McAvoy has, for the first time, secured a place on Lot 2: Modular & Prefabricated Building Services, within the NHS Commercial Solutions’ £1bn Modular & Prefabricated Building Solutions Framework.
Through this four-year award, public sector clients will be able to access McAvoy’s full suite of expertise to support the delivery of modular buildings across healthcare, education and a wide range of public sector facilities. This includes the design, supply, delivery, installation and maintenance of McAvoy’s high-quality, sustainable offsite modular buildings, whether capital purchased or hired, and associated services.
Ciara McVeigh, Head of BID Management at McAvoy, commented: “Being awarded a place on Lot 2, which forms the largest portion of the work in this framework with a maximum value of £600m, is a major endorsement of our strong capability and track record in delivering high-performing modular buildings across the public sector. With a strong focus on quality, sustainability and efficiency, the framework aligns with our mission to provide public sector clients with modern, reliable and future ready modular building solutions.”
For more information about McAvoy’s framework partnerships visit: www.mcavoygroup.com/who-we are/frameworks-collaboration/
Improvements to clinical practice and work-life balance are being achieved at pace by early adopters of digital pathology at the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust. Dr Luisa Motta and Dr Lynne Jamieson give the detail on the latest impact in a Greater Manchester wide programme.
Effective new digital multidisciplinary team meetings, better work-life balance, reduced stress, and less time spent on administration and preparation. These are just some of the benefits of digital pathology being rapidly felt by early adopters in Greater Manchester.
The region has been a pioneer in modernising and integrating diagnostics. The Greater Manchester Diagnostics Network signed a major agreement in 2020 with medical imaging company Sectra, to bring together diagnostic imaging at scale for a population of 3 million people.
Dr Luisa Motta (right) and Beth Tumilty
The agreement later expanded to include digital pathology, opening the potential to modernise ways of working. Pathologists at the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust have been the latest in Greater Manchester to put this into practice.
Piles of glass slides on a desk is not the view that pathologists want to see when they start their day, says Dr Luisa Motta, consultant histopathologist at the trust, and joint clinical lead for the digital pathology programme in Greater Manchester. “I would often receive several trays of slides that would not always be in the right order. It generates unnecessary stress and takes the joy out of work.”
In response to this and to rising national demand faced in pathology, Dr Motta and early adopters at the trust, are now benefiting from a different approach, that is reducing stresses, delays, and labour-intensive tasks associated with physical handling and transportation of glass slides.
Embracing new ways of working
Dr Lynne Jamieson, a dermapathologist for almost 20 years, has radically changed her practice in a matter of months, learning and adopting new ways of working with minimal disruption, and significant positive impact. “I felt that if I want to make my working life more flexible, I need to get on board with digital,” Dr Jamieson says.
“I became comfortable with digital pathology within just two months of using the Sectra platform,” she says. “It has been transformational – not only from the personal wellbeing and work-life balance perspective, but also from caseload management. And that’s coming from someone who was initially sceptical about going digital. Today, I’m still finding more, and more things that I like about it.”
Dr Jamieson believes this has significantly helped with workflow efficiency. “My list of cases would have effectively been a desk full of glass slides, not very long ago. Now, new cases appear on my list digitally, in a more manageable way,” she says.
“There has been a huge transformation in how I manage my work. It’s about learning what the system can do for me. I’m better able to keep track of cases. The ability for myself and colleagues to add comments to studies means I know where each case is up to. And I’m more relaxed when reporting – I can come back to a complex case when I’m best prepared, without having to necessarily travel to a particular location. I have a lot of positive things to say.”
More efficient workflow has also been the highlight for Dr Motta: “I recently had 90 active cases on a particular day and managed to go through all of them smoothly – something that normally couldn’t be achieved with a microscope and physical glass slides.” It’s not just about improving my desk workflow, but staff morale too, Dr Motta says: “Having to look through numerous piles of slides is not the best use of anybody’s time. If technology can provide us with better access and better records, that also means we can have a better job satisfaction.”
A new precedent in work-life balance
Access to images from home, without the need for slides packaged and transported, is already having impact. Dr Jamieson praises how this transformation has positively influenced her routine: “For the first time in my career, I’ve been able to work two days a week from home. I can choose to start early on those days, or work later, without the stress of driving into the office.”
This helps make pathology a more attractive environment to work in, she adds: “Residents and new consultants don’t want to work like I did when I was their age. They want a better work-life balance. This represents a huge shift in a very short time. The more flexibility you can offer, the more desirable your working environment becomes.”
Fostering collaboration and communication: Digital MDTs and more
New digital ways of working mean pathologists can collaborate with multidisciplinary teams more productively. “Before, I would use my microscopes with a camera attached to project one image at a time in online meetings, which would often require looking at paper reports – a process too convoluted,” says Dr Motta. Now, she is able to share multiple visual images on the screen at the same time, enabling multidisciplinary colleagues to understand the case efficiently.
Time is everything when it comes to diagnosing conditions like cancer, and this is where digital pathology brings a huge benefit: “Demonstrating findings on several slides including immunohistochemical stains, at the click of a button, helps come to a conclusion quickly, which is a very relevant feature in cancer diagnosis,” says Dr Motta.
Digitising slides has also streamlined preparation for multidisciplinary meetings, she explains: “If a slide cannot be retrieved on time, then the review of the case cannot happen. But with digital images, it takes minutes to organise these meetings. And if I was sick or on leave, my colleagues would still have access to slides. The burden for laboratory and office staff is also significantly reduced, as they don’t have to manually retrieve cases in preparation for the meeting, which would often take a whole afternoon.”
Dr Jamieson agrees: “Sharing images at MDT is important,” she says. “Being able to do that in an efficient way is beneficial to patient care. If I can illustrate to a clinician why I have said something, they can then better explain a diagnosis to a patient. This is so much smoother now. I can easily share images instantly, zoom in and out, and engage with people rather than the microscope.”
Enhanced cross-team collaboration has been taken to the next level thanks to the live chat function, which enables Dr Motta and Dr Jamieson to annotate images to specific clinicians when discussing cases, and receive a second opinion from a specialist colleague almost immediately. “I can click a link in the message to the case I’m working on and add a note to my colleagues to ask about their thoughts. I’m also able to send chat messages to the scanning room, which are quickly picked up by biomedical scientists,” says Dr Jamieson.
Setting the ground for the next generation of pathologists
Traditionally, pathologists and resident doctors would examine slides with microscopes together in the same room. Now, Dr Motta can teach online, demonstrating cases and histological findings on the screen, an approach that has been positively received by residents. “It is a very smooth process, which doesn’t require any additional actions from the lab, such as retrieving and refiling cases. It definitely opens up new ideas and appetite to work differently.”
Residents are enthusiastic about the opportunities that digital pathology can provide. “They want to learn how to use it because it’s going to be their future career,” says Dr Jamieson.
Sharing best practice in other environments has also become more efficient: “Taking pictures for presentations, publications, and education, has become so easy,” says Dr Jamieson. “There is no need to retrieve slides from file, make sure it is in focus, that there is no dirt on the slide, freezing screens, and editing the picture. Now we just search for the case and save the relevant image.”
Digital transformation may also be attractive to pathologists approaching retirement, and provide the opportunity to continue to be part of the workforce at a time that suits them: “As this gives flexibility, colleagues can still contribute, for longer. I think my retiring colleagues will be enthusiastic to embrace it,” says Dr Jamieson.
All about people
As wider adoption begins to take place and cross-site collaboration becomes possible, a conversation on entirely new ways people can work is opening. Dr Jamieson is eager to share learnings: “Once more people are on board with digital pathology, it would be beneficial to create surgeries where colleagues can share what they’ve learned,” says Dr Jamieson.
In the end, it’s all about people – building the next generation of pathologists who are both successful in their roles and satisfied in their careers, says Dr Motta. “If we can use technology to help us work more efficiently and improve job satisfaction, I think we should embrace it and maximise its impact.”
As I look back on 2025, it’s clear that the UK’s public sector has been navigating one of its most complex and transformative workforce landscapes in years. The pressures of cost management, legislative reform and evolving expectations from both candidates and hiring managers have converged to reshape how we think about recruitment. For me, the defining theme has been agility, not just in how we fill roles, but in how we forecast demand, plan our workforces and engage with the communities we serve.
Balancing Cost with Continuity
Throughout 2025, cost savings and cost avoidance dominated the agenda across local authorities and wider public services. That’s not new, but what is new is how this focus has driven innovation in resourcing strategies. We’ve had to move from being reactive to being genuinely predictive. By providing supply partners with forward-looking demand data, we’ve been able to help them pool talent in advance, ensuring continuity in essential areas such as social care and frontline support.
At the same time, there’s been a deeper level of analysis around long-term contract workers such as understanding tenure, optimising sourcing channels and ultimately finding ways to retain expertise while reducing cost. In some cases, this has even extended to customers developing their own white-labelled talent pools, often linked to social value initiatives. This kind of creative, collaborative sourcing isn’t just a cost measure; it’s becoming a cultural shift in how public bodies think about workforce ownership and community engagement.
