also sets out some big plans for digital, including a single patient record, a massively expanded NHS App, some new, national platforms, and five big “bets” on data, genomics, AI, wearables, and robotics. Overall, the Highland Marketing advisory board was pleasantly surprised by the direction of travel.
“I looked at this from a number of perspectives. Is it a nice story? Does it read well?” said GP and CCIO Jason Broch. “And the answer is ‘yes’. It’s a good story because a lot of it is stuff that we have been saying for years and years. And it reads well because there is buy-in for All across the NHS.”
On the other hand, members agreed that the 10 Year Health Plan is not a plan. “You cannot call something a plan if it has no implementation section,” said entrepreneur Ravi Kumar. This is a vision. But I like the focus on prevention and early intervention.
“If it happens, and if we get the neighbourhood model, things will be very different. Digital innovation with the patient in control: that is a great idea. As a vision, it is a great document.”
Six key issues for health tech:
Sir James Mackey, the transition chief executive of NHS England, has said a delivery plan or plans will be developed this summer. The advisory board felt these will need to address some tensions the plan skips over.
These include where power will sit in the new structures, as integrated care boards are slimmed down, and “reinvented” foundation trusts come on stream. How the tension between the short-term imperative to reduce waiting lists and the long-term ambition to address health inequalities at “place” level will be handled.
How money will flow around the system, while reinventing payment by results and year of care funding are worked out. But when it comes to technology, the advisory board felt there were six, key issues ahead:
NHS IT is not a greenfield site: Analogue to digital is one of the plan’s big themes, but in practice the NHS has been trying to go digital for 30 years. Stop-start investment in big programmes has left the health service with patchy infrastructure, an incomplete roll-out of electronic patient records, and a lot of software that is not as well integrated with them as it could be.
The advisory board argued the plan doesn’t recognise this, but a significant chunk of the £10 billion that the spending review says will be available for NHS IT and transformation over the next three years could be spent on sorting it out.
Cindy Fedell, a former NHS chief information officer who now works in Canada, said: “There’s lots of poor infrastructure, lots of fractured stuff, to address if we’re going to get proper use out of it; and that’s before we start talking about everything that the plan says they want to do.”
Wicked problems can’t be wished away: Because it doesn’t engage with the current IT landscape, the 10 Year Health Plan is curiously silent on some key issues. ‘Cyber security’, for example, doesn’t rate a mention. Nor does ‘interoperability’ or ‘information governance’ or even ‘data quality’.
The plan’s authors may think these issues will be solved by the single patient record, a pet project of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Governance, which the plan says will “bring together all of a patient’s medical records in one place” and “operate as a patient passport” to “seamless” care.
To bring this about, the plan says there will be legislation to require providers to share information. However, the NHS has a poor record on getting clinical and patient buy-in for grand data plans and is still facing a backlash over its decision to award the Federated Data Platform contract to a consortium including Palantir.
Andy Kinnear, who worked for a commissioning support unit that introduced one of the first shared care records, said: “A lot of the rules that are in place are there to protect us and our civil liberties by blocking inappropriate access to sensitive data. It’s all going to get very fraught, once people start engaging with this.”
Too much centralisation could kill innovation: It’s not just the single patient record that suggests the government wants the centre to have a much bigger role in NHS IT. The plan also talks about an expanded NHS App and national platforms, starting with virtual wards and remote monitoring.
David Hancock, a consultant who has worked for both EPR and shared care record vendors, said: “From an industry perspective, this concerns me. If there are systems out there doing these things, what will happen to them? Will they be expected to link to the NHS App, or will this supersede them? And how will new people get into the market? This could kill innovation.”
Mind the app: The plan devotes a whole section to the NHS App, which it says, “will be how we create a truly empowering, digitally enabled NHS.” It promises a My GP tool for advice and access to appointments, a My Choices feature to help patients pick providers, My Specialist and My Consult platform to help them find specialists and consult with them remotely.
It says there will be a My Companion for general health advice and My Medicines, My Vaccines, My Health, My Children and My Carer areas to pool meds, vaccines, test and wearables data, and specialist advice in one place. Yet, Highland Marketing advisory board chair Jeremy Nettle pointed out, the NHS App today is extremely limited and all one-way.
“It pushes information at you, but you cannot push back,” he pointed out. “I can get a text from my GP, but I can’t message them back. That’s not helpful. And lots of other services don’t even use the app. My local hospital still sends letters.” The plan has little to say about how the app will get from A to B; or how this will be paid for.
Productivity is achievable but won’t fund IT: The digital commitments in the 10-year Health Plan will take far more money than the Treasury has put up. At various points, the plan appears to suggest that some of the missing money will come from cash savings or productivity improvements.
For example, it says outpatient appointments cost £14 billion a year, a lot of which could be saved if pre-op and follow-up assessments were carried out online. The problem is productivity projects require pump-priming for everything from devices to pathway redesign and training.
“The NHS has tried repeatedly to do transformation from within its operating budget, and it doesn’t work,” said Andy Kinnear. “The money you want to release is not there at the start; you get it out down the line.
“It’s not news that there are lots of follow-up outpatient appointments that probably don’t need to happen, but the money’s not been there to stop them happening. It feels like the ambition and the budget are out of alignment.”
Same for consumer tech: The plan also talks about making the NHS as easy to access as online shopping or banking, which have been funded, in part, by transferring work from staff to users.
“The consumerist aspect of the plan is interesting, because it has driven big changes in other areas,” said Andy Kinnear. “We work our own tills. We print our own boarding passes. And we’re happy to do it.”
Equally, it took 50 years for banks to go from the first cashpoints to today’s interoperable apps; and banks are starting to bump up against public opposition to branch closures. The NHS may be able to move faster, but it’s likely to find itself in a bind.
Either, it will find it even harder to shut clinics and surgeries used by elderly and disadvantaged patients, pushing up costs because of joint-running. Or, it will find itself increasing health inequalities by disadvantaging patients who no longer have physical services but cannot use digital ones (another topic on which the 10 Year Health Plan is basically silent).
Where’s the money? Where’s the time?
Overall, the advisory board felt that time and money are the big issues a 10 Year Health Plan delivery plan or, better, a digital roadmap, will have to address.
“There is an over-emphasis on what technology can do in the short term,” said Ravi Kumar. “And I would have liked to see a finger in the air calculation of what a digital first service will cost in the long-term. I think it could be ten or 20 times more than has been mentioned: we might be looking at something like £200 billion.
“At the moment, if I go into hospital, I’ll struggle to get wi-fi on my phone. If we want patient engagement, we need to sort out that kind of issue before we begin – and we won’t be able to do it on the cheap.”
The most critical means of maintaining service continuity is to protect an organisation’s backups first before anything else. Any failure to recognise that cyber-criminals comprehend see backups as any large, medium or small companies’ Achilles Heel, could lead to a significant amount of downtime and lost, irreplaceable data, rendering any organisation null and void.
David Trossell
An article in Hacker News, published on 17th June 2025, ‘Backups Are Under Attack: How to Protect Your Backups’, writes: “Ransomware has become a highly coordinated and pervasive threat, and traditional defences are increasingly struggling to neutralise it.”
“Today’s ransomware attacks initially target your last line of defence — your backup infrastructure. Before locking up your production environment, cyber-criminals go after your backups to cripple your ability to recover, increasing the odds of a ransom payout.”
The UK’s National Security Cyber Centre adds: “Backups are an essential part of an organisation’s response and recovery process. Making regular backups is the most effective way to recover from a destructive ransomware attack, where an attacker’s aim is to destroy or erase a victim’s data.”
Early-stage attacks
The Centre says that attacks on backups and network infrastructure quite often occur during the early stages of a destructive ransomware attack. To make it impossible to recover from an attack, cyber-criminals delete or destroy data to increase the threat and the likelihood of a ransom being paid out to them. Stored data that’s connected to a network – including the public internet or to the cloud – is therefore potentially under significant threat from ransomware actors.
To prevent this from happening, measures have to be put in place to make it impossible for them to attack the data in the first place. The primary method of protecting data – whether it is stored on tape or disk – is to create one or more airgaps. They disconnect the data from any public network, reducing the likelihood of any threat actor being able to access, steal, hold captive or delete the data. However, data can be stored on an internal, secured local area network as part of an air-gapping strategy.
Nevertheless, there will be occasions when the data must be recovered or migrated to different sites that might be located thousands of miles away. This might be to support disaster recovery, or to simply have duplicate copies of the data on other servers in other datacentres or disaster recovery sites around the world.
Man with a van
If the data is stored on tape or disk, transportation could be done using a man with a van approach, but that would take time and the vehicle could end up being stolen. The most obvious way to transport data would be to use a Wide Area Network (WAN) – including the internet – or to host it in the cloud.
When data is hosted in the cloud, it can be accessed from multiple points if the right permissions are given to access it. However, for the most sensitive data, this approach can be highly risky. As soon as the data is connected to a public network, it becomes a potential target and vulnerable to attack.
Network latency and packet loss could also make the task of transmitting 100 Gb/s of data difficult to achieve, too. They can make a network sluggish and reduce bandwidth utilisation. SD-WANs and WAN Optimisation are great technologies, but they won’t necessarily improve network and data performance, because latency can only be mitigated and not resolved.
Mitigating latency
So how can you mitigate latency? Well, increasing the bandwidth of your pipes won’t make much difference. WAN Optimisation can’t handle encrypted data, and in terms of its performance, it doesn’t live up to what its vendors claim. SD-WANs also benefit from a WAN Acceleration overlay in the pursuit of high network performance, and faster data transfer speeds. They, too, are a great technology, but they often need a boost.
What organisations need today is the ability to use artificial intelligence, machine learning and data parallelisation to mitigate them – in other words – WAN Acceleration. It permits encrypted data to be sent and received at a rate that’s up to 200 times faster than standard WAN connections – including WAN Optimisation. That not only saves time and money but also makes it easier to prevent data from backups that is being transferred from one location to another harder for cyber-criminals to divert and to unlock.
This includes encrypted data that is stored offline on tape and disk, which may be required elsewhere – temporarily meaning that when an airgap has to be bridged to expedite the data elsewhere, it has to be done securely and then, when the data is at rest, an airgap can be reinstated by ensuring that data is disconnected from any public network.
