The company says the hubs, combined with Cera鈥檚 existing network throughout the UK, will see it providing healthcare services to a community equal in size to the capacity of several dozen NHS hospitals or 1,000 care homes every day.

This expansion is being undertaken in response to increasing pressure on the NHS, with Cera able to support those suffering from long-COVID, older and vulnerable people who鈥檝e recently been discharged from hospital and those requiring daily care or nursing services, in their own home.听

In response to COVID-19, Cera has delivered more than 10 million healthcare visits in older people鈥檚 homes across the UK since the pandemic鈥檚 outbreak.听

The company will be providing more than 50,000+ in-person healthcare visits every single day as a result of this expansion. The news comes ahead of this Wednesday鈥檚 Budget announcement from the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, through which 拢6 billion is to be invested in the use of digital technology throughout the NHS.

Cera鈥檚 digital healthcare hubs are dedicated community teams of healthcare professionals who, empowered by pioneering digital technology, deliver services, such as care, nursing, telehealth, home medications and prescriptions, in people鈥檚 own homes rather than a hospital or care home setting.听

The hubs will be launched in London, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Wolverhampton, Coventry, Stoke-on-Trent, Sunderland, Bournemouth, Brighton, Burnley, Colchester, Southampton, Peterborough and Southend-on-Sea.

Cazoo founder backs prescription medicine startup Pharmacierge

Cera already works on behalf of hundreds of local authorities and NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups to provide these healthcare services in communities throughout the UK.

Ben Maruthappu, co-founder and CEO of Cera, commented: 鈥淭he pandemic has greatly exacerbated, and accelerated, many of the historic challenges that the NHS and social care sector have battled in the UK.听

鈥淚t has also, in turn, reaffirmed the need for reform, and to embrace technology and innovation to ensure our older community have access to timely, quality healthcare services.

鈥淥ur launch of 15 digital healthcare hubs will alleviate pressures on the NHS and support older people when they need it most, so that they can receive high quality, proactive and digital-first healthcare in the comfort of their own home.鈥�

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鈥淭he world has shifted and there is no going back,鈥� says James Penny, chief technology officer at managed services provider SysGroup. 鈥淓ighteen months ago, many people didn鈥檛 know how to jump on a Teams or Zoom call and then almost overnight, laptops, webcams and headsets all went into short supply. Now, pretty much everyone is comfortable with using technology for remote working.听

鈥淢ultiple models have emerged: some businesses are continuing with remote working; others want their staff back in the office as much as possible; and some are asking their people to return to the office for two or three days a week.鈥澨�

Companies of all shapes and sizes are now accustomed to working on the move, daily Teams meetings and virtual networking. As the world opens up again, can we really go back to the way things were?听

A hybrid approach is being advocated by Dawn Coker, chief executive officer at Birkenhead-based R&D tax specialist Access2Funding. 鈥淩ather than stepping back into a traditional working model, employers should embrace fresh solutions,鈥� she says.

鈥淎s employers, it is tough to weigh things up. On the one hand, there are lots of people who can鈥檛 wait to get back into the office; some would prefer to stay at home; and for others, a combination of remote work with time in the office can create the perfect mix of productivity and collaboration.听

鈥淐reating a strategy that facilitates the needs of the individuals, whilst not impacting output, is important. What is key, following a pandemic, is that employees are engaged and able to voice their opinions and concerns on a potential return to office working.鈥�

Perform and achieve

Chwarae Teg, founded in 1992, is committed to gender equality in Wales. CEO Cerys Furlong says the rise of technology extended the charity鈥檚 reach. 鈥淲e have been able to offer virtual support to women and businesses. Technology has given us the visibility we require to enable us to perform and achieve,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t also allowed us to streamline back鈥恛f鈥恏ouse systems, which reduced our people costs.鈥�

When its 76 employees transitioned to working from home, the process was smooth. 鈥淲e were actually ahead of the game in that we had made the decision to move to home鈥恇ased working and shut our three project offices at the end of March,鈥� explains Furlong. 鈥淲e will remain home鈥恇ased as this will allow us to employ the best and not be limited by geography.鈥澨�

Chwarae Teg partners with Liverpool鈥恏eadquartered SysGroup, which also has bases in Newport and London 鈥� and recently opened a base in Manchester 鈥� for its technology solutions. 鈥淪ysGroup helped us roll out new hardware with a simple one鈥恡ouch approach for staff 鈥� this was extremely useful as we have staff based across all of Wales and further afield,鈥� adds Furlong.听

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Microsoft鈥檚 Work Trend Index research for 2021 indicates that almost three鈥恞uarters of workers want flexible remote work options to continue, while more than 65 percent are craving more in鈥恜erson time with their teams.

鈥淭he data is clear: extreme flexibility and hybrid work will define the post鈥恜andemic workplace,鈥� the report states. It also found that too many video meetings using tools such as its own Teams software can be detrimental to staff health and productivity.听

No 鈥榦ne size fits all鈥�

Each business in its own right must find out what its hybrid model looks like, according to SysGroup CEO Adam Binks. 鈥淭here isn’t a rulebook that you can pull out and say ‘Monday, Wednesday, Friday, you’re in the office, and Tuesday, Thursday you’re at home,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat sort of stringent routine won’t work because you’re never going to know who will be where or when.听

鈥淏ut it’s also important that you get people back in the office 鈥� and that people do want to come to work in the office 鈥� because that innovation, that collaboration, will never happen the same over web conferencing. Things like bumping into a colleague in the office and getting that water cooler chat 鈥� the value attributed to that is impossible to put a number on, but it’s really important to every kind of business.听

鈥淏ringing your people together creates a drive and energy to grow the business. It’s about getting that balance right between home and office鈥恇ased working.鈥�

In tech you need feet on the ground, eyes on the horizon

CTO Penny says project鈥恇ased creative work in particular is smoother when people come together. 鈥淥perational