Evolving Expectations in a Hybrid World
Hybrid working remains one of the most hotly debated topics, but what’s fascinating is how differently it plays out in the public sector versus the private sector. Public bodies, by and large, continue to embrace hybrid models – often around a 40/60 split between office and home and there’s little appetite to reverse that trend. The private sector, however, has been moving back towards more office-based operations, especially in roles where collaboration, problem-solving and innovation thrive in person.
This divergence is now creating an intriguing dynamic: two sectors often competing for the same talent but offering very different working propositions. The recruitment leader now needs to be more strategic in articulating the value of the public sector proposition not just in flexibility, but in purpose, stability and contribution to community outcomes.
Smarter Workforce Planning
The move towards agile workforce planning has fundamentally changed how organisations approach talent acquisition. The days of thinking purely in terms of “permanent” or “temporary” are over. We’re now building multi-layered workforce models that combine permanent staff with contingent labour, gig workers and project-based specialists.
This shift has empowered employers to make more intelligent, skills-centric hiring decisions. Instead of asking “what role do I need to fill?”, organisations are asking “what skill do I need to achieve this outcome, and for how long?” That question alone signals a major maturity leap in workforce thinking. It’s driving greater cost control, flexibility and the ability to scale capability up or down with genuine foresight.
The Human Connection Still Matters
Technology has rightly played a major role in streamlining recruitment, automating workflows and improving data visibility but there’s a real risk that in the excitement around AI, automation and analytics, we lose sight of the human element. I’ve seen too many organisations invest heavily in tech while overlooking the relationships that underpin effective service delivery.
Customer service, emotional intelligence and relational understanding are what sustain partnerships. Knowing a client’s strategic intent, culture and emotional climate is what makes the difference between transactional delivery and true collaboration. In my view, relationship management isn’t an old-fashioned idea it’s the foundation of long-term success, particularly in a decentralised, hybrid environment.
Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing
One of the most encouraging developments of late has been the spirit of openness and collaboration among public sector bodies. Initiatives like the London Pledge, where authorities share knowledge, insight and even workforce intelligence, demonstrate what’s possible when competition gives way to cooperation. I recently took part in a London-wide collaboration session where local authorities, strategic partners and even government departments sat around the same table, openly discussing challenges and sharing data. That’s the kind of ecosystem thinking we need to accelerate across the UK.
As we move into 2026, the public sector’s most effective workforce strategies will centre on a skills-first approach, where hiring is driven by capabilities, outcomes and adaptability rather than traditional job titles. This shift reflects a growing move toward project-based and cross-functional ways of working, allowing organisations to deploy talent more intelligently.
Alongside this, new employment legislation is likely to accelerate the adoption of flexible and alternative engagement models – from gig work and statement-of-work contracts to hybrid employment structures – which must be implemented responsibly to ensure fairness and compliance while keeping the public sector competitive for scarce skills. At the same time, candidate experience will emerge as a key differentiator, demanding that public bodies think and act more like brands: communicating their purpose clearly, engaging authentically and embedding diversity, inclusion and ESG into the heart of their identity. Ultimately, 2026 will bring both challenge and opportunity and those organisations that balance commercial intelligence with social purpose – while never losing sight of the human relationships that underpin success – will be best positioned to thrive.
“Public Sector bodies are under increasing pressure to deliver infrastructure that is not only cost-effective but also aligned with net-zero targets,” said Duncan Price, Partner, Global Sustainability & Climate Lead, Buro Happold.
Leading global engineering, design and advisorypractice Buro Happold has achieved PAS 2080 certification for Carbon Management in Infrastructure and Built Environment from BSI, reinforcing its commitment to helping public sector organisations deliver low-carbon, resilient infrastructure in line with national and local climate goals.
Shahm Barhom – BSI
PAS 2080 is the globally recognised standard for managing whole-life carbon in the built environment. Developed by BSI, it provides a framework for reducing carbon emissions across the entire lifecycle of infrastructure – from strategic planning and design to construction, operation, and decommissioning.
“Our PAS 2080 certification is an important component in Buro Happold’s award-winning five step design thinking approach. The approach combines whole-life asset thinking that balances cost, quality and carbon. Our strategies mitigate climate resilience and minimise the loss of nature alongside standardised designs optimised through computationally advanced analysis proven to unlock new solutions.
“This means we can support clients in making informed, carbon-conscious decisions from the earliest stages of project development. It underscores Buro Happold’s commitment to compliance with evolving policy and funding requirements for central government and devolved administrations, as well as transparent reporting and accountability aligned with ESG and climate action frameworks.”
Shahm Barhom, Group Product Certification Director at BSI, said: “We’re pleased to congratulate Buro Happold on achieving certification to PAS 2080. This achievement reflects a strong commitment to managing and reducing whole-life carbon across the built environment.
“By aligning with this globally recognised standard, Buro Happold is demonstrating leadership in the transition to low-carbon, climate-resilient infrastructure, contributing meaningfully to the UK’s net-zero goals and the broader ambition of a sustainable future.”
Buro Happold’s approach is already being applied across public sector projects in transport, education, healthcare, and urban regeneration – helping local authorities and government agencies meet their sustainability commitments while delivering high-quality public services.
Britain’s future cyber warriors will sharpen digital combat skills through the International Defence Esports Games (IDEG), launched today with over 40 allied nations in London.
Following the UK officially recognising esports as a military sport in 2024, the IDEG acts as a collaborative arena for allied nations to sharpen the cyber skills that are critical for modern warfare – supporting the government’s Plan for Change to strengthen national security.
With over 90,000 cyber-attacks targeting the UK annually, the initiative builds digital skills essential for keeping Britain secure at home and abroad.
Personnel develop critical battlefield skills through competitive gaming, such as tracking multiple threats at once, directing soldiers on the ground, performing under intense pressure, and changing tactics based on live intelligence.
Serving personnel from nations including the UK, Canada and Poland will compete for the first time at IDEG26. Ukrainian forces also proved gaming’s tactical value by developing drone simulator games, which improved operators’ targeting accuracy and reaction times, enabling more effective missions against Russian forces.
Louise Sandher-Jones, Minister for Veterans and People, said:
“The Strategic Defence Review has shown us clearly that the nature of war is changing, and we must change with it. The Government’s Plan for Change demands forces are ready for digital battlegrounds, where our personnel must be as skilled in cybersecurity and with controllers as they are in traditional combat.
“Lessons from Ukraine have shown how gaming technology can train drone operators and develop the rapid decision-making skills essential for modern warfare. The International Defence Esports Games (IDEG) positions Britain at the forefront of this transformation, ensuring our armed forces are prepared for the conflicts of tomorrow.”
Modern warfare demands rapid digital decision-making, drone operation skills, and cyber capabilities. Personnel must process tactical information instantly while maintaining precision under combat pressure.
The competition finals will take place at the new National Gaming and Esports Arena in Sunderland in October 2026, featuring live-streamed tournaments and strategic summits exploring cyber security, AI, and drone operations.
General Sir Tom Copinger-Symes, Deputy Commander of Cyber and Specialist Operations Command, said:
“The International Defence Esports Games represent a significant step forward in developing the cyber and digital skills essential for modern military operations. Lessons from conflicts including Ukraine have demonstrated the real-world value of gaming technology in training drone operators and enhancing cyber capabilities.
“IDEG will strengthen our warfighting readiness whilst building crucial partnerships with allied nations who share our commitment to technological innovation in defence.”
Chester King, President of British Esports, said:
“The launch of the IDEG is a historic occasion for British Esports and military personnel worldwide. We are honoured to host the inaugural finals at our National Esports Performance Campus in Sunderland, which will showcase our world-class facilities and the city and region’s emerging status as a digital innovation cluster.
“With international interest already coming from cities in the USA and Australia to host IDEG27, we are focused on making this first event a phenomenal success.”
Today’s launch was supported by partnerships with BAE Systems, Babcock International, and the British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) serving as official media partner, bringing comprehensive coverage to personnel across allied nations. For IDEG26, global advertising agency M&S Saatchi join as a founding partner and Babcock International as the founding mission partner.
As the Autumn Budget approaches, Electric Vehicle (EV) charge point operator (CPO) Believ is calling on the Treasury to act on four key priorities that will help decarbonise transport by making EV ownership and charging more affordable, thus encouraging wider adoption.
The importance of these measures is of heightened importance, following Budget prediction news of a potential ‘pay-per-mile’ charge for EVs from 2028, and confirmation that London EV drivers will no longer be exempt from the congestion charge. Many drivers will see these as costs that tip the balance against EV affordability. Believ’s four Budget wishes therefore take a holistic approach to how the UK can reduce EV ownership costs:
A reduction in VAT on public charging, aligning it with home-energy rates. If this reduction is made, Believ will pass all savings onto the driver, providing long-term affordability.
A decision not to introduce business rates for CPOs as previously planned, which will help the CPO business model operate to offer lower charging rates.
An extension and expansion of the EV grant scheme, potentially offering higher discounts and covering more vehicle models, helping to incentivise EV purchases.
A review of how standing charges are calculated to stop CPOs being charged against future capacity, and having to pass on these charges.
These initiatives would represent a significant step forward in making EV ownership more accessible and cost-effective, helping to alleviate concerns drivers will have around EV tax increases.
Believ is working with local authorities, businesses and landlords to create the UK’s most reliable EV charging network at no cost to the taxpayer, supported by the £300 million investment it secured earlier this year to deliver at least 30,000 new public charge points.