Airgaps can be attacked
Sead Fadilpašić, writing for TechRadar, nevertheless warns that even airgaps can be attacked. In his October 2024 article, ‘European government systems hit by air-gap malware attack, he points out: “Hackers have managed to steal sensitive information from air-gapped systems belonging to different European governments on at least three separate occasions, experts have warned.”
So, if the data is air-gapped, how can cyber-criminals still get access to it to deliver malware? Well, a threat actor such as GoldenJackal, which targets governments in Europe and Asia, uses infected USB drives to deliver and launch malware, such as GoldenDealer and GoldenAce. The malware is launched as soon as the USB drive is plugged into the server that stores the air-gapped data. It then self-replicated and mixes with other malware to cause havoc.
Some malware that is used in this kind of attack copies documents, images, encryption keys and OpenVPN configuration files, as well as other sensitive data. When the USB drive is reconnected to an internet-enabled device, it sends the data to a C2 server. Therefore, WAN Acceleration is only one part of the strategy in ensuring that air-gapped data is safe. Other measures – including employee screening – and policies about USB drive use also need to be put in place to keep data secure.
Comprehensive strategies
To summarise, cyber-security strategies should be comprehensive to prevent any kind of cyber-security attack from exploiting any kind of vulnerability. It’s therefore vital to consider all
possibilities. While airgaps come some way to protect data, that data also needs to be securely replicated and stored elsewhere so that it can be available – even if disruption is caused by malware being launched from a USB drive.
Nevertheless, air-gapped data needs WAN Acceleration whenever data needs to be sent to and recovered from disaster recovery sites at speed without being impinged by latency, packet loss or poor bandwidth utilisation. This is particularly crucial in banking and finance, defence, healthcare and in other key sectors where data is of the utmost importance and sensitivity.
Integrated care, digital access, and frontline innovation reshape health services for thousands of families and adults across BSW and Surrey.
After the Government recently launched its 10-Year Health Plan to modernise the NHS and bring care closer to communities, HCRG Care Group – the UK’s largest specialist community services provider – is today celebrating the first 100 days of two transformation programmes delivering integrated neighbourhood health services to adults, children, and families across Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire (BSW), and Surrey.
The fresh approach by HCRG Care Group is making it easier to access community health services and delivering more joined-up, person-centred care closer to home.
In BSW, HCRG Care Group is leading a two-year transformation that breaks down traditional service silos and shifts more care to neighbourhood level. Over 3,000 community health professionals deliver adult and children’s therapies, urgent care, community nursing, and more – working in partnership with voluntary organisations to deliver support that’s tailored to local need.
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a responsive, truly integrated community healthcare system,” said Val Scrase, Regional Director for BSW Community Services. “We’re already seeing the benefits of stronger local partnerships and are proud to be empowering people to manage their health through improved access and digital tools.”
Meanwhile, in Surrey, HCRG Care Group is at the start of an ambitious transformation that will see a a radical shift in how children and families receive care, focusing resources on those most in need. The wide range of children’s community health services offered includes antenatal and early years support, school nursing, immunisation programmes, therapies, specialist support for children with additional health and care needs, and developmental paediatrics.
A new single point of access (SPA), extended hours for the community nursing advice line, co-located multidisciplinary teams, and free online sessions covering topics such as antenatal care and school readiness, have already been implemented. Ongoing work focuses on reducing waiting times for therapies and developmental paediatrics and a dedicated app, launching soon,will give families instant access to health and wellbeing information and advice.
“We put families at the heart of everything we do,” said David Mitchell, Regional Director for Surrey. “On day one we introduced Healthy Family Teams to deliver comprehensive and coordinated care from local clinics. In the coming months, in line with the NHS 10-year plan, we’ll be embracing technology to support the prevention of ill-health by enabling families to easily access education and advice on health and wellbeing.”
These changes are part of a broader national effort to modernise the NHS. The programmes are just the latest in a long line of community services transformation projects HCRG has run since it was created in 2012. These have helped move more care into the community, reduce pressure on A&E, improve self-management by those who have long term conditions, and helped people to stay living independently for longer. HCRG Care Group aims to “change lives by transforming health and care”, invest money up-front in making change happen, and has recently been selected to run a similar transformation programme in North Kent.
By Julian Panter, Business and Project Director, Matrix Workforce Management Solutions
Julian Panter
At Matrix, we work with councils up and down the country and the warning from Solace about Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) putting good officers at risk of exit rings very true. While I haven’t seen every council restructuring their senior teams, I have seen what happens when things start to wobble, especially during financial crises or where bankruptcy looms.
When a council hits trouble, it’s usually the senior officers who feel the tremors first. We’ve worked with councils where top-level restructures led to long-serving, high-performing individuals being forced to reapply for their roles or leave altogether. That sends a ripple of anxiety throughout the organisation and if it’s not managed carefully it can lead to exactly the kind of talent drain Solace is warning about.
Councils need to focus on retaining experienced staff during uncertain times. When key people feel unsettled, there’s a risk they’ll leave, taking valuable knowledge with them and potentially increasing reliance on more costly interim or agency support, especially when recruitment freezes are introduced, or hiring is delayed as part of cost-cutting.
In those moments, agency staffing becomes a lifeline. But we also know that over-reliance on temporary solutions can drive up costs, particularly when those roles require senior-level expertise. I’ve seen it happen: freezes go in, people leave and suddenly there’s a scramble to fill gaps with urgent agency hires, often at premium pay.
So how do we protect core talent while navigating change?
From what we’ve seen at Matrix, councils that take a strategic approach to talent retention, especially around statutory roles like Section 151 officers, tend to fare better. One of the most practical steps they can take is working with trusted workforce partners who can help them source, assess and secure top talent cost-effectively. We’ve helped many councils make savings simply by accessing our supply channels, rather than going to market cold or relying on expensive interim routes.
But it’s not just about recruitment. Transition planning is often overlooked in these discussions. We’re seeing this play out across London, where we’ve been supporting workforce planning through a collaboration project focused on long-term agency workers. These are people who have been embedded in councils for years – valuable assets who, for one reason or another, never made the leap to permanent roles. Now, with some coordination, we’re helping those councils convert that agency talent into permanent staff or use them more strategically to mentor and upskill internal teams.
That sort of skill-sharing and shadowing is what makes workforce transitions smoother. Councils can’t just swap people in and out like parts on a machine. They need continuity, and that comes from treating workforce planning as a strategic priority, not just a logistical one.
Technology also has a role to play. Right now, most councils still track redeployment manually, often relying on spreadsheets to map who’s available for what. But when they use digital tools like the ones we offer, they gain real visibility across wider talent pools. A vacancy in one borough could be filled by someone being displaced just 10 miles away, if you have the right data at your fingertips.
We’re at a point where councils need to balance financial reality with workforce resilience. That means more than just making cuts or shifting chairs. It means asking how we keep the right people motivated, informed and supported to lead through uncertainty.
Because if we don’t, we risk losing the very people we’ll need to rebuild.
Liverpool’s flagship £1bn Knowledge Quarter development is set to enter a new phase – following the completion of the demolition of a key landmark.
Removal of the former Smithdown Lane Police Station at the Paddington Village South scheme has now completed, paving the way for new development opportunities under a masterplan being co-ordinated by Liverpool City Council and the University of Liverpool.
Paddington South, which is backed by MHCLG funding, is the next instalment of the * multi award-winning Paddington Village development.
This site currently includes the WELL Platinum standard rated Spine Building, which provides Grade A office space, a multi-storey car park, and the Novotel Liverpool Paddington Village Hotel.
Professor Tim Jones, Vice Chancellor at the University of Liverpool, and Leader of Liverpool City Council, Cllr Liam Robinson visited the Paddington Village South site as demolition phase ends with removal of Smithdown Lane police station
The ambition for the Paddington South masterplan will be to super charge the city’s research, development and innovation sector, whilst creating a vibrant new neighbourhood for the area, embedded in sustainable development principles.
Central to the 9-acre scheme will be a revamped public green space around Grove Street, with the aim of improving biodiversity by 10% as part of the city’s wider urban green up programme and, new active travel routes linked to the wider City cycle network.
The new green space will be aligned with the Liverpool Public Realm, and Design for Access for All Strategic Planning Documents with the aim of achieving zero carbon in operation, aligning with the Council’s 2030 net zero ambitions and assisting the University in its 2035 net zero campus aim.
Through the demolition of Smithdown Lane Police Station, lead contractor Morgan Sindall Construction has aimed to recycle and reuse as much of the existing materials as possible. Working in partnership with local charity ReciproCity, existing furniture from the building was recycled and donated to local charities and businesses, which avoided in excess of 250 office desks and chairs along with other furniture from going to landfill.
Morgan Sindall has previously delivered an infrastructure package of works, The Spine, The Novotel and the MSCP on the Paddington Village Central site. This, combined with the ongoing works at Paddington South has so far delivered £122.5m of social value for Liverpool, including engaging with 3,534 students, employing 123 Apprentices over 1,623 apprentice weeks and engaging over 150 people through our Knowledge Quad employment courses.
The City Council owned Paddington Village site has earned numerous industry awards including eight Considerate Construction Awards including “Most Considerate Site”, an Innovation Award from the BCO for The Spine and three Constructing Excellence North West Awards for The Spine.
Minister for Local Growth, Alex Norris, MP, said: “The Paddington South site is set to become a hub for research and innovation, driving growth and opportunities in Liverpool’s Knowledge Quarter and beyond, helping us deliver on our Plan for Change.
“Liverpool has always been at the forefront with new ideas and innovation so it’s exciting that the project has entered this new phase, and I look forward to seeing it progress in the months ahead.”
Councillor Liam Robinson, Leader of Liverpool City Council, said: “The clearance of the old police station at Paddington South is a landmark moment in our journey to ensuring Liverpool becomes one of Europe’s leading R&D centres in science innovation.
“An expanded Paddington Village is vital to the city’s future economic growth and to creating a conveyor belt of high skilled jobs. Once delivered, this former brownfield site will become the engine room for the delivery of our wider Investment Zone plans for the coming decade and beyond.
“I’m delighted the focus on providing a world-class development is as much on sustainability and creating a new green lung in the city and look forward to seeing the masterplan for the site take shape and develop.”
Professor Tim Jones, Vice Chancellor at the University of Liverpool, said, “We are excited about this latest milestone in the development of Paddington South. This site provides us with an exciting opportunity to realise a step-change in our research and development activities in areas where we are already rated as world-leading.
“We are particularly passionate about the important benefits the development will have for our city in terms of jobs, reputation, wealth generation and more.”
Colin Sinclair, CEO at Knowledge Quarter Liverpool, said: “Paddington Village is intrinsic to the future success of the KQ Liverpool innovation district, with the capability to help create upwards of 10,000 new, highly-skilled jobs in the city region, building on our existing strengths in life sciences, robotics engineering and materials chemistry.
“The provision of green space and other amenities is crucial in creating a genuine sense of place and attracting people to live and work here. We look forward to supporting Morgan Sindall and the city council in their efforts to complete this next phase of work – taking us a step closer to realising the enormous potential of Paddington Village.”
Steven Gregory, North West Area Director at Morgan Sindall, said: “The completion of this demolition marks a key milestone not just in the transformation of Paddington Village South, but in Liverpool’s wider ambition to become a powerhouse for innovation.
“As in our previous work at the Knowledge Quarter, we’ve taken a sustainability-first approach – maximising reuse and recycling throughout the process, and working with fantastic partners like ReciproCity to ensure surplus furniture went to local charities instead of landfill. This project is about building for the future – creating opportunities, driving social value, and leaving a legacy that benefits the community for generations to come.”
New Anglia University (NAU) has announced a significant expansion to its UK Clinical Rotation Network by partnering with 10 additional NHS hospitals. This initiative provides NAU medical students with enhanced opportunities for real-world clinical training across a broad range of NHS facilities in London, Shropshire, and the West Midlands.
The Newly Partnered NHS Hospitals are institutions that are recognised among the UK’s leading hospitals for clinical excellence, patient care, and specialist training, making them ideal environments for future physicians to develop the skills and confidence required in modern healthcare.
The new partners are: Newham Centre for Mental Health, London, Tower Hamlets Centre for Mental Health, London, City & Hackney Centre for Mental Health, London, The Redwoods Centre, Shrewsbury, Bushey Fields Hospital, Dudley, Dorothy Pattison Hospital, Walsall, Edward Street Hospital, West Bromwich, Hallam Street Hospital, West Bromwich, Penn Hospital, Wolverhampton.
These partnerships offer greater access to UK-based clinical placements, reduce waiting times, and broaden the clinical exposure available to NAU students. Rotations are tailored to reflect NHS systems and standards, enabling students to build relevant experience and develop professional readiness for UK-based careers.
Provost of New Anglia University, Prof. Oleg Kvlividze, MD, PhD, said, “This expansion reinforces New Anglia University’s commitment to forward-thinking medical education. We’re providing our students with real-world NHS exposure, while building partnerships that address both local health needs and global talent shortages.”
A New Pathway for Medicine
For decades, aspiring doctors in the UK have faced a lengthy, expensive, and high-pressure path to becoming a doctor. At top UK medical schools, becoming a doctor typically takes 8 to 14 years, with tuition and accommodation costs approaching £200,000. With rising tuition fees, GP shortages, and student burnout, many are now looking beyond traditional routes.
New Anglia University, located in Anguilla in the Caribbean, offers an innovative, fast-track MD program that’s rapidly becoming a compelling alternative. Students spend just 20 months on campus, followed by UK-based clinical rotations after two years, offering a streamlined and affordable option for a new generation of medical professionals.
“In Anguilla, we’re not just accelerating medical education, we’re redesigning it to focus on wellness, relevance, and real-world experience. Our model empowers students through its alignment with the UK Foundation Programme and postgraduate pathways, as well as mentorship and references from practising NHS physicians. It offers students a new pathway to NHS rotations with a clearer, faster way to achieve their license.”
This expansion is the latest step in NAU’s mission to provide high-quality, internationally aligned medical training while addressing workforce shortages and reshaping the preparation of future doctors.
To learn more about New Anglia University, our MD program, and UK clinical opportunities, please visit www.newanglia.com
By Claire Foreman, Director, Greater Manchester Institute of Technology
Claire Foreman
When the Greater Manchester Institute of Technology (GMIoT) prepared to welcome its first cohort of students in September 2023, one critical question framed our thinking: what is truly distinctive about being an Institute of Technology (IoT) student?
Across the UK, Institutes of Technology have emerged as a new and necessary solution to address skills shortages in high-demand technical sectors. Some are housed in landmark buildings, purpose-built and equipped with the latest engineering or digital technologies. These spaces play a significant role in showcasing regional investment in technical education. But at GMIoT, our approach has taken a different path, less focused on physical infrastructure, more invested in systemic, collaborative delivery.
A Distributed but Unified Model
GMIoT was created through a partnership of FE colleges, the University of Salford, and strategic employers. We operate on a hub-and-spoke model, with each partner institution upgrading and re-equipping their own STEM teaching environments to meet the needs of IoT students.
The University of Salford, our lead partner, is building a new facility that will serve its own IoT students and also host regional events. Meanwhile, Ada, the National College for Digital Skills, had no Manchester base before IoT funding enabled it to convert a disused Department for Education site in Ancoats into a thriving digital learning hub.
This distributed model is more than a logistical choice; it reflects our commitment to embedding high-quality technical education within existing institutional ecosystems while linking them through a common framework of excellence.
Beyond the Building: Defining the Student Experience
Having high-tech kit is a starting point, not the endpoint. What distinguishes an IoT student experience is not simply where learners study, but how they learn, and how closely that learning is aligned to real industry needs.
Many colleges today aspire to employer-led curricula, live briefs, and enrichment through visits or guest speakers. Yet in practice, these elements can be inconsistent, present in some courses, some years, for some students. Too often, especially at higher education (HE) levels within colleges, these features are deprioritised due to limited scale, staffing pressures, or siloed quality assurance systems.
IoTs like GMIoT were established to break this cycle. We were designed to embed employer engagement, technical rigour, and practical experience into the core of every programme, not as an add-on or aspiration, but as standard.
Building a Talent Pipeline That Works
At the heart of GMIoT’s mission is the commitment to developing a robust talent pipeline for Greater Manchester’s priority sectors. That means students benefit from:
Regular exposure to industry: From employer-reviewed curricula and real-world assessment tasks to site visits, networking events, and guest speakers, we ensure that learning is informed by the latest in business and technology.
Teaching by industry-informed staff: Our delivery partners bring both academic expertise and current sector knowledge further enriching the student experience through hands-on employer training. For example, an employer might demonstrate the latest drone surveying technologies or share digital twin modelling, or recommend specialist software for courses; our partners help keep our curriculum industry-relevant and future-focused.
Access to industry-grade facilities: Our students train with the technologies and tools they’ll encounter in the workplace in new or upgraded workshops and labs. They are also exposed to university research facilities that widens their horizons and provides a glimpse of future technologies they’re likely to encounter in the workplace.
A shared student identity: Through dual branding, shared induction resources, welcome packs, and community-wide events, we cultivate a sense of belonging that spans campuses and partner institutions.
Systematising Excellence Across the Partnership
To avoid the “postcode lottery” effect in student experience, GMIoT implemented a set of baseline commitments for every programme under its banner. These include:
Annual employer reviews of course content
A defined number of assessments based on real industry scenarios
A pre-planned programme of enrichment activities: guest speakers, industry visits, competitions, and events
Rather than relying on ad-hoc arrangements, we organise employer engagement across all providers and subjects. So instead of last minute invites to guest speakers who are already familiar to students, we deliver a planned and considered selection of fresh employer contributions aligned to current trends. For example, bringing in a guest speaker to discuss a new process of manufacture being trialled that is not yet part of a given course requirement, a visit to a modular build production site during a modern methods of construction module, or a visit to a robotics centre during an AI module.
We also support partner staff by centrally arranging many of these opportunities, helping to mitigate workload and ensure equitable access across delivery sites.
Creating Cross-Provider Cohesion
We knew from the outset that IoT students needed to feel part of something beyond their individual course or college. So we developed a shared Welcome Campaign, delivered at induction across all providers. Students receive branded materials and a launch presentation that introduces them to the wider GMIoT network and what it means to be an IoT student.
This branding is not cosmetic, it’s part of a broader effort to develop student identity and community. We organise joint events, such as our cross-partner student conference, which began in year one with 60 students and grew significantly in year two. Students benefit from peer networking, cross-sector insights, and collaborative learning that would not be possible within isolated cohorts.
We’ve also made available a year-round calendar of enrichment opportunities, including visits to university research facilities and employer sites. Students from colleges such as Wigan & Leigh and Tameside now regularly access experiences such as Salford University’s Energy House, Siemens’ digitally twinned smart factory, or the North of England Robotics Innovation Centre.
Equipping Students for a Changing Workforce
Recognising the evolving demands of modern employers, and the wider skillset HE students need as a result, we introduced enhancement themes. Our current theme is Sustainability, which includes:
Carbon Literacy training, led by trained staff within partner institutions
A student competition and themed conference sessions
A curated set of web-based resources and tools
LinkedIn workshops to help students present their achievements and sustainability credentials
These themes go beyond subject knowledge. They develop critical thinking, digital skills, and workplace readiness, traits increasingly demanded by employers.
Evaluating Impact, Evolving Practice
At the end of year one, we undertook a structured review of the student experience. With support from the Gatsby Foundation and consultant Gill Scott, we collaborated with other IoTs to explore what makes a student journey truly distinctive.
Workshops with delivery staff, support teams and leadership proved valuable not only for research but also for building shared understanding and buy-in. From this, we developed a draft Statement of Intent and accompanying quality framework to underpin and guide our work.
Rather than adding administrative burden, the framework provides a structured lens for reflective improvement. We’ve resisted a rigid entitlement approach, recognising the diversity of study modes, but rather, the framework acts as a catalyst for conversations around quality and ambition.
A Model for Regional Growth and Inclusion
Institutes of Technology were never intended to replicate traditional HE or FE institutions. Instead, they were created to fill a critical space: employer-led, technically focused higher education that serves regional economies and opens new doors for students who may not have considered a university pathway.
In Greater Manchester, where our economy is shifting towards clean growth, digital innovation, and advanced manufacturing, the need for a skilled technical workforce is urgent. GMIoT aims to meet that demand not only by training individuals but by working in deep partnership with industry to co-create the skills solutions of tomorrow.
Through a shared ethos, consistent delivery standards, and a relentless focus on employability, we believe we are well on the way to delivering on this mission.