Guy Bartlett, CEO at Believ, says private investment in the EV charging industry must be matched by government support to help encourage EV uptake: “EVs are the future of sustainable transport and as such must be accessible, with cost an integral part of accessibility. As outlined in our four wishes, we need the Treasury to take a holistic, end-to-end approach to furthering EV uptake, recognising vital, private investment and supporting the UK’s decarbonisation of transport.”
He adds: “Combined with Believ’s mission to deliver cleaner air for all, and our £300 million commitment to expanding the UK’s charging network, these measures send a powerful message that the UK is serious about making EVs a viable choice for everyone.”
Believ supports Charge UK’s call for the Government to implement these measures as part of a joined-up strategy to make EV charging more affordable, equitable and sustainable; driving forward the UK’s transition to cleaner transport.
Four charity partners will benefit as the IT industry’s flagship yacht racing, networking and fundraising event sets its sights on its next quarter century
The UK’s largest charity and IT sailing event, the Russell-Cooke Silicon Cup Regatta, raised £50,000 in its 25th anniversary edition this autumn.
Since its inception, the annual two-day regatta in The Solent has raised more than £1.45 million for life changing causes. Sailors and non-sailors alike, working in or with the IT industry, can push the total even higher by participating in the 26th edition, which will take place on 15-16 September next year. Moving with the times, next year’s event will see an exciting new format making it easier for more people to join the party or come for just one day.
Shaun Frohlich, chair of the Russell-Cooke Silicon Cup Regatta, said: “Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the event was a proud moment and made all the more special by learning we had raised a recent record for our four fabulous charities.
“As we head into our next quarter century, we look forward to welcoming even more colleagues from the industry to one of the world’s most iconic sailing grounds for an event that combines yacht racing with networking and fundraising for causes that truly matter.”
The Silicon Cup Regatta takes place each September in The Solent, the strip of water between the south of England and the Isle of Wight. For the past three years, the event has been sponsored by Russell-Cooke, a law firm that advises a mix of commercial, regulatory, not-for-profit and private clients across a broad range of practice areas.
Participants come from across the IT industry and compete on matched yachts equipped with professional crews and all the gear required. This year’s the event saw over 60 people completely new to sailing taking part. Strong winds and clear skies led to an exciting day of close racing and an event that will last long in the memory of all who took part.
A lively gala dinner in Cowes on the Isle of Wight rounded off the first day, with fundraising activities and a silent auction in aid of the charity partners. To mark its 25th anniversary, the event announced a new charity partner, The Final Straw Foundation.
The Final Straw Foundation grew out of a Hampshire beach cleaning initiative. It works with schools, communities and businesses to raise awareness of the impact of plastic pollution on the environment and reduce the amount of plastic in use.
The regatta also supports: The Genie’s Wish, which works to enhance the lives of children and young adults with a life-limiting condition or terminal illness; The Greig City Academy, which is Britain’s only inner-school sail training programme; and The Andrew Simpson Foundation, which facilitates wider participation in sailing.
Peter Jeffery, corporate and commercial partner of principal sponsor Russell-Cooke, said: “We were especially pleased to welcome The Final Straw Foundation as a new charity partner in our 25th anniversary year.
“It really strengthened the regatta’s focus on sustainability, which is a cause close to our hearts as part of our broader commitment to being a responsible business. We were also pleased to continue to support our long-standing charity partners, all of which do inspirational work with children and young people in sailing and beyond.”
The regatta has now set a long-term target to raise more than £1.5 million for good causes. Teams looking to get involved in next year’s event can find out more about its history, logistics, and charitable work at: www.thesiliconcup.com
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust enhances ED performance through Miya Emergency digital integration
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust (UHS) has successfully deployed Alcidion’s Miya Emergency across its largest site Southampton General Hospital, digitising emergency department processes, integrating disparate patient data and providing visibility of patient status and A&E activity.
UHS serves approximately 1.9 million people in Southampton and south Hampshire, whilst also providing specialist services to over 3.7 million people across central southern England and the Channel Islands. As one of England’s largest acute teaching trusts, UHS employs around 13,000 staff.
UHS chose to implement Miya Emergency to deliver real time department wide visibility of patient movements, integration with key source systems and a clear clinical overview of patient acuity ad prioritisation, enriching the patient longitudinal record. With the objective to digitise clinical documentation eliminating significant administrative burden.
The new solution is integrated with several existing clinical systems, building on the value of UHS’s existing infrastructure. These integrations mean Miya Precision is now able to expose data from various hospital systems in a single interface, providing clinicians with a consolidated view of patient information without needing to log into and navigate between multiple applications.
Shortly after the launch, UHS teams had quickly transitioned to the new ways of working, creating more than 5000 digital documents a day. This transition was possible as the clinical teams were able to co-design the digital forms to meet their needs, simplifying the transition from paper processes to digital forms.
The busy emergency department experienced peak activity in the first week of operations, managing more than 200 patients concurrently in the system. Feedback from the clinical staff highlighted the importance of the access to information and visibility of patient movements that Miya Emergency provided in helping to manage these volumes.
Complementing Miya Emergency, UHS have access to operational views with Miya Command, which provides a data visualisation across the ED, allowing leadership and operational teams to quickly identify and address access blocks as they develop.
The go-live follows a similar deployment at neighbouring trust Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, who went live with Miya Emergency in 2024 at Andover War Memorial, Basingstoke & North Hampshire and Royal Hampshire County Hospitals.
Paul Deffley, Alcidion UK Managing Director said: ‘We are incredibly proud of the good work done by many people to provide the highest standard of care at UHS. The A&E is often one of the most scrutinised parts of the hospital and we applaud them for a seamless transition to digital with Miya Emergency. It is especially exciting to see multiple trusts in the same ICS successfully running on Miya Precision – this is how we really begin to unlock powerful value for patients across regions and support integrated, longitudinal care.’
OUTCO explains how to tell a professional winter gritting service from the cowboys that will leave you out in the cold
Winter gritting sometimes can feel like a grudge purchase. It’s a cost you can’t avoid, for an overnight service that you often can’t see happening, to prevent risks that hopefully won’t happen. It’s like buying insurance, where efforts to compare options can feel like picking from identical offerings. But, like insurance, a wrong decision can only become apparent at the point when the service is really needed and when your provider fails to deliver.
However, there is a real difference in offerings: The winter maintenance sector has become increasingly professionalised and technology driven but not all providers have evolved. There is now an increasingly wide gulf between professional, dependable providers and “cowboy” services. This is where the risk lies for businesses and property owners. While a cheaper initial quotation might seem appealing, opting for a less reputable provider can lead to business disruption and significant costs through litigation and reputational damage. So, what are the differences between the professionals and the cowboys?
Reputable firms should be able to demonstrate the capacity to deliver consistently – even in the worst weather conditions. Look for a robust triggering system that ensure a timely service in response to changing conditions. Working on an ad-hoc basis risks no-shows, risky delays or even needless gritting when the weather doesn’t require it.
The foundations of a reliable gritting service are dependability, transparency, and comprehensive support. Here are the things to look for.
Set up for consistent success
Consistent delivery – especially across a wide geographic area or portfolio of sites – demands meticulous logistical planning. This includes grouping sites for operational efficiency, ensuring adequate salt supply for replenishment, and possessing the necessary resources to efficiently cover a diverse portfolio of sites. By contrast, there are horror stories of contractors assigning a single individual an unmanageable number of sites, which presents significant operational challenges and potential service failures.
The right people, trained right
Professional services predominantly employ their own trained staff. They also vet their staff, requiring CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) checks to make sure that reliable and trustworthy individuals are performing the service. Where contractors are used, they should be thoroughly trained and required to adhere to the same stringent standards. For example, at OUTCO we formalised this process by creating a training programme to certify our staff. We also implement robust quality control measures, such as dispatching personnel to sites during the night to physically inspect jobs.
A comprehensive approach to risk
Training and quality control ensures a comprehensive approach to on-site risks that goes beyond just gritting car parks: experienced contractors will disembark from their vehicles to hand-grit specific areas such as walkways, pathways, and fire escapes. This is crucial because an estimated 60% to 70% of litigation claims originate from incidents on walkways, not in car parks. Reputable services are adaptable to individual site needs, ensuring all high-risk areas are thoroughly covered, particularly those with multiple fire escapes or complex layouts.
Transparent service and dependable support
Customer support is a vital aspect of service quality to examine: a strong indicator of a supplier’s pedigree is the availability of a 24/7 support help desk. This means that clients can obtain assistance and information whenever required – especially during disruptive weather events. Relying on a single mobile number is a major red flag.
As the industry becomes more technology-driven clients should never expect to be left in the dark and you can and should expect full and timely access to service information. With operators on the ground enabled with mobile technology, clients can be connected directly to the service via their own devices or web portals. This leading-edge approach lets customers view near-live information, such as scheduled gritting times or recent service delivery. GPS technology even makes it possible to see breadcrumb trail maps of where and when operators have gritted. This granular data allows for verification, prompt query resolution and peace of mind.
By contrast, there are horror stories of cowboy operators claiming to have gritted a site and even sending on old photos of past visits to charge for phantom visits.