Looking Ahead
We don’t claim to have all the answers. The GMIoT model is still evolving, and must continue to do so if it is to meet the changing needs of students, employers, and the wider regional economy. But we are confident that our model – collaborative, distributed, employer-aligned, and student-focused – offers something genuinely distinctive.
By building a cross-sector partnership with shared values and high expectations, we’re not just educating students. We’re laying the groundwork for a stronger, more inclusive, and more prosperous Greater Manchester, powered by the next generation of technically skilled, work-ready professionals.
Research by leading food and facilities management services provider, Sodexo, has sought to address growing concerns regarding the Lived Experience of members of the Armed Forces based in the UK. The report, titled ‘The Future Lived Experience: Supporting the UK’s Armed Forces in the 2030s’, is the latest step in Sodexo’s ongoing research and solution development in the defence industry.
The report’s purpose is to support the ongoing work of the Armed Forces in their recruitment and retention drives, ensuring that those living and working on military bases have the best possible Lived Experience. It comes at a time when the combined full-time trained strength of the UK Armed Forces is rapidly decreasing.
Overall figures released by the Ministry of Defence show the combined full-time trained strength of the UK’s Armed Forces decreased by 3,620 personnel to a total of 127,040 between January 2024 and January 20251. Meanwhile, 41% of personnel are now actively looking for a new role outside the Forces2.
As part of Sodexo’s commitment to close collaboration with government, the Armed Forces, and other relevant stakeholders, it hosted the Lived Experience Forum, in late 2024 in London, to discuss the issues impacting the lived experience of personnel living in Ministry of Defence facilities across the UK.
Participants at Forum included individuals from across defence, industry, academia and the third sector, and transcended rank, age, background, geography and service branch. The day was designed to allow all participants to express their views freely and openly. To that end, serving personnel were asked to not wear uniforms, and rank was not used throughout the day.
Through the Forum and one-to-one interviews with over 100 participants Sodexo’s research for the report also took into account the results of its 2024 Annual Defence Survey which collates feedback from around 6,000 military personnel across tri-Service locations at which it delivers services.
This extensive research enabled Sodexo to draw up a series of ten recommendations to improve the Lived Experience, covering areas of Armed Forces life from accommodation and food to internet access and the provision of childcare.
Paul Anstey, CEO of Sodexo Government UK & Ireland, said: “As a facilities management company with deep links to the Armed Forces community, we see it as our duty to work with partners and colleagues to deliver a Lived Experience standard that a modern military population expects, and of which we can be proud.
“In response to this, and in line with the government’s ‘One Defence’ strategy, we have embarked on this ambitious programme of research as we look ahead to the 2030s and beyond and consider the changing nature of Defence people and their needs.
“This forms part of our wider body of research and solution development in the defence space which clearly shows that the Lived Experience is critical to the happiness and success of our Armed Forces.”
A major theme to emerge from the research is the need for policy change to account for the evolution of modern family life and personal relationships. A key recommendation in the report is the creation of so-called ‘family passports’. These would combine existing data on health needs, the education stage of children, and housing requirements to ensure continuity and a seamless transition between defence sites as families are transferred.
Recommendations also look at the role of food and accommodation as the essentials of a “modern, stable” Lived Experience within the Armed Forces. The report advocates a minimum, universal measure of the quality of the Lived Experience to ensure consistency across the Defence estate.
A further recommendation covers the role of military establishments in local communities and makes clear the need to better engage with those ‘outside the wire’ to improve the image of the Armed Forces and encourage more young people to consider defence careers.
Mark Baker, Chief Operating Officer of Sodexo Defence, added:“The recommendations of this report speak to the candid nature of the conversations we were able to have with people from across the military rank structure and the Civil Service, as well as academics, those in the third sector, and peers in the facilities management industry.
“Combined with our Annual Defence Survey, this valuable insight into the views of a wide range of stakeholders sheds new light on what is expected of the Lived Experience, and how we can best anticipate the needs of our Armed Forces into the 2030s and beyond. Many of our findings will not be new news to those in Armed Forces leadership. However, we feel the detail of this report represents not just the evidence but a constructive discussion of options that will address issues with the Lived Experience.
“At a time when recruitment and retention pose a significant challenge, the Lived Experience of those in our Armed Forces is under more scrutiny than ever. We look forward to working with the Armed Forces and our other partners to further influence this discussion and play our part in creating the Lived Experience that our Armed Forces deserve.”
The ten recommendations from the report are:
Family passports should be created to ensure continuity and a seamless transition between defence sites using existing data from the Joint Personnel Administration System. This should be implemented as part of the new Defence Human Resources System (DefHRS) which will replace JPA in early 2027.
Military establishments should work towards providing more equitable early years provision across bases and allow greater flexibility for working parents.
Encourage military establishments to make active contributions to local communities. This could be through partnerships with schools and colleges or by nominating at least one community project each year to sponsor with labour or services from the base.
The Ministry of Defence should conduct a review of the risk appetite for allowing partners of unmarried personnel, outside groups and members of the community onto base and streamline the permissions process, leveraging technology where necessary.
The Ministry of Defence should continue its work towards creating a clear minimum, universal service level for all Armed Forces accommodation to demonstrate commitment to improving standards and provision for all, including families and couples.
Where not already in place, base commanders should be encouraged to establish open forums where issues and quick wins affecting the Lived Experience within the Armed Forces can be discussed and actioned with senior base management representation. Representation of women and other minority groups is critical to ensure all demographics serving have a voice.
Give families greater choice and access to consistent information about new military establishments and accommodation. The present system of Service Families Accommodation should be maintained and more consistently used across military establishments.
Ensure personal Wi-Fi meets the standard and cost that would be expected in civilian life. A review of the current wireless internet provision available for personal use by service persons should be conducted by the Ministry of Defence if not already underway.
External catering providers should provide greater flexibility, choice and transparency to allow serving personnel to make informed decisions about their food and improve provision for different food cultures, particularly considering Commonwealth Personnel.
Create a forum for more regular engagement between the Ministry of Defence and providers and users of similar Lived Experience services to gauge wider standards within the sector, looking to better align with examples such as higher education institutions.
Sodexo’s report – ‘The Future Lived Experience: Supporting the UK’s Armed Forces in the 2030s’ – can be accessed here: sodexouki.info/FutureLivedExperience
Where healthcare environments are increasingly complex and diverse, operational effectiveness is not just a goal; it is a necessity. From acute primary care to major trauma services, the daily functioning of thousands of clinical and microbiological assets underpins patient care and safety. Yet, a challenge remains: performance data for these critical assets is often fragmented, creating a siloed, incomplete view of performance and reliability.
As healthcare systems need to be increasingly efficient and sustainable, gaining a comprehensive, integrated and clear picture of asset performance has become essential.
This challenge reflects a broader issue across large healthcare facilities. Assets ranging from air handling units to energy-intensive equipment in clinical labs need to work in harmony. However, without a unified view, managing these systems holistically can be an uphill battle.
Sodexo, in collaboration with its client Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), identified the need to improve the visibility and reliability of critical assets, to ensure they are fit for purpose in supporting clinical operations, are cost-efficient and also address both Sodexo’s and MFT’s sustainability goals.
Embracing a holistic view of asset performance
Due to the complexity of the asset management within MFT, Sodexo knew a solution needed to be both robust and adaptable. Drawing from its experience across various global sectors, multiple market solutions were assessed, each offering potential benefits, with Xempla being selected as its partner.
Xempla is a decision automation system which specialises in asset performance management. Xempla’s software provides Sodexo with a comprehensive suite of tools designed to enhance decision-making for Operations & Maintenance (O&M) teams.
Xempla stands out for its advanced capabilities, including functional design data, anomaly detection, energy optimisation, predictive analytics, and maintenance optimisation. The technology’s ability to integrate seamlessly with mechanical assets that emit performance data enables Sodexo teams to monitor asset health in real-time and to act proactively.
The system has been integrated into MFT’s ecosystem with a clear goal to streamline operations, anticipate potential failures, and optimise energy usage through real-time insights. Since its deployment Xempla has enabled a smarter, more responsive approach to managing critical infrastructure at MFT, bolstering clinical reliability and one that aligns with the Trust’s sustainability goals.
Real-time insights for proactive management
Sodexo’s partnership with Xempla went live in 2022 with a pilot phase that sought to bring real-time data analysis into MFT’s asset management process. Starting with essential air handling units, Xempla has since expanded to over 2,000 assets and 12,000 data points, each streaming data every 15 minutes. From the outset, Xempla’s real-time monitoring provides early insights into asset deviations, which is helping engineers investigate and correct minor issues before they escalate into critical failures.
Integration with IBM Maximo used by Sodexo has further enhanced the system, allowing technicians to receive work orders directly to their tablets. Each order comes with specific recommendations based on real-time data from Xempla, enabling immediate corrective actions without delay. This efficiency in communication has transformed maintenance from a reactive to a proactive approach, as technicians are empowered to address issues before they impact clinical operations.
Building confidence and supporting sustainable goals
With the implementation of Xempla’s decision automation system, MFT has achieved more than just operational efficiency; it has instilled a new level of confidence in asset reliability. Facility managers have greater assurance that essential equipment will perform consistently without disrupting clinical processes. The performance measurements from these critical assets have significantly contributed to the MFT’s Green Plan and net zero targets.
In just nine months, the MFT site team had fully operationalised a data-led O&M approach, allowing them to leverage actionable insights from Xempla and amplify the impact of each proactive maintenance measure.
Xempla’s framework, known as the DIIV Framework (Discover, Investigate, Implement, and Verify), facilitates an intuitive human-technology collaboration model. Engineers and technicians can quickly identify issues, investigate causes, implement solutions, and verify outcomes—all within a streamlined digital workspace.
The tool’s core modules include ‘no-code fault detection and diagnostics’, ‘a workflow module’, and a ‘workbench’ for engineers to pinpoint key opportunities. Additional modules such as energy monitoring, maintenance optimisation, and an asset health index offer even deeper insights.
Together, these features deliver a holistic approach to asset management, allowing MFT not only to improve operational resilience but also to make meaningful strides toward environmental sustainability.