Protection from legal risks – today, tomorrow and years after too
Remember, the challenges of winter don’t just appear on frosty nights. In the context of slips, falls and compensation claims, the ability to provide comprehensive, long-term support over months and years is a key differentiator. While often overlooked, long-term record-keeping is incredibly important for slip and fall (SL) claims (we’ve heard of claims emerging even 4-5 years after an incident). Hence, professional services maintain comprehensive records, including vehicle tracking, precise arrival and departure times on site, prevailing weather conditions, the quantity of salt applied, staff training history, and even employment duration. Detailed records can prove invaluable in a court case – whereas less diligent service providers may leave you mired in claim and counter claim.
The right tools, ready for winter
There’s no escaping the fact that the right tools for the job matter and professional services will deploy the correct equipment to perform the job properly such as professional-grade snow ploughs. This not only enhances service quality but also facilitates timely and efficient job completion. Again, quality winter maintenance isn’t just about doing the job when the freeze arrives: professional contractors must conduct regular servicing and maintenance and are generally working through the off-season (e.g., summer months) across multiple depots to ensure readiness and prevent breakdowns during winter.
A service and pricing model that suits your business
Reputable companies can also offer various strategic pricing models, including fixed price, price per visit, and hybrid approaches, to provide the flexibility that clients demand. Beyond this they can also operate more efficiently to prevent excess charges. For example, by leveraging the real-time meteorological data to trigger service, it’s possible determine not only when to grit but also crucially when not to grit – helping to optimise client budgets.
Be aware of poor practices
Cowboy services can exploit a “cost per visit” model by making excessive visits or fraudulently charge for phantom visits. The adage “you get what you pay for” holds true in winter maintenance. While a cheaper quote might seem appealing, if this means playing fast and loose with critical elements like risk assessments, compliance, proper record keeping or enabling fraudulent practices, it’s a false economy.
Insurance that’s winter-ready, too
One less obvious sign of cowboy services is inadequate or incorrect insurance. Professional providers typically require public liability insurance of £10 million and insurance documents must explicitly state that a contractor is covered for winter maintenance. Despite this, many contractors don’t have this specific cover which renders their policies invalid and places the financial risk back on the client.
True grit or a ride with the cowboys
Ultimately, making the right decision of winter maintenance contractor makes this less of a grudge purchase and all about gaining lasting peace of mind.
When tendering for winter maintenance services, ask thorough questions and understand the distinctions between professional providers and less reputable operators. Focus on aspects such as transparency, detailed record-keeping, robust training programmes, appropriate insurance, professional equipment, and comprehensive site coverage. This ensures you can select a partner that effectively mitigates risks and ensures the safety and operational continuity of sites throughout the winter season.
For more information on how OUTCO can bring an innovative approach to your winter gritting, contact 0800 0432 911 email enquiries@outco.co.uk or visit www.outco.co.uk
A new blueprint sets out a series of actions to harness digital to boost the economy and improve public services.The updated National Digital Strategy aims to attract investment, deliver sustainable public services and create better opportunities for the people of Scotland.
The strategy outlines a number of steps, including delivering a pilot of a new app by 2026 to let people access personalised public services. By 2028, another pilot will explore ways AI can deliver efficiencies in public services, such as streamlining administrative tasks.
The joint strategy with local government is designed to build on progress since it was first launched in 2021. Public Finance Minister Ivan McKee said: “The strategy sets out our ambition to create a digitally connected country to create economic growth and help people and businesses thrive.
“It will support work to deliver sustainable digital public services fit for the future and help widen opportunities that digital offers.
“The 2021 publication, one of the first joint national strategies between Scottish Government and local government, helped to build skills and talent to strengthen our digital capability. This is the next step as we aim to accelerate progress.
“The refreshed strategy’s contribution and relevance to the public service reform agenda cannot be overstated, with a focus on collaboration and embracing innovation to deliver improved public services and improve lives.”
COSLA Resources spokesperson Councillor Katie Hagmann said: “Local government are co-authors and co-owners of this vision. This refreshed strategy is our route map; the delivery plans explain how we will navigate change, remain transparent and measure progress.“Through collaboration and shared action, we can build a future-ready, digital Scotland where everyone has the chance to participate and thrive, and no one is left behind.”
SELECT President Mike Stark pays tribute to ECA as “a close friend and a younger sister” as part of the Scottish organisation’s celebrations
The Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA) has been recognised for more than a century of exceptional service to the electrotechnical industry after receiving the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from SELECT at its 125th Anniversary Grand Ball.
Scotland’s largest construction trade association used its celebrations to reward the ECA for its unwavering commitment to the industry since 1901 – one year after its counterpart was formed north of the Border.
The award was presented in front of 300 guests at the Glasgow Marriott Hotel on Friday 14 November, at an event hosted by TV and radio personality Fred MacAulay and sponsored by the Scolmore Group.
Introducing the winner, SELECT President, Mike Stark, said: “As well as being a great supporter and ally of SELECT over the years, tonight’s winner has worked tirelessly to improve standards in the electrical industry.
“They are patient, knowledgeable, always eager to help and go the extra mile to ensure that electrical contractors of all sizes have the help and support they need to carry out their work safely and to the highest standards.
Ruth Devine, Mike Stark and Steve Bratt at the SELECT 125th Anniversary Grand Ball
“SELECT is proud to call our winner a close friend, and a younger sister. So I am delighted to present the 2025 SELECT Lifetime Achievement Award to the ECA.”
The award was accepted on behalf of the ECA by Steve Bratt, Group CEO, and Ruth Devine MBE, who is the body’s President.
Mr Bratt, said: “Everyone likes a prize, especially from an elder sibling, but we’ve just won a prize from an organisation that is 125 years old and has done amazing things for the Scottish electrical contracting industry and knows us very well. So the fact they have chosen us for this award is a real honour.
“On behalf of our President, all the staff at ECA, and all of our members, a real big thank you for such an honour and we look forward to working with you for another 125 years.”
Ms. Devine added: “This award is particularly meaningful because it acknowledges the long-standing collaboration between our two associations. Together, we have championed apprenticeships, strengthened competence, and supported businesses to deliver safe, high-quality work in a fast-changing industry. On behalf of our members, staff and volunteers, I want to thank SELECT for this exceptional recognition.”
SELECTManaging Director Alan Wilson, said: “The ECA has been a steadfast partner and a vital force for good in our industry for more than 120 years. Its expertise, leadership and commitment to raising standards have benefited not just its members but the entire electrotechnical sector across the UK.
“We are delighted to honour its remarkable contribution with our Lifetime Achievement Award; it is an accolade richly deserved.”
Founded 124 years ago, the ECA has been a driving force in raising technical excellence, developing skills, shaping legislation and supporting thousands of businesses across the electrotechnical and engineering services sectors.
Its influence has spanned generations, from the early days of domestic electrification in the 1920s and 1930s to today’s future-focused industry of high-performance buildings, renewable technologies and low-carbon innovation.
The 125th Anniversary Grand Ball gathered SELECT members, political leaders, senior decision-makers and industry partners to celebrate the founding of the world’s first electrical trade association.
The event also recognised the invaluable ongoing support of sponsors and Associate Members including CEF, Edmundson Electrical, Wylex, Morton Fraser MacRoberts, Schneider Electric, OCS and ECIS.
The Lifetime Achievement Award remains SELECT’s most prestigious honour, previously presented to leading figures including Past Presidents John Noble and Alick Smith and industry payment specialist Len Bunton.
Local authorities will be prevented from refusing planning permission for large housing developments, according to newspaper reports.
Will Thomas
Steve Reed, Housing and Communities Secretary, is expected to announce this week that planning applications for schemes comprising more than 150 homes will be referred directly to central government – bypassing council planning committees.
Commenting on the reports, Will Thomas, partner in planning at UK and Ireland law firm Browne Jacobson, said: “Developers will welcome any move to unlock housebuilding, but any intervention from central government must ensure it doesn’t merely move decision-making bottlenecks between public authorities or risk undermining an already fragile public confidence in development.
“Bypassing local authorities to call in applications for more than 150 homes to the Secretary of State will still require the involvement of the Planning Inspectorate, which may face a significant influx of applications it hasn’t dealt with until now.
“Moving this administrative layer from local to central government therefore raises questions about whether sufficient capacity exists within the civil service – and whether a better solution would be to resource local authority planning departments more effectively.
“It’s important that decisions aren’t rushed and all the necessary considerations are still considered to ensure that development is well planned. Forcing through large-scale housing projects too rapidly could increase tensions between communities and government, so the government’s housebuilding ambitions must be matched by a drive to upgrade critical infrastructure, such as schools, hospitals and transport systems.
“More broadly, the development industry should continue to work closely with councils to meaningfully engage communities and proactively mitigate the disruption caused by new housing before it arises, ensuring the economic and social benefits of development is felt in the villages, towns and cities accommodating it first and foremost.
“Creating a more positive picture of development could also help to tackle another key challenge that planning reform alone won’t address, which is the acute skills gaps in planning and construction. While a more efficient planning system will help to grease the wheels for developers, the cost of new housing will not come down without an influx of new talent in bricklaying, carpentry and emerging technologies such as heat pump installation.