Tangible results: Efficiency, cost savings, and environmental impact
While technological improvements often require substantial investment, the return on investment for MFT has been remarkable. Within the first nine months of utilising Xempla’s system, MFT has observed substantial benefits:
• Avoided 102 early asset lifecycle events: Proactive maintenance and real-time monitoring prevented issues that would have required costly repairs or replacements, extending the lifespan of critical assets.
• Prevented 83 critical asset outages: This reduction in downtime translates to uninterrupted service delivery, a crucial factor in a major trauma and acute care hospital.
• £349,000 reduction in energy costs: Improved energy monitoring and optimisation through Xempla enabled MFT to decrease energy use, leading to significant financial savings.
• 1.2 million kWh reduction in electricity consumption: By optimising energy consumption, MFT has reduced its environmental impact substantially.
• Over 2,500 tonnes less carbon emitted into the atmosphere: As MFT works toward its net zero goals, the reduction in carbon emissions represents a crucial step in aligning healthcare with environmental responsibility. This also contributes to a reduction in Sodexo’s Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions – those which sit outside of the organisation’s direct control, delivering progress towards Sodexo’s target to achieve net zero 2040.
• ROI of £2.25 million over 10 years: The financial benefits of Xempla’s system are clear, with long-term savings that far exceed the initial investment.
Redefining asset management in healthcare
The integration of Xempla at MFT is a testament to the transformative power of advanced asset management in healthcare.
This partnership between Sodexo and MFT has not only improved the reliability and efficiency of essential hospital assets but has also shown how strategic technological investments can lead to substantial environmental and financial gains. In a sector where every decision impacts patient care and safety, having a unified, data-driven view of asset performance is invaluable.
This highlights a shift in asset management, moving from fragmented oversight to a connected, proactive model.
Through partnerships like this, hospitals can achieve greater resilience, optimise costs, and contribute positively to environmental goals, setting a new benchmark for what healthcare facilities can accomplish in the digital age.
AI’s increasing presence poses a real danger of making an already sizable digital literacy divide worse. Jon Rimmer, CXO at Mercator Digital, says governments and organisations have a responsibility to bridge this gap, explaining both why and how.
Jon Rimmer
New technology is designed – or at least is meant to be designed – to make life easier. In the UK, for example, people can now renew passports online, file taxes through HMRC’s digital service, receive emergency alerts on their phones, and even attend virtual Jobcentre appointments – all in the name of saving time and improving access.
However, for those with low digital literacy, advancements in technology can in fact do the exact opposite, further excluding people who are already marginalised.
Similarly, both older people and those with physical and mental disabilities often encounter accessibility issues that make digital tools frustrating or even unusable. Again, this can be down to equipment and connectivity issues, but lack of confidence or skills to utilise technology also come into play. A survey of people with severe mental illness, for example, found that 42% lacked basic digital skills, such as changing passwords or connecting to Wi-Fi.
While it’s already widely acknowledged that digital exclusion disproportionately affects the above-mentioned groups, even beyond the barriers of access and affordability, 21% of people still say they feel left behind by technology.
These are all high figures that, with the advent of AI, are at risk of rising.
The impact of AI on digital exclusion
AI of course has the potential to drastically improve public services, healthcare, education, and employment. But, if not carefully designed and implemented, it also risks deepening digital exclusion.
For those already struggling to use digital systems, AI adds complexity to interactions. Chatbots and automated interfaces, for example, are becoming increasingly common in settings like healthcare and social services, where human interaction is often essential. These tools can confuse users with low digital literacy or those experiencing mental health challenges, creating yet another barrier between vulnerable individuals and the services they need.
Looking beyond usability, there’s also a deeper structural problem: the data used to train most AI models is inherently biased. These datasets are often pulled from the web, where information has historically been shaped by academic, technical, and hobbyist communities (think Western, white, middle-class, English-speaking men). As a result, marginalised groups are significantly underrepresented, leading AI systems to reflect and reinforce existing social inequalities; a problem further propagated through continued use.
And this is not just theoretical. Take the COVID-19 pandemic as an example, where the impact of AI bias was clear as day – an AI system downgraded exam results for 39% of students, disproportionately affecting those from disadvantaged schools.
We’ve seen other examples in healthcare too, with recent research showing that AI systems being developed to diagnose skin cancer run the risk of being less accurate for people with dark skin, simply because the data used is predominantly from those with lighter skin. In this case, it’s a disparity with potentially life-threatening implications.
Four strategies to bridge the digital divide
For me, governments and organisations have a responsibility to address both this bias and the widening digital divide. If not, they risk a huge proportion of the public feeling annoyed, isolated and inadequate – and that’s at best. At worst, there’s a real risk that the needs of the UK’s most vulnerable people are not met; which in turn causes significant implications for education, employment, and health and wellbeing.
With this in mind, below are some practical strategies for ensuring AI-powered services are intuitive, inclusive, and adaptable to different needs:
Embed inclusive research as a foundational step in service design: In order to ensure inclusion from the outset, robust user research is key. When it comes to the design of Government Digital Services, researchers have always held the responsibility of amplifying the voices of marginalised and digitally excluded groups, ensuring that services derived are effective and usable for all. Researchers also play a key role in the ethical and responsible uses of AI, which is something that must continue into every stage of service design. Prioritising researchers’ work here helps uncover the real-world challenges people face, not just assumptions based on the experiences of digital natives.
While there is already a well-established community of researchers across Government, there is always more that can be done to share findings across Departments that will relate more widely than the individual project to which a researcher is assigned.
We also need to continue validating digital services with representative users at every stage of development, using insights from government researchers to shape and test design decisions.
Apply the MASTA framework to AI inclusion:
Motivation: If users don’t see how AI improves their daily lives or work, they’re less likely to develop the skills to use it. As such, it’s important to raise public awareness of how AI and data can be used safely and meaningfully. This education needs to be embedded early in schools and extended to older adults through touchpoints. The NHS, for example, is already doing a great job of this, showcasing the advantages of aggregated data.
Access: For AI technologies to work, they quite often need reliable internet, modern devices, and supporting infrastructure. Without access to these things, existing digital divides will only deepen. The Government must continue to fund or subsidise broadband roll out, providing hubs where people can get access and support.
Security: Security is a big concern for many, but is especially worrisome to those lacking the skills and knowledge of how to stay safe online. That’s why practical training on how to recognise and protect against AI-enabled and general digital scams is key. This guidance should be accessible and relevant to different age groups and communities.
Trust: If people don’t trust that AI is fair, unbiased, and secure, they simply won’t engage with it – so we need a better explanation of how data is derived and used within systems to improve trust in use.
Anxiety: People need help to build confidence with anything new – without this, even well-designed AI tools risk being underused. So again, training and education to improve confidence whilst interacting with digital tools and services is key here. But it’s not just about people; systems and interfaces also need to do their part. Baking in appropriate reassurances at key moments can reduce cognitive overload and performance anxiety. Time and time again, I’ve seen technically confident users demonstrate impoverished skills under stress. Think of the panic that hits when filling out a tax return and wondering, “If I get this wrong, do I go to jail?” Thoughtful prompts, clear feedback, and supportive design cues can make all the difference.
Tackle AI bias and break down silos through smarter collaboration: For Governments to design services that are intuitive, inclusive, and adaptable to different needs, it’s time to approach potential biases in AI head on by understanding where data sets are derived from and actively work to acknowledge, avoid or counterbalance skewed inputs. At the same time, we need to accelerate programmes that reduce silos across government departments, while bolstering security measures to ensure individual and business data is secure. This, of course, is far easier said than done. It’s key to recognise that, unlike start-ups, the government can’t always “move quickly and break things,” but closer alliances with smaller companies can help it quickly learn from their techniques and findings.
Strengthen policy frameworks and funding: While I think we don’t necessarily need brand new initiatives, as some helpful ones already exist, the issue is a lack of attention or/and funding. Service Standard 5 (a UK government digital standard), for example, is already about inclusion, ensuring everyone can use digital services, including people with disabilities, low confidence, or no internet access. But, it’s perhaps time to specifically call out AI in this standard, making sure it’s clear that inclusion must extend to AI-driven services too.
Alternatively, I’d like to see a specific standard on AI and Data within the Government Digital Service Standards to make sure these technologies are designed and deployed in a way that doesn’t exclude vulnerable people. Existing initiatives, like Helen Milner’s ‘Good Things Foundation’, are already working to boost digital skills in underrepresented communities. They just need more support and funding to scale that work and to add a focus on AI resilience.
The bottom line here is that AI doesn’t have to reinforce the status quo, or deepen an existing gap. With thoughtful design, transparent data practices, and meaningful human oversight, AI has the potential to break it entirely.
Cyber threats to the UK public sector are escalating. From local councils and NHS trusts to education providers and policing bodies, public services are being stretched not just by limited budgets and ageing infrastructure but also by a rising tide of cyberattacks that exploit those weaknesses.
While ransomware and phishing grab the headlines, the biggest long-term risk isn’t necessarily the breach itself. It’s what happens after the breach: when sensitive data is exposed, exfiltrated, and exploited, often without anyone even realising until it’s too late.
We need to reframe the conversation. The public sector’s blind spot is no longer malware; it’s data exposure, and the looming threat of quantum computing will only widen that gap unless urgent action is taken.
The real threat isn’t entry — it’s exposure
Most public sector cyber strategies still focus on keeping attackers out. Firewalls, intrusion detection, and endpoint protection are all necessary, but increasingly insufficient. Threat actors are finding ways in, often via third-party suppliers, misconfigured cloud services, or social engineering attacks that bypass even the best defences.
The truth is, a determined attacker will get in. The critical question is: what happens when they do?
In too many cases, the answer is simple — they help themselves to vast volumes of unprotected, sensitive data. Medical records, housing applications, safeguarding reports, benefits claims — the crown jewels of our digital public services — all sitting on servers without adequate data-layer protection.
This isn’t hypothetical. The NHS ransomware attack in 2022 exposed critical patient data. Several councils have faced data breaches linked to supplier vulnerabilities. The public sector is a goldmine for cybercriminals, and right now, we’re making their job far too easy.
The Quantum clock is ticking
Add to this the quantum computing threat, and the picture becomes even more alarming.
Quantum computers, once operational at scale, will be capable of breaking today’s widely used encryption standards. That means encrypted data stolen today can be stored and decrypted in the future — a strategy already being adopted by sophisticated threat actors in what’s known as “harvest now, decrypt later” campaigns.