“The viability of new housing projects is another issue voiced regularly by our developer clients. The costs of raw materials and borrowing have soared since the pandemic, while regulations and new taxes like the Building Safety Levy continue to squeeze margins.
“So, while the government is putting housebuilding at the heart of its economic growth strategy, it’s clear that delivery is tied to the government’s success in other economic policies such as access to cheaper energy, bringing down inflation and bridging skills gaps.”
Browne Jacobson is working with the CBI to identify a new public-private partnership model for government to manage investment in public infrastructure.
In a report with the think tank New Local, ‘Constructing Consensus: The case for community-powered development and regeneration‘, the firm has called for the establishment of citizen assemblies to ensure developments respond to community priorities, such as lack of GP and school capacity, inadequate roads and railways, or underinvestment in leisure facilities.
Transform, a long-term advocate for human-centred public services, has been featured in the new Public Design Evidence Review (PDER) published by the Cabinet Office and Policy Profession. Their design work in partnership with His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS)was selected as one of just 13 case studies helping to demonstrate the potential impact and possible outcomes that can be achieved through design.
The PDER is the most significant review to date of the value of design within UK public services. Over 1,000 designers were surveyed and dozens of design leaders interviewed, to define the role and value of design in public services and settings. The Review marks a significant moment for Transform’s design practice led by Ian Pocock MD Research and Design, validating their human-centred, participatory approach.
The Review highlights Transform’s project’s success, which is a direct result of their participatory methods. Through Transform’s work, in partnership with HMCTS, 25% of immigration and asylum appeal cases are now resolved early without the need for a hearing and there is over 80% uptake in their reformed service design. This was achieved by creating a “platform of participation,” using accessible and collaborative design tools in workshops to bring judges, lawyers, policymakers, and appellants together as co-designers – as a community of design and change. Their accessible design methods enabled changes to policy and judicial rules, helped re-write complex legal language into plain English and dramatically simplified the appeal application from 128 questions down to just 10 – to name just a few design outcomes.
This recognition is built on Transform’s two-decade history of demonstrating design’s value in the public sector. The company’s human-centred methodology has consistently delivered tangible benefits for citizens across government. Through their work with Public Health England, over seven million people have downloaded the Couch to 5k app, starting their paths to sustainable exercise.
They also brought hundreds of veterans’ stories into focus as key ingredients of their design processes, to enable the creation of the UK veteran card, helping former service members access critical support. In the face of a rapid exit from the EU, Transform also co-designed the UK’s first independent trade service in 40 years, protecting the UK market and defending against job losses.
“Being featured in the PDER is a powerful validation of our core belief: that participatory design breaks down silos and builds connection and trust across policy and service ecosystems to create lasting, positive change,” said David Singer, Director of Design at Transform. “This review provides the evidence that our approach not only builds better, more human services, but also delivers significant efficiencies critical to this period of public sector reform”.
PDER is a milestone document that aims to shift the understanding of design in public settings. It moves beyond toolkits and invites leadership from across government and public services to use design to deliver public sector reform that’s more inclusive, open and adaptive. By providing a working definition and model for public design, the PDER gives leaders and civil servants clarity that design can help solve complex, system-wide problems, by building services with, not just for, communities.
As someone on the frontline of the UK’s waste-crime crisis, I fully support Keep Britain Tidy’s call for stronger enforcement. But what really struck me in their latest survey was just how many local authorities are feeling the pressure. With 98% reporting fly-tipping in their area and 70% calling it a major problem, it’s clear that councils are being asked to fight an uphill battle with limited tools and even fewer resources.
At Bakers Basco, we work closely with local authorities across the country to trace and recover stolen grocery delivery equipment – reusable bread baskets and dollies that are part of our closed-loop system. What we’ve seen mirrors the council experience: a rise in organised, profit-driven waste activity, often carried out by the same rogue operators responsible for fly-tipping.
These aren’t one-off acts of carelessness; they’re deliberate and repeat offences by people exploiting weak regulation and inconsistent enforcement.
For local authorities, the consequences are twofold. First, there’s the immediate financial burden – the £100 to 150 million annual clean-up cost cited by Keep Britain Tidy is money that could otherwise fund essential public services. Second, there’s the erosion of public trust. Residents who see waste dumped repeatedly in their area lose faith that reporting it will make a difference. Meanwhile, legitimate businesses and compliant operators suffer as criminals undercut them.
It’s time to acknowledge that waste crime is not simply an environmental nuisance, it’s an organised criminal enterprise and local government is on the front line of defence. That’s why I believe the proposed National Fly-tipping Action Plan must do more than call for tougher penalties. It must equip local authorities with the data, coordination and enforcement capability to act decisively.
Our own enforcement model offers a glimpse of what’s possible. We collaborate with councils, police and environmental enforcement teams to share intelligence, track stolen equipment and identify repeat offenders. We use GPS technology, CCTV evidence and body-worn cameras to gather admissible evidence, and we see results. When local authorities have access to clear data and national coordination, the difference is tangible. The same approach could help councils identify rogue waste carriers faster and build stronger prosecutions.
We also need to make it easier for councils to work across borders. Waste crime rarely respects local boundaries, yet too often councils operate in silos. A central intelligence-sharing platform, linked to the Environment Agency and supported by police forces, could prevent duplication and ensure that the same offenders aren’t being pursued, or missed, by multiple regions.
Finally, enforcement must go hand in hand with prevention. Councils need the funding and flexibility to promote legitimate disposal options and to educate residents about the risks of using unlicensed “white-van” collectors. Simpler waste-site access, clearer communication and shared responsibility from manufacturers and retailers would all reduce the temptation to take shortcuts.
Local authorities cannot carry this burden alone. Businesses like ours stand ready to assist, share insight and coordinate action. Together, we can make waste crime a less profitable, higher-risk venture for those who exploit the system.
If we truly want to support our councils and clean up our communities, we must stop treating fly-tipping as an eyesore and start tackling it as the organised economic and environmental threat it has become. With joined-up enforcement, shared intelligence and stronger collaboration between business and local government, we can finally begin to turn the tide.
For any instances of equipment misuse or to report suspicious activity, please contact Bakers Basco’s dedicated recovery hotline at 08000 327323.
The UK is on the brink of a profound demographic transformation. By 2072, more than a quarter of the population – around 22.1 million people – will be aged 65 or over. Yet, the homes being built today are failing to meet the needs of this ageing society.
Mike Lord
Research commissioned by Stiltz Homelifts in 2024 revealed that 70 per cent of adults over 50 want to stay in their current homes over the next decade, with half saying they have no intention of ever moving. However, nearly a quarter fear declining mobility will eventually force them to relocate. This mismatch between aspiration and reality highlights a growing crisis in housing design – one that not only limits independence but also risks placing greater strain on the NHS and social care systems.
By 2040, one in four people in the UK will be over 65. While most older adults wish to “age in place,” remaining in the homes and communities they love, the trend towards multi-storey, space-saving developments makes this increasingly difficult. Steep stairs, narrow hallways, and limited adaptability are becoming the norm – features that actively discourage healthy ageing.
The problem is not just physical accessibility but also the absence of foresight in planning. For decades, government housing policy has focused on numbers – homes built – rather than on quality and longevity. As David Sinclair, Chief Executive of the International Longevity Centre UK, warned in response to the 2024 Older People’s Housing Taskforce report, “It is not enough to build more houses for first-time buyers; we must also design age-friendly and inclusive homes that better suit people’s long lives.”
The Cost of Inaction
Unsuitable housing is a silent driver of poor health outcomes. Falls alone cost the NHS an estimated £2.3 billion annually, while cold, damp, and poorly designed homes exacerbate chronic illness and accelerate dependency. Every £1 spent on home adaptations – such as handrails, ramps, or walk-in showers – saves £1.62 in reduced health and care costs.
Beyond the economic calculus lies an emotional toll. Stiltz’s research found that 13 per cent of older adults believe being forced to move from their homes would negatively affect their mental health. For many, leaving familiar surroundings represents a loss of independence, identity, and community ties. Designing homes that evolve with their occupants is not only a practical solution but a moral imperative – one that supports mental well-being and social continuity.
The UK’s obsession with vertical expansion – three-storey townhouses and high-density developments – has created housing that is effectively “future-blind.” While it may satisfy short-term targets, it ignores the long-term realities of an ageing population.
Bungalows and single-storey properties, once considered essential for older people, have become rare and expensive. As a result, those with declining mobility often face an impossible choice: adapt their existing homes at great cost or move into residential care prematurely.
Stiltz’s research also shows that 23 per cent of adults over 50 already face mobility challenges, a figure that rises to 43 per cent among those over 70. If the built environment continues on its current trajectory, millions will find their homes uninhabitable long before their lives are over.
A Blueprint for Change
The government’s 2024 Older People’s Housing Taskforce and the British Property Federation have both issued clear calls for reform. They urge the creation of a national housing strategy for an ageing population, planning reform through a new “CR2” use class for senior housing, and the integration of older people’s needs into local plans. These are sensible measures – but they must be accompanied by practical, design-led solutions.
Accessible housing should not be viewed as a niche requirement but as a universal standard. The Housing Made for Everyone (HoME) coalition recommends that all new homes meet at least the M4(2) accessibility standard, ensuring basic adaptability for people of all ages and abilities. This is not a luxury – it’s a necessity. Currently, only nine per cent of UK homes meet these basic standards.
Designing for Real Life
True inclusivity in housing means thinking beyond ramps and grab rails. It means creating homes with level access at entrances, wide hallways, flexible kitchens and bathrooms, and crucially – vertical mobility options.
Domestic homelifts are an increasingly viable solution. Modern units are compact, energy-efficient, and easy to install in both new builds and retrofits. Yet public awareness remains low – just one in five homeowners knows how straightforward these installations can be. Integrating “lift-ready” frameworks at the design stage would allow homeowners to adapt seamlessly as their needs change, without the upheaval of moving or extensive renovation.
From Policy to Practice
To make this shift a reality, Stiltz recommends three key policy actions:
1. Update Building Regulations – Amend Part M to mandate “lift-ready” or “mobility-adaptable” designs as standard, ensuring homes can support lifetime living.
2. Incentivise Developers – Offer grants, tax relief, or planning advantages for inclusive design and early adoption of homelifts or adaptable layouts.
3. Lead a Cultural Shift – Launch public awareness campaigns and showcase exemplar developments that prove accessible homes are desirable, modern, and cost-effective.
These measures would align housing policy with health, social care, and equality objectives – turning inclusive housing from aspiration into expectation.
Homes That Last a Lifetime
If the UK is to meet the challenge of an ageing population, it must start by rethinking what makes a home “fit for purpose.” Inclusive, adaptable design is not a concession to ageing – it’s an investment in the nation’s future.
The construction industry, policymakers, and local authorities all have a role to play. By designing homes that people can live in for life, we can reduce hospital admissions, ease pressure on social care, and build stronger, more resilient communities.
The choice is clear – continue building upwards without looking ahead – or elevate housing design to meet the realities of how we live, age, and thrive.
The global medical tourism market has grown exponentially over the past two decades – and nowhere is this trend more visible than in aesthetic medicine. Every year, more UK patients travel abroad for low-cost cosmetic procedures, drawn by persuasive marketing, short waiting times, and the promise of “holiday surgery” for a fraction of the UK price.
Kagan Seymenoglu
But behind the glossy imagery lies a troubling truth. Many patients are being exposed to unregulated, unsafe clinics – and when complications occur, as they frequently do, it is the NHS and reputable UK aesthetics professionals who are left to pick up the pieces.
As CEO of Longevita, I have witnessed both the benefits and the risks of this growing industry. That’s why I have authored a new White Paper, “Cutting it fine – Regulating Medical Tourism for UK Patients”, which calls for a comprehensive regulatory framework to govern outbound medical tourism from the UK – one that safeguards patients, protects public resources, and preserves the hard-earned reputation of the UK’s aesthetics industry.
To accompany the White Paper, I have launched a public petition urging the Government to act. The petition is now live and open for signatures.
According to the Office for National Statistics, more than half a million British patients left the UK for healthcare overseas in 2024, a 50 per cent increase in two years. A significant proportion of these journeys involve elective cosmetic procedures such as breast augmentations, rhinoplasties, veneers, and hair transplants.
International healthcare has an important role in a globalised world. However, when patients undergo surgery in clinics that lack enforceable safety standards, proper insurance, or aftercare pathways, the risks extend far beyond the individual. Complications often result in additional NHS treatment or revision procedures by qualified UK professionals – diverting clinical time and resources away from domestic patients.
Currently, no UK-specific body exists to regulate or accredit international clinics targeting British patients. This vacuum has enabled poor-quality operators to flourish – both overseas and increasingly within the UK – undercutting legitimate clinics by reducing prices and standards alike.
To address this, my White Paper proposes the creation of an independent UK Medical Tourism Accreditation Association (UKMTAA). This national body would be responsible for accrediting overseas clinics that market directly to UK consumers, ensuring that participating providers meet UK-equivalent standards in safety, transparency, and clinical governance.
Such a system would empower patients to make informed choices and give reputable overseas clinics a benchmark to demonstrate credibility.
The framework also recommends introducing mandatory medical tourism insurance to cover complications, emergency repatriation, and follow-up care. Too many patients currently travel uninsured, leaving them financially and medically vulnerable – while the NHS absorbs the cost of complications.
In parallel, we propose an integrated aftercare pathway to facilitate the seamless transfer of medical information between overseas clinics and UK providers. This would improve patient recovery and clarify clinical responsibilities when complications arise.
Another critical element is tighter regulation of medical tourism advertising. Many social media promotions and influencer endorsements omit crucial information about risks, qualifications, or aftercare. Working with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and Care Quality Commission (CQC), we recommend establishing clear, enforceable rules requiring overseas clinics marketing to UK consumers to meet the same transparency standards as domestic providers.
This is not an attack on international healthcare – it is a call for accountability and alignment. Without regulation, we risk undermining both patient safety and public trust.
Every botched procedure that returns to the UK adds to NHS workloads, strains public finances, and damages the reputation of our aesthetics sector. Regulation is not a burden – it is an investment in public confidence and professional integrity.
A Call to Action
The UK aesthetics industry has long been admired for its professionalism, innovation, and commitment to patient welfare. But without decisive action, that reputation could be compromised by the actions of unregulated overseas providers.
By supporting the proposals outlined in this White Paper – and by signing petition – policymakers, clinicians, and patients can help establish a safer, fairer system that upholds the UK’s world-class standards.
It is time to act – to protect patients, preserve NHS resources, and safeguard the future of a sector that represents the very best of British medical excellence.
It’s that time of year again – Halloween – when the ghosts and witches are expected to come out to cause havoc. When it comes to phishing attacks, it’s a game of trick rather than of treat. Check Point writes in its blog, ‘Halloween Frights of the Digital Age: Cyber Threats Haunting Us in 2024’ that in the third quarter of last year, there was a 75% increase in cyber-attacks worldwide. In another blog, the company says that this equates to an “average of 1,876 cyber-attacks per organisation, marking a 75% increase compared to the same period in 2023 and a 15% rise from the previous quarter.”
In its blog, ‘A Closer Look at Q3 2024: 75% Surge in Cyber Attacks Worldwide,’ the company provides an industry-wide breakdown: “The Education/Research sector was the most targeted with 3,828 weekly attacks, followed by the Government/Military and Healthcare sectors, with 2,553 and 2,434 attacks, respectively.” The cyber-security firm adds that Africa faced the highest average of attacks at 3,370 per week (+90% YoY), “while Europe and Latin America also saw significant increases.”
Ransomware: Persistent threat
Ransomware sits out as one of the most persistent threats. This time last year, 1,230 incidents were reported. North America was most affected with 57% of the attacks occurring there. Not far behind are the cyber-attacks on Europe, which had to deal with 24% of the ransomware attacks. Coupled with phishing attacks, this is perhaps the most serious form of attacks for public sector organisations, as a ransomware attack could cripple their ability to provide public services, and to operate more generally.
Cyber-security firm, Guardz, warns: “Employees overloaded with emails might miss the common tactics used by attackers, such as domain spoofing, look-alike URLs and manipulated sender headers that make a message appear to come from a trusted source. This was the case in a recent Microsoft 365 phishing campaign exploit earlier this year, where attackers were even able to evade SPF, DKIM and DMARC security measures.”
The firm reveals that new recruits are the most likely to unwittingly start a phishing attack – citing an article by Help Net Security, with the headline: ‘71% of new hires click on phishing emails within 3 months.’ Anamarija Pogorelec, Managing Editor of Help Net Security, writes: “Based on data from 237 companies across various industries, the 2025 New Hires Phishing Susceptibility Report found that new hires are 44% more likely to fall for phishing and social engineering scams than longer-term employees.”
Business Email Compromise
Guardz also warns that Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks are another one to watch out for during the Halloween period. So, you thought a phishing scam was spooky, but in the first quarter of 2025, BEC attacks accounted for 37% of all email scam attacks. The firm says 73% of them impersonate someone senior – usually a company’s CEO or another C-suite executive. Invoice fraud is next on the list, as it ranks high in its use for BEC attacks, targeting HR and payroll teams by “impersonating legitimate vendors, company executives or internal finance contacts to extract sensitive data or credentials.”
Malware poses a significant threat, too. Jordan Snapper, writing for Guardz, continues: Halloween wouldn’t be complete without a cunning cyber threat actor that usually comes in the form of a sneaky file attachment. That ghostly threat, better known as malware, can silently infiltrate systems, exfiltrate sensitive dataor create backdoors for further attacks.”
Then there is fileless malware, which he explains “operates entirely in memory, leveraging legitimate system tools, such as PowerShell, WMI or macro-enabled Office documents to execute harmful code or run malicious commands when opened, all without leaving traditional files on disk.”
He adds: “Talk about an unpleasant Halloween surprise; fileless malware makes it virtually impossible for traditional antivirus tools to detect. MSPs that manage remote teams and contractors face a greater risk, as attackers often exploit unsecured endpoints and unmanaged devices to inject malicious scripts directly into memory. Without proper endpoint coverage and visibility, a threat actor can take control of a remote Windows session, execute commands, and deploy payloads while appearing as a legitimate user.”
In this case, the goal could be to slowly crash systems or to gain long-term undetected access to critical infrastructure. It also doesn’t matter whether your teams are working in an office, or remotely. They are all potentially vulnerable to attack unless the right training and precautions are put in place to forestall any kind of attack – including ones that aim to cause a data breach that could lead to a breach of GDPR and significant fines, lawsuits, and damaged reputations.
Danger: Windows 10’s demise
With support for Windows 10 now ending this month, October 2025, there is also concern about whether Microsoft could be leaving millions of users in the lurch – vulnerable to cyber-attack as many of them won’t be receiving any security updates in the push by Microsoft to get its customers to migrate to Windows 11. This is as true of public sector organisations, as it is of companies in the private sector, and of individuals.
British newspaper, The Guardian, headlines this as: ‘Millions in UK at risk of cyber-attacks as Windows 10 ends updates, Which? finds.’ Written by Robert Booth, the newspaper’s UK technology editor, its standfirst claims: “Survey shows one in four users intend to keep using system as it is phased out, despite increased virus and malware risk.” That’s at least 21 million people who use a device that runs Windows 10 software intend to keep using the operating system after updates cease, leaving them at risk of online security breaches – including malware and viruses, according to a survey by the consumer watchdog Which?
As for the public sector, Google AI says: “There is no exact number for how many Windows 10 machines in the public sector will be replaced by Windows 11, as this is a complex, ongoing transition. However, it’s clear a significant number of public sector machines will be replaced because many older computers are not compatible with Windows 11, which requires specific hardware. Organisations are facing increased budget pressure to fund these replacements to ensure security, with some already budgeting for new devices or extended support.”
Back up, back up!
With increasing volumes of data also being stored in the cloud, public sector organisations should actively and regularly back up their data. However, these systems aren’t immune from attack, and so there is a need to back up and restore data rapidly. One of the traditional responses to this issue has been WAN Optimisation, but it can’t send and receive encrypted data. Increasingly popular in the public sector are SD-WANs, but they also need a boost in their performance with a WAN Acceleration overlay.
To have the ability avoid any disruption caused by a cyber-attack, or to restore operations quickly, and to keep data safe – away from the threat actors, it’s firstly important to have data stored in 3 disparate disaster recovery, situated miles from each other. Next to ensure that your data backup and restore activities also obfuscate cyber-criminals, it’s vital to deploy a technology that uses artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data parallelisation – and that unique technology is WAN Acceleration.
With this, you can dramatically improve data throughput up to 98% of bandwidth – regardless of distance. It’s a technology that is being used by CVS Caremark in the U.S, and by the National Institutes of Health. The latter has global data transfer requirements as it is also the world’s biomedical research agency. As for CVS, it connected two virtual tape libraries over 2,860 miles at full WAN bandwidth. This achieved a performance gain of 95 times the unaccelerated performance.
Still, while this technology goes a long way forward to protect data and systems that store and use it, organisations also need to ensure that they put other cyber-security technologies, training, policies and procedures in place. Whether at Halloween, or at any other time of the year, public sector organisations need to be forearmed to prevent and forestall cyber-attacks – no matter what kind of cyber-attack is launched against them. It’s cheaper because it saves time, money, and reputations. By putting prevention before a cure ahead of any reactive response, the cyber-criminal ghouls will be kept away.
A new UK-based consultancy, MPP Culture, has launched to support health and social care organisations in addressing organisational culture as a root cause of care quality issues, workforce challenges, and compliance risks.
The consultancy offers structured cultural assessments and advisory support to providers, boards, commissioners, and investors. Its goal is to help organisations identify and manage cultural risks that influence care outcomes, regulatory performance, and organisational sustainability.
A system-wide concern
The role of organisational culture in care delivery has been widely acknowledged. The Care Quality Commission (CQC), NHS England, and various public inquiries have repeatedly linked poor culture to service failure, unsafe care, and staff attrition.
Conversely, strong organisational cultures are associated with improved clinical outcomes, higher staff morale, and positive inspection results.
A toolkit for cultural assessment
At the centre of MPP Culture’s approach is its proprietary Culture Assessment Toolkit (CAT) – a structured diagnostic framework providing a 360-degree assessment of leadership, communication, values in practice, staff engagement, and regulatory preparedness. The process is delivered by assessors with experience in care governance, operations, and compliance and generates a report outlining key cultural dynamics with practical, actionable recommendations for improvement.
Chair Richard McKenzie, a former CEO and Chair in the care sector, stresses that culture is not a secondary concern: “It’s not abstract. Culture directly affects safety, compliance, and the long-term sustainability of services.”
Relevance to public sector oversight
MPP Culture’s services are relevant not only to care providers but also to local authorities, integrated care systems (ICSs), boards, insurers, and investors.
Current services offered include:
· Organisational culture assessments using the CAT
· CQC inspection readiness reviews
· Board and executive team diagnostics
· Cultural due diligence for investment and acquisition
These services are designed to help organisations proactively identify cultural risks, align leadership behaviours with quality goals, and strengthen system resilience.
Responding to sector pressures
The launch of MPP Culture comes at a time of significant pressure on the care system. Workforce shortages, rising demand, regulatory scrutiny, and financial constraints continue to impact the sector’s ability to deliver safe, sustainable care.
In response, national regulators have placed increased emphasis on leadership and organisational culture. The CQC now expects providers to demonstrate a positive,
inclusive, and learning-oriented culture as part of its inspection and assessment framework.
Supporting workforce and service stability
Workforce retention remains a critical challenge in health and social care. While pay and workload are important, the working culture within an organisation is often the decisive factor in whether staff stay or leave.
MPP Culture’s assessments explore how leadership, communication, and team dynamics shape the staff experience. This enables organisations to take targeted action to improve morale, reduce turnover, and create more supportive working environments.
For local authorities and ICSs, this insight can inform workforce planning and help stabilise fragile markets by reducing provider failure due to leadership or culture-related issues.
A governance and risk management tool
Boards are expected to provide oversight of organisational culture, particularly where quality or compliance concerns exist.
MPP Culture’s assessments offer objective data on cultural strengths and risks. This supports better decision-making and more effective governance, particularly in organisations undergoing change or improvement.
Cultural reviews can also be used as part of due diligence in acquisitions or investment processes. They can reveal hidden risks, such as incompatible leadership styles or unresolved workforce issues, that may affect integration or future performance.
For commissioners and public sector partners, the ability to assess cultural risk in provider organisations offers a way to intervene early and reduce the likelihood of crisis-driven responses.
Practical applications across the system
The consultancy’s model has wide application across the health and social care system. Providers preparing for inspection can use cultural assessments to test readiness and identify areas for improvement. Organisations with regulatory concerns can use findings to support action plans and demonstrate progress.
In multi-provider environments, such as supported living or community-based care, cultural alignment between partners is essential to delivering consistent, person-centred care. MPP Culture’s approach can help improve collaboration, and support shared standards.
For system leaders, these insights can be used to design targeted support, strengthen market oversight, and encourage quality improvement at scale.
Conclusion
The launch of MPP Culture reflects a growing shift in the sector: recognising that culture is not an intangible concept, but a measurable, strategic factor that shapes outcomes at every level.
For public sector leaders, commissioners, and system stakeholders, MPP Culture offers a way to bring cultural insight into strategic planning, oversight, and intervention – supporting better care, better governance, and more sustainable services.
MPP Culture MPP Culture is a UK-based consultancy focused on organisational culture in health and social care. It provides structured cultural assessments and advisory services to care providers, boards, investors, and public sector bodies.
Healthcare Excellence Through Technology took place at London ExCeL at the start of October. Over two days, speakers, exhibitors and visitors expressed a desire for policy, commitment, and innovation to bring about transformative change.
In a special address to the HETT audience, newly appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State of the Department of Health and Social Care, Dr Zubir Ahmed MP told visitors that he was “restless for change.”
Dr Ahmed, who is a surgeon by background, highlighted in his speech his particular interest in robotic surgery, emphasising technologies that can support patients both before and after operations, helping them prepare for treatment and facilitating their recovery.
The transplant and vascular surgeon, who became a Health Minister this Summer, said he could see huge potential for digital. “Our challenge now is delivery,” he said, “and to get this technology into the hands of the many, not the few.”
National Plans, National Foundations
A succession of key digital voices from NHS England told HETT that the groundwork has been laid with the 10 Year Plan and its three shifts from hospital to community, treatment to prevention, and analogue to digital.
Of these shifts, they argued, digital is the most critical component, as it enables these the shifts to take place. Alec Price Forbes, the National Chief Clinical Information Officer, said the NHS should be “digital by default.” It will not be enough to extend digital tools into existing workflows, he stressed: “We need to see digital used to transform services.”
Ming Tang, Interim Chief Digital and Information Officer at NHS England, said three big national projects will underpin change across the system. The first is the NHS App, during Tang’s Afternoon Keynote in the Infrastructure, Data and Cyber Security theatre, she described the NHS App as the “trojan door” for changing people’s journey through health and care services.
The second is the single patient record, which Tang said will collate information and make it available to clinicians and patients for specific use cases, starting with maternity. Finally, the third is the Federated Data Platform, which will not only enable the NHS to make better use of its data, but also enable it to become “a growth platform for the UK” through supporting research and innovation.
“It is all coming together and now we need to make sure we work together to ensure we can do all the things we want,” Tang said. “Ten years is a long time. We need to focus on the next two to three years to deliver things [that will] change the environment, create tools people want, and make an impact on some of the big challenges we face.”
Ayub Bhayat, Director of Data Services and Deputy Chief Data and Analytics Officer at NHS England, joined a panel at the Digital Maturity Forum discussing the Single Patient Record. He explained that three prototypes are being developed: one following a “hub and spoke model,” leveraging existing investments in shared care records; one built around a “central model”; and one based on a “data layer”.
Liz Clow, Director of Digital Products at NHS England, told a session on the future of the NHS App that three early priorities include developing “intelligent triage,” building the digital hospital and NHS Online, and, more immediately, “rolling out HPV self-service screening for women who may not access traditional screening services.”
Implementation and the Team
HETT didn’t just cover government policy or National Programmes, on Day Two, Sonia Patel
Chief Information Officer at NHS England, took part in a fireside chat about the future of NHS infrastructure and hospital trust IT deployments.
Patel outlined a streamlined relationship between the centre, regions, and the frontline, underpinned by a new ‘public digital infrastructure,’ and the creation of a flexible, standards-based blueprint for the deployment of technology to support new models of care.
Shortly afterwards, Will Monaghan, Group Chief Digital Information Officer at University Hospitals of Leicester and Nottingham University Hospitals NHS trusts, reflected on the progress it is making in deploying the Nervecentre electronic patient record across the East Midlands.
He said something to bear in mind “if you want to go fast, you go alone, but if you want to go far, you go with others.” In other words, the project sometimes had to slow down to get everybody on board, but now they are starting to reap benefits from having everybody working in the same way with the same system.
In a lively session with Dame Laura Kenny, HETT’s very first celebrity guest speaker, the spotlight was on the importance of setting common goals and discovering the best ways to communicate them to people with different perspectives. The five-time Olympic cycling champion reflected on her career and her experience of the NHS in conversation with Ayesha Rahim, Chief Medical Information Officer at Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.
To close her session, Dame Laura was asked for any “words of wisdom” for her audience, she said: “There is no journey that comes without hurdles… but every barrier can be broken down. And communication really [does] matter. Really understanding the team has been key to my success.”
Bringing AI to Life
There were also plenty of suppliers on the programme, talking about the potential of their solutions, services and products. Jane Stephenson, the Chief Executive of SPARK TSL, reflected on Dr Ahmed’s special address.
“I am happy to hear that he is restless for change, because I think we all need to be restless for change,” she said, before outlining how her company’s modern wi-fi, bedside devices, and SPARK Fusion platform, which can transform entertainment, information, and hospital processes for staff and patients.
Out on the exhibition floor, HETT had also created new features to bring visitors closer to suppliers and innovators. One of the busiest was the AI spotlight, which gave vendors and customers the chance to reflect on the implementation of what is still very new technology.
Eddie Gibson, Clinical Director of Radiology, at Northern Health and Social Care Trust in Northern Ireland, outlined their experience with BoneView, which it has deployed from the Sectra Amplifier, a marketplace, hosting and co-ordination service for imaging AIs.
Gibson said BoneView has improved the detection of fractures in the trust’s emergency departments, to the point where the performance of doctors in ED is almost as good as that of specialists in radiology. Results like this are impressive.
Outside of imaging, trusts can find it difficult to find the financial, infrastructure, and clinical resources to try out AI tools and services. This problem was addressed by Simon Windsor, Intel UK’s Healthcare and Life Sciences Manager, and Cory Neighbour, Insight Solution Leader for Public Sector.
“We have built a deployment model and toolkit,” Neighbour explained. “We understand the business challenge, and then we build a prototype that uses existing hardware and systems, so trusts can fail fast or scale up what works for them.”
HETT: A Platform for Inspiration
Windsor said HETT was the perfect show at which to present this kind of thinking. “It brings the whole ecosystem together, from decision makers to end-users,” he said. “That makes it a great environment to discuss these solutions.”
This was also the experience of exhibitors on busy stands. Dean Moody from Airwave Healthcare, the provider of digital signage, displays, and the mycareTV patient entertainment system, said: “We have been really busy, and we have had the right people coming to the stand: that means CIOs, CCIOs, digital teams. “We have just won some big contracts – the next new hospital to open, the National Rehabilitation Centre, is going to be using our intelligent bedside terminals – and this is the perfect place to tell people about them. People are genuinely interested in innovation.” Or, to coin a phrase, restless for change
In April 2026, the government will introduce Joint and Several Liability (JSL), a policy that will reshape how compliance is governed across the temporary labour market. For the first time, employment agencies and their end clients will be held jointly responsible for unpaid payroll taxes when working with non-compliant umbrella companies.
While the aims of the policy are clear and positive – protect workers, close the tax gap, and prevent fraudulent operators from undercutting legitimate businesses – the success of it will depend on more than legislation alone. Without modernised digital infrastructure, JSL risks creating unnecessary complexity and costs for the very businesses it seeks to protect.
Listening to the sector
Earlier this year, we surveyed recruitment agency finance professionals to gather their views of the reforms, and the results were revealing.
Nearly 80% of those agencies felt that HMRC needed to modernise and integrate its systems if JSL is to succeed. And three-quarters expect to rely heavily on new technology to manage compliance and conduct real-time audits.
This is not the sector’s resistance to reform, on the contrary, agencies recognise the need for change and are prepared to invest in compliance. But they are equally clear that current HMRC systems are not fit to support this scale of change.
The risk of standing still
We believe that without the right infrastructure in place, JSL risks creating unintended negative consequences. For example, agencies could face spiralling administrative costs as finance teams battle with fragmented processes, while workers could face delayed or incorrect pay as compliance checks slow down.
This is about more than efficiency; public trust in both the tax system and the temporary labour market depends on reforms being implemented fairly and effectively. With less than six months until the deadline, the time to modernise is now.
The technological gap and roadmap
The recruitment sector is already showing what is possible when compliance is embedded into everyday processes. Platforms like Finity are helping agencies, umbrella companies and payroll bureaus to automate auditing, integrate systems, and create transparent, auditable records.
Varun Monteiro
But for this to work at scale, HMRC must play its part. Without integrated, real-time systems, private sector innovation risks hitting a wall. And while in principle, technology can shoulder much of the compliance burden, this will only be achievable if government systems enable it.
The government has taken positive steps with the HMRC Transformation Roadmap, which aligns with the sector’s anticipated reliance on stronger digital infrastructure. However, the lack of efficient, real-time access to tax data is leaving businesses exposed to compliance failures and fraud.
Our proposed technological roadmap would help overcome these challenges. For example, leveraging AI, providing access to real-time tax data and developing a suite of publicly available APIs to enable recruitment businesses to remain compliant, reduce risk and meet their tax liabilities efficiently and confidently.
Right now, recruitment businesses have little visibility of tax liabilities across their supply chains. Without real-time access to this data, many are forced to depend on third-party advisors or manual checks that are slow, open to error and inevitably, increased costs and complexity which ripples through the entire chain.
The challenge is compounded by the fast-moving nature of recruitment, where thousands of transactions occur every week. Despite this, currently HMRC provides no inbound mechanism for businesses to access its wider dataset, leaving agencies unable to confirm compliance as transactions happen. This lack of transparency increases the risk of accidental non-compliance and major financial consequences.
Unless HMRC equips businesses with the right digital tools to make essential tax information instant and accessible, there will remain a stark mismatch between the tougher compliance now required and the limited capabilities currently available to deliver it.
The solution: modernise, integrate, simplify
The recruitment sector is clear about what it needs: digital compliance tools that are fast, reliable and built into existing systems. That means API-driven access to tax data, automated real-time auditing, and seamless integration with payroll and back-office platforms.
Modernisation on these terms would deliver faster checks, reduce fraud, and build stronger trust throughout the labour supply chain. At Finity, we are calling for HMRC to roll out three APIs:
Employer Liability Verification API – enabling secure, real-time verification of supplier tax liabilities (PAYE, CIS, VAT) without exposing sensitive data.
Payslip Verification API – confirming contractor payments match HMRC’s official Full Payment Submission (FPS) records, ensuring each worker is correctly reported and visible to HMRC.
Extension of HMRC’s existing RTI platform – enhancing current infrastructure with APIs rather than requiring a costly and disruptive full system overhaul.
Together, these would give businesses certainty that workers are properly reported, payslips are accurate, and liabilities are paid in full. Crucially, because most payroll platforms already connect with HMRC’s RTI, these enhancements would not require a costly rebuild. Instead, they would unlock the full potential of the systems we already have.
A shared responsibility
This reform isn’t just about liability; it is about shared responsibility. Agencies and the entire recruitment supply chain are being asked to step up, and our research shows they are ready and willing to do this. But government must mirror this commitment by delivering a digital infrastructure that is fit for purpose.
Conclusion
Joint and Several Liability is a welcome and much needed step towards tackling tax avoidance, however, legislation without infrastructure will cause frustration and disillusionment.
We therefore urge HMRC to modernise now to stand the best chance of delivering a compliance system that works for businesses, workers and public funds. With less than six months to go before the policy rolls out, we must not only have new rules, but the systems in place to make them work.
Recent Comments