This delayed detonation threat puts public sector organisations on the frontline. Data that seems safe today because it’s encrypted may be completely exposed in five, ten, or fifteen years. And let’s be clear: councils and NHS trusts hold precisely the kind of long-term, high-sensitivity data that adversaries are targeting.
If the public sector continues to delay action, it is effectively sleepwalking into a quantum-fuelled data breach crisis.
Time to prioritise Data Protection and Risk Mitigation (DPRM)
We need to stop thinking of cybersecurity as an exercise in perimeter control. The real battlefield is data itself. That’s where public sector strategy must evolve with Data Protection and Risk Mitigation (DPRM) at the core.
DPRM is a forward-thinking, data-centric approach that:
Protects sensitive data comprehensively, not just at rest but in transit and in use
Implements access controls based on context and risk, not just static permissions
Reduces the impact of a breach by rendering stolen data inaccessible and unusable
And crucially, prepares for a quantum future, using quantum-safe encryption standards to protect data beyond today’s threats.
Unlike large-scale IT overhauls, DPRM doesn’t require the public sector to rip and replace legacy systems. It’s a layered, complementary strategy that can be introduced across existing infrastructure (cloud or on-prem) and scaled at pace.
This is data protection that adapts to real-world constraints: tight budgets, hybrid working, and fragmented systems. DPRM is about resilience through visibility and control, not complexity and cost.
Budget challenges are no justification for inaction
Yes, public sector budgets are under enormous pressure. But when weighed against the costs of a breach — reputational damage, regulatory fines, service disruption, and legal claims — investing in proactive data protection becomes not just justifiable, but essential.
The reality is that the cost of recovering from a breach is almost always higher than the cost of preventing one. And with GDPR, FOI, and other compliance requirements in force, failing to safeguard citizen data isn’t just risky, it’s unlawful.
DPRM allows organisations to demonstrate accountability, improve audit readiness, and maintain public trust, all while protecting the data that underpins modern service delivery.
This is a leadership moment
The public sector has shown remarkable innovation over the last decade, from open data to digital services, from AI in local government to cloud-first NHS policies. But cybersecurity has to catch up.
It’s time to be bold. Data is the lifeblood of our public services. Failing to protect it is not an option, especially when the solutions are available, proven, and designed to work within existing operational constraints.
Public sector leaders must act now to:
Acknowledge the data exposure threat — it’s already happening, and quantum will make it worse
Prioritise DPRM as a foundational capability, not a “nice to have”
Act now, not later, because the data being stolen today could be your organisation’s future crisis.
Let’s stop patching up the perimeter and start protecting what really matters. Let’s make data protection a pillar of public sector resilience now, and for the quantum-powered future ahead.
Almost half (45%) of school leaders have reported an increase in suspensions and exclusions over the past 12 months, according to a new Browne Jacobson survey.
Philip Wood
In contrast, only 22% have noted a decrease, with the remainder saying there had been no change or they were unsure.
Findings in the UK and Ireland law firm’s summer 2025 School Leaders Survey – which also highlights the issue of deteriorating pupil behaviour – are revealed as schools await publication of the government’s delayed annual national behaviour survey.
These correlate with the latest Department for Education data, which shows suspensions rose by 12% annually to 295,559 and permanent exclusions were up by 2% to 3,107 in the 2023/24 spring term.
Nearly 200 trust and multi-academy trust leaders – including CEOs, executive headteachers, trustees and governors – representing more than 1,700 schools and responsible for almost a million pupils in England, completed the survey during May 2025.
Philip Wood, Principal Associate in the education team at Browne Jacobson, said: “Exclusions and suspensions are near an all-time high, but this is a reflection of underlying issues.
“Principal among them, as highlighted in the survey, is SEND and the balance for schools fundamentally between inclusion and the disadvantages posed to other students by a minority of poor behaviour.
“That behaviour has gotten worse since the pandemic is clearly highlighted by the survey.”
The survey also illustrates that:
Four in five (79%) leaders say pupil behaviour has deteriorated since the Covid-19 pandemic, with a third (33%) reporting it has got significantly worse – compared to only 4% believing it has improved.
Balancing behaviour management with inclusion is regarded as the biggest challenge in managing suspensions and exclusions by 38% of respondents, followed by the lack of alternative options (33%) and a lack of support for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) (16%).
Only one in five (19%) leaders believe alternative provision for excluded students effectively supports their educational outcomes, with 55% saying it is sometimes effective and 27% feeling it was rarely or never the case.
Three-quarters (74%) of leaders said alternative provision to permanent exclusion was used but this fell to 58% for managed moves, the other main external alternative. Seven in 10 (71%) also used restorative justice in some form.
Philip added: “A theme of the responses was the difficulties in getting timely support, including the use of cost-effective quality alternative provision, to avoid the need to permanently exclude pupils.
“We hear frequently how there can be a perception – or, in some areas, explicit advice – that permanently excluding a pupil will open access to further support or a timelier consideration of other options.
“This reactive approach doesn’t feel like a sustainable one. Developing a more proactive system characterised by early intervention would be in the best interests of pupils at risk of suspension or exclusion.”
Arcadis-led team brings expertise from engineering, data analysis, and design
Programme includes consultancy services across 26 core competencies including asset operation, road user behaviour, strategic transport planning, sustainability, and more.
Arcadis already delivering award-winning data-centric approach to prevent crashes in Warwickshire
Arcadis, the leading global design and consultancy firm for natural and built assets, is excited to announce that an Arcadis-led consortium has been selected for the Specialist and Technical Services 3 (SPaTS3) framework by National Highways. The consortium includes Carnell, COWI, Deloitte, MICHELIN Mobility Intelligence, and a broad supplier ecosystem.
The SPaTS3 framework offers comprehensive access to multi-disciplinary services for National Highways across England, enabling projects that range from minor assignments to significant and strategic initiatives. This prestigious framework encompasses consultancy services across 26 core competencies, including asset operation, maintenance, assurance and performance, statistics and transport modelling, pavement engineering, road user behaviour, strategic transport planning and policy, and sustainability, among others.
Leigh Jones, UK & Ireland Mobility Sales Director at Arcadis said “Securing a position on the Specialist and Technical Services 3 (SPaTS3) framework is a testament to the strength and expertise of our team and our commitment to delivering innovative, sustainable solutions for National Highways. Through deep collaboration, proactive decision-making, and cutting-edge innovation, we are driving forward solutions that create a safer and more efficient future while supporting the strategic vision of National Highways. “
The Arcadis-led consortium is comprised of industry Carnell, COWI, Deloitte, and MICHELIN Mobility Intelligence, each bringing unique strengths and expertise in design, mobility intelligence, and asset management. Our differentiated offering inclusive of proprietary tools and AI-driven analytical frameworks, brings a unique perspective to solving the complicated challenges for National Highways and the millions of road users they serve every day.
This builds on Arcadis’ commitment to fostering innovative solutions and transformative outcomes across the National Highways network. A recent collaboration with MICHELIN Mobility Intelligence in Warwickshire County Council exemplifies this standard. Along the 36-mile Fosse Way corridor, substandard design, varying road users and other issues produced more than 100 crashes in five years. Arcadis and MICHELIN Mobility Intelligence harnessed cutting-edge data analytics to enhance road safety. The project focused on reducing collision and near-miss hotspots by analysing driver behaviour data, ultimately aiming to save lives. This programme recently received the distinction of being Highly Commended for the CIHT National Road Safety Award. Read more about this successful partnership here.
The Star Performer title is awarded to companies that have shown significant market impact, based on everything from new business wins and expanded service offerings to measurable improvements in customer experience. For Matrix, this marks its first time appearing on the report and the first as a Star Performer.
Roger Clements
“This recognition is a huge milestone,” said Roger Clements, Chief Growth Officer at Matrix. “It reflects the work we’ve put into building something that’s not just smart and scalable but grounded in the real-world needs of our clients. Whether it’s improving how organisations manage compliance, track temporary labour or gain better insight into spend, we’ve always focused on helping them adapt and grow.”
Matrix’s workforce management platform has evolved rapidly over the past 12–18 months, shaped by ongoing input from customers, partners and supplier networks. From helping our customers respond to fast-moving workforce demands to rolling out DE&I dashboards and improving contingent worker engagement, Matrix has been quietly raising the bar.
The company’s tech investments haven’t been about adding bells and whistles but about making everyday tasks simpler and smarter using design thinking, compliance tools and human-centred features that empower users to work more efficiently and confidently.
Ashley Doody, Matrix’s Chief Technology Officer, added: “We’ve been committed to designing a platform that is intuitive, responsive and helpful, especially when the stakes are high. It’s why we’ve centred on using low code as development tooling, in collaboration with OutSystems, so we can stay focused on the application and impact, while our technology partner looks after the rest for us.” Ashley adds “I’m incredibly proud of what our teams have delivered and this recognition from Everest validates our approach.”
For Matrix, being named a Star Performer isn’t a moment to stand still. It’s a signal to push further, working even more closely with clients and industry peers to co-create what’s next for workforce management.
The focus now is on continuous improvement, from enhancing supplier collaboration and safeguarding compliance to surfacing insights that help organisations stay one step ahead.
“This award shows how far we’ve come,” added Clements, “but it also reminds us of what’s still possible. The investments we have made in our platforms will continue, with the aim of ensuring our products meet the real-time needs of our customers, now and in the future. We’ll keep building, keep listening and keep partnering with them to shape a more agile and responsive workforce future for all.”
Pictured from L – R: Charlie Allen, Head of Business Development, Public Sector, Believ/Rokhsana Fiaz, the Mayor of Newham/ Edward Davison, Policy at Uber
The London Borough of Newham, together with EV charging infrastructure partners Believ and Uber, celebrated Clean Air Day 2025 by announcing their 500th on-street charge point, raising awareness of the fight to lower air pollution and deliver cleaner air for all.
The Borough has a hugely ambitious plan to turbocharge the rollout of charge points, with over 1,000 to be operational by April 2026 and 3,000 installed by 2030.
These are in support of the Council’s Climate Emergency Action Plan, with a goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030 and achieving net zero emissions by 2050. Many residents in Newham do not have driveways or any means of privately charging their vehicles, so the new publicly available charge points, near to their homes, are ensuring greater inclusivity for all current and future EV owners.
800 of the charge points are being fully funded through Uber and Believ, the charge point operator (CPO) that was awarded the contract to install, operate and maintain the chargers. While Believ and Uber are key contributors, Newham also benefits from additional sources of funding for the wider EVCP programme. Site selection for these charge points was informed by requests and feedback from local residents and Uber drivers to ensure the infrastructure is well-located and meets the needs of the community.
Mayor of Newham Rokhsana Fiaz OBE said: “We know how popular the existing EV charging points around Newham already are, which is why we want to see a lot more of them across the borough.
“Our Electric Vehicle Charging Point expansion is a great example of our Just Transition Plan in action, as it’s helping residents who’ve made the move to electric and hybrid vehicles save money through lower fuel and parking costs, as well as providing cleaner air for our residents, and lower CO2 emissions as more and more people move away from fossil-fuel powered cars.”
This rollout will support the high number of Uber drivers in Newham and is part of a larger initiative by Uber and Believ, which covers three London boroughs: Newham; Redbridge; and Brent.
Andrew Brem, General Manager of Uber in the UK, said: “Access to reliable charging is one of the most important factors in helping drivers make the switch to electric. We’re continuing to see Uber drivers switch to EVs much faster than the general public, thanks to projects like this that put chargers where they’re most needed. We’re proud to be supporting cleaner, healthier air for everyone living in Newham.”
Guy Bartlett, Believ CEO, says that the project is a great example of the private industry collaborating to accelerate the delivery of cleaner air for all: “This partnership is designed to support the specific needs of Newham Council’s residents, tackle the climate emergency and make electric vehicles accessible to all. The charge points will provide the convenience required for drivers to switch away from fossil fuels.”
Previously untapped insights from large volumes of anonymised diagnostic images could enable ground-breaking research and medical innovations needed to enhance patient care, following a first of its kind technology deployment in the NHS.
Barts Health NHS Trust, which serves one of the largest and most diverse patient populations in the country, has become the first healthcare provider in the NHS to implement Anonymise and Export from medical imaging IT company Sectra. As part of wider activity, it means that researchers will be empowered to shed new light on diseases, tailor treatments, and potentially inform the next generation of healthcare AI.
Anonymise and Export has been implemented within the trust’s existing Sectra enterprise imaging solution, a system widely used by NHS diagnosticians to analyse patient scans. The cutting-edge addition will allow for the seamless export of medical images to a secure data environment, with patient identifiers automatically removed. This removes a previously manually intensive process, releasing time for busy NHS teams, whilst addressing crucial privacy safeguards, and dramatically expanding research possibilities.
The de-identified imaging data will be integrated into the new Barts Health Data Platform (BHDP), which was formally launched in April 2025. The platform brings together different types of health information — such as scans, health records, and lab results — into one secure system that researchers can apply to use.
Steven Newhouse, deputy chief information officer for Barts Health NHS Trust, said: “We are now able to provide researchers and clinicians with access to health and imaging data at a scale we’ve not offered before. With robust safeguards in place, this development supports more efficient, secure research and marks meaningful progress in advancing medical innovation and understanding of disease.”
Deployed with the support of Sectra and the NIHR Barts Biomedical Research Centre, Sectra Anonymise and Export opens new avenues for medical research, paving the way for more comprehensive and insightful studies.
Professor Sir Mark Caulfield, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Queen Mary University of London, said: “The NIHR Barts Biomedical Research Centre is delighted to have enabled this groundbreaking advancement in access to medical imaging for research. This system represents a pivotal moment in our field — a true game-changer that unlocks the potential of big data while steadfastly protecting patient privacy. This is an exhilarating time of transformation, and I am proud to be part of this innovative journey.”
Sarah Jensen, chief information officer for Barts Health NHS Trust, added: “The diversity and sheer volume of data being integrated means a significant leap forward in our healthcare data research capabilities. NHS professionals are under pressure as they work to deliver the best possible care for patients. Academics and researchers in continual pursuit of medical advancements, can play a key role delivering innovations urgently needed.
“Now, we can securely and safely provide the data they need on a scale not previously possible, whilst safeguarding confidentiality, and without our busy NHS teams being asked to spend time manually removing identifiable information. The possibilities are immense.”
The technological deployment sets the stage for sophisticated AI-powered analysis of medical images. By leveraging advanced pattern recognition algorithms, that are available within the Azure Cloud that hosts the BHDP, researchers will be able to uncover hidden insights and draw more nuanced conclusions from the extensive dataset.
Jane Rendall, UK and Ireland managing director for Sectra, said: “Healthcare professionals at Barts Health have been at the forefront of innovation with imaging technology for many years – using our platform to diagnose and inform care for a great many patients across East London. This latest initiative takes that innovation to another level, securely and safely harnessing imaging data in ways that could radically change how care is delivered. I look forward to seeing the impact emerge for healthcare and patients alike.”
United Kingdom’s Carrier Strike Group now operating across the Indo-Pacific, following Mediterranean exercises and Red Sea transit
Key defence partnerships strengthened through naval exercises with India, Australia, US and other partners
Port visits to Singapore, Indonesia, Japan, and Republic of Korea set to boost UK trade and defence cooperation in line with the Government’s Plan for Change
UK security and growth has received a boost as the UK-led international Carrier Strike Group (CSG25) began operations in the Indo-Pacific.
Led by the aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, CSG25 has undertaken a joint exercise with the Indian Navy, deepening the UK’s defence relationship with a key strategic partner ahead of a port visit to India later this year.
The deployment, known as Operation Highmast, includes ships from Canada, Norway and Spain, and has now been joined by a New Zealand Frigate, HMNZS Te Kaha, after entering the Indian Ocean, having passed through the Red Sea.
HMS Prince of Wales off the coast of India whilst on Op Highmast
The task group, which left the UK in April, previously completed exercises in the Mediterranean.
Minister for the Armed Forces, Luke Pollard said:
“I am delighted that our Carrier Strike Group and 4,000 Service Personnel, are now operating in the Indo-Pacific region. Working with our Allies and partners, to keep Britain secure at home and strong abroad.
“This isn’t just about hard power; the upcoming exercises and port visits are about building influence and boosting trade opportunities both for defence and other sectors of our economy which will deliver British jobs and growth, and delivers on the Government’s Plan for Change.”
Commodore James Blackmore, Commander CSG said:
“The deployment sends a powerful message that the UK and its allies are committed to security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. It’s a privilege to lead our sailors, marines, soldiers and aircrew as we demonstrate warfighting capability.”
Over the next few months, CSG25 will join British Army and Royal Air Force units to participate in Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, the Australian-led multinational exercise involving US and many other regional partners. This major exercise builds towards full operational capability of the UK’s carrier strike capability.
With two F-35B squadrons embarked, the RAF and Royal Navy are set to redefine the landscape of naval air power, in a move to warfighting readiness in support of NATO, while reinforcing Britain’s commitment to security in the Indo-Pacific region.
Port visits to Singapore, Indonesia, Japan and the Republic of Korea will showcase British defence capabilities through trade demonstrations and fairs, directly supporting the Government’s Plan for Change through economic growth. A port visit to Darwin, Australia, provides an opportunity to further develop the AUKUS partnership between Australia, the UK and the United States.
The Carrier Strike Group will also host the prestigious Pacific Future Forum in Japan, bringing together defence, security and technology leaders from across the region to discuss shared challenges.
The deployment follows the Prime Minister’s historic commitment to increase defence spending to 2.6% of GDP, demonstrating the Government’s commitment to keep the UK secure at home and strong abroad.
Keeping the country safe is the Government’s first priority and is the foundation of its Plan for Change. The strength, capability and global reach of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force, demonstrated through Operation Highmast, is critical to the security and stability of the UK, supporting the delivery of the Government’s five missions.
The cyberattack against Marks & Spencer, which caused damages beyond £300 million and operational disruptions until July, serves as a ‘red alert’ for all public and private organisations. The attack revealed fundamental weaknesses in trust levels and operational stability alongside compromised data protection. The National Crime Agency’s investigation into Scattered Spider shows that even major entities like Harrods and Co-op are vulnerable to cyberattacks.
Claire Agutter
The domain of cybersecurity extends beyond technical challenges managed solely by IT departments. Organisations need to treat cybersecurity as a boardroom priority and leadership challenge while recognising its role as a necessity for public trust. Modern digital ecosystems which support critical sectors such as healthcare and government face comprehensive risks from a single cybersecurity breach.
From Data Theft to Operational Paralysis
Cyber threats have evolved. Modern cyber attacks have advanced from merely stealing data to causing widespread business disruption by locking systems and halting services. The M&S data breach led to extensive disruptions that affected logistics operations, daily customer communications, and business functions.
Business disruption for companies prioritising efficiency and trust results in consequences beyond immediate financial setbacks. The enduring damage to stakeholder trust, public image, and service operations can create devastating effects.
Resilience Is the New Compliance
In response, organisations must shift their mindset. Compliance alone is no longer sufficient. Organisations can establish foundational resilience through frameworks and regulations but need integrated actions across strategy, operations, and cultural alignment to achieve true resilience.
Cybersecurity must become an inherent part of an organisation’s foundational structure rather than a separate addition. Every member, from top executives down to frontline personnel, has a responsibility in defence.
Organisations can develop operational resilience by concentrating their efforts on four essential domains.
1. Leadership, Culture, and Training
Senior leadership should own cybersecurity as a strategic priority and maintain open communication about it throughout the whole organisation. All staff require consistent, practical training to recognise threats and react correctly. Organisations need an environment where transparency and responsibility in cyber risk management become foundational.
2. Third-Party Oversight
Both public organisations and private enterprises depend significantly on external vendors and partners as well as contractors for their operations. Organisations face substantial security risks through third-party relationships unless they maintain proper oversight. Organisations must now treat due diligence, security assessments, and clear contractual requirements as essential building blocks.
3. Robust Response Planning
The effectiveness of handling a cyber incident depends entirely on the rapidness and transparency of the response process. Organisations need to test response plans through realistic simulations, including clearly defined roles, communication strategies, and established escalation procedures. Stakeholders’ trust will only be maintained after a breach through complete public transparency.
4. Smart Investment in Technology
Technology is crucial for resilience building through advanced threat detection and automated response tools. The implementation of technology needs to be strategic and should match the organisation’s particular risk profile and operational requirements. Protection requires more than tools alone because processes and culture are essential elements for effective security measures.
Learning from Crisis
An organisation’s cybersecurity posture directly influences its service reliability and public trust in today’s environment. In public service delivery and commercial operations, consumers demand security in their data and interactions. Organisations now view such failures as shortcomings in leadership and governance rather than mere technical issues.
The M&S attack is more than a headline event because it is an example of organisational failure when resilience measures prove inadequate. This situation requires organisations to assess their cybersecurity measures and integrate protection as a fundamental part of their operational health while refining their strategies.
Modern operational strategies need to prioritise security alongside agility and transparency. Protective measures without innovative approaches cause stagnation, while innovation without adequate protection presents a significant risk. Achieving the correct balance between different elements represents an essential requirement rather than just a wise decision.
Claire Agutter established Scopism and published the SIAM Foundation and Professional Body of Knowledge while being acknowledged as an expert in service management and operational resilience. www.scopism.com
Kymeta achieves multi-band connectivity with four concurrent beams in Ku- and Ka-band frequencies with a single antenna aperture
Leap in connectivity technology unlocks the future of AI in defense, autonomy and edge computing
Opens the door to automatic and seamless satellite roaming synonymous with cellular networks
In a world-first, Kymeta, the company reimagining satellite connectivity, has recently announced a major technological leap: simultaneously operating across both Ku and Ka satellite bands in a single, compact antenna – laying the technical groundwork to enable seamless connectivity across satellite networks.
This breakthrough marks a significant milestone for the satellite communications industry, ending a legacy of siloed satcom limitations. Kymeta has now advanced the ability to interoperate across satellite networks in different bands and different orbits, in a move to make satellite as seamless and ubiquitous as cellular.
Bruno Fromont, Intelsat CTO said: “Transformative technology milestones like this spark a catalytic shift across an entire landscape. Kymeta’s ability to unify Ku- and Ka- band connections through a single mobile antenna is a foundational leap toward combined satellite networks, making communication as seamless and automatic as the cellular networks we use every day. This success is changing the game.”
The ability to connect to both Ku- and Ka-band beams offers immediate and significant benefits – unlocking higher bandwidth, faster data rates, and more bits per second (bps). This also enables continuous connectivity, a vital component toward making advanced AI at the edge a reality. The breakthrough will now allow manufacturers to build the advanced tech of the future where this is a requirement.
This achievement meets the demands of global militaries. The US Space Force vision whitepaper in 2020 outlined the requirement to support multi-bands, orbits, waveforms and a “network of networks to support responsive and agile operations”. Along with traditional C2 (command and control) functions, autonomous applications such as unmanned surface and aerial vehicles (USV, UAV and UGVs) require strong, reliable connectivity to operate and be competitive on the battlefield. This serves as a network hub and backhaul for downstream communication using MANET, mesh and cellular networks that will enable autonomous system operations at scale.
Ian Canning, president and CEO of Eutelsat America Corp + OneWeb Technologies (EACOWT) comments: “The U.S. DOD and defense forces around the globe require increasingly sophisticated, flexible and secure communications, which includes the need for high-performance, multi-band, multi-orbit connectivity from a single antenna. Kymeta’s ESA platform, reflecting their continued investment in innovation, is truly disruptive, and brings multi-orbit and multi-band capabilities into the modern era. I look forward to collaborating with Kymeta to develop world class satellite communication products that will open the door to the resilient communications required in the modern battlefield.”
Relying on a single network connection is insufficient to meet the complex and evolving needs of modern global forces, making multi-band beam switching a strategic necessity. This capability allows for simultaneous and redundant communication links, which are critical for maintaining operational integrity in contested or jamming-prone environments while on the move.
General (ret) Paul J Kern, former Commanding General, Army Materiel Command, currently Senior Counselor, The Cohen Group comments: “Kymeta’s breakthrough in seamless switching between Ku and Ka satellite bands delivers the kind of resilient, always-on communications that advanced military platforms and autonomous systems demand. This is a major step forward in preparing and equipping our forces for the modern battlefield. This capability would have made an enormous difference to my operations in the desert of Iraq.”
The technology was successfully demonstrated and validated at Kymeta on April 22, 2025. This achievement was made possible by Kymeta’s unique metamaterials antenna surface.
Until this point, interoperability in the Ku and Ka bands has been possible only with Electronic Steered Antennas (ESA) using multiple physically separate antennas, which proves problematic due to the size and power usage required to operate. This technological disruption by Kymeta allows connectivity in both bands in one single antenna, giving space efficiency, low power consumption, and low cost (SWaP-C).
Kymeta Chief Scientist, Ryan Stevenson, says: “At Kymeta we’ve never followed convention. What began as novel metamaterials technology is now a proven engineering foundation – first brought to market in 2017, and now central to this groundbreaking achievement. We’ve turned breakthrough physics into a powerful, trusted toolkit. Using this toolkit we have now addressed the most challenging requirement in satellite communications. We have cracked the code on seamless multi-orbit, multi-band connectivity – and have set the standard for next-generation satellite communications.”
How it works
The physical area of Kymeta’s multi-band antenna aperture consisting of four, interleaved sub-arrays – Ku transmit, Ku receive, Ka transmit and Ka receive – allows for simultaneous and independently controlled Ku and Ka full duplex beams from its metamaterials surface. Structuring the antenna in this way, and pairing it with advanced AI algorithms for intelligent routing, enables frequency reuse and alleviates spectrum contention via Kymeta’s narrower receive and transmit beams. These beams are more focused and operate at higher directivity, promoting spectrum efficiency and interference mitigation, such as GEO / LEO beam straying, jamming and adverse weather like rain fade and atmospheric losses.
Further Innovation / Funding
With the success of this innovative advancement, fueled by the company’s VC support and Silicon Valley spirit, Kymeta looks towards its next phase of growth and will be working with strategic investment partners, as well as key government programs, who share the company’s vision to scale this universal transformation.
The NHS is amid a long-anticipated workforce crisis, and few areas are feeling the strain more acutely than general practice. A shortfall of over 4,200 GPs in England is just the start. Despite ministerial pledges and long-term workforce plans, the supply of newly qualified doctors fails to meet demand. Meanwhile, medical schools face rising dropout rates, with 43% of students now considering pausing or abandoning their studies due to financial hardship and burnout (BMA, 2024).
These statistics aren’t just figures in a government report; they represent thousands of students like me. Young people who entered medical school full of purpose only encountered a system that too often depleted rather than supported them.
I began my studies at a respected UK institution on the south coast. On paper, I was on the ideal path; strong academic credentials, a sound support system, and a clear goal of serving as a GP within the NHS. But within months, the cracks began to show. The pressure was relentless. And the cost, both financial and emotional, was overwhelming.
A Different Pathway
Faced with the prospect of abandoning my dream, I started looking for alternatives. That’s when I came across New Anglia University (NAU), a new but fully accredited medical school in Anguilla, a small Caribbean island. I was sceptical. But I was also curious. Could it really be possible to study medicine abroad, at a lower cost, with a better student experience, and still return to practise in the UK? The answer was yes.
NAU’s programme is built for the 21st-century student. With a curriculum designed by clinicians and educators from the UK, US, and Canada, the course is intensive, tech-enabled, and globally recognised. Students complete 20 months of pre-clinical training on campus, followed by clinical rotations in partner hospitals, including in the UK.
Most importantly, NAU’s model is built with student wellbeing in mind. With small class sizes, close mentoring, and an environment that promotes both academic rigour and personal balance, the difference is night and day from what I experienced back home.
Today, my lectures are held in purpose-built labs overlooking the ocean. Our professors know us by name. We are taught not only how to pass exams but also how to care for patients and for ourselves.
A Global Model with Local Relevance
At first glance, this may seem a world away from the NHS. But it’s not. The programme is accredited by international bodies, listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools, and recognised by both the UK’s Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) and FAIMER. NAU is not an offshore shortcut; it’s a legitimate alternative that complements, rather than competes with, UK medical education.
For government and public sector leaders grappling with GP shortages and overstretched training capacity, the implications are clear: we must broaden our definition of medical education pathways.
NAU graduates can return to the UK for postgraduate training, just like their UK-educated peers. With rigorous preparation, clinical placements aligned to UK standards, and growing partnerships with NHS Trusts, these students are part of a global solution to a local problem.
Cost, Capacity, and Common Sense
The numbers matter. A UK medical degree typically costs up to £12,000 per year in tuition alone, often resulting in totals of around £200,000, including accommodation and living expenses over 8-14 years. NAU, in comparison, offers a faster, four-year MD programme at a fraction of the cost. With student debt soaring and living costs increasing, this is a lifeline for many aspiring medics.
And it’s not just about saving money; it’s about avoiding loss. Every student who drops out of a UK programme is a missed opportunity in the NHS pipeline. Alternative models like NAU offer a pressure valve, one that could be formally integrated into workforce planning.
Imagine if students rejected by UK universities were directed towards accredited international options rather than left behind. Imagine if we saw global education not as a threat to standards but as a partner in national capacity-building.
Meeting Gen Z Where They Are
Generation Z is not afraid to question traditional routes. They value purpose, flexibility, mental health, and value for money. The traditional university model, which is long, expensive, and high-pressure, doesn’t always align with their expectations.
Institutions like NAU are listening. They provide high-quality medical education without compromising on wellbeing or accessibility. For students like me, it’s not about escaping the UK, it’s about finding an environment that supports our growth into competent, compassionate doctors.
A Future Worth Considering
There are lessons here for government leaders, NHS planners, and education policymakers.
First, we must acknowledge that the traditional medical education pathway is financially and mentally unsustainable for many students.
Second, we need to expand our understanding of legitimate routes to NHS employment, including those that start abroad.
Third, we must invest in supporting students throughout their training, wherever they are, because the end goal is the same: a resilient, well-staffed, and compassionate NHS.
Alternative models like NAU will not replace the UK system. But they can relieve pressure, reduce costs, and offer viable options to students who might otherwise walk away.
I’m one of those students who stayed on the path, just not the one I thought I’d be on. And in doing so, I’ve found renewed purpose, greater wellbeing, and a more straightforward route to NHS service.
For the future of British healthcare, that’s a conversation worth having.
Tamara is a British medical student currently studying at New Anglia University, Anguilla. She plans to return to the UK for clinical placements and postgraduate training within the NHS. For more information, visit www.newanglia.com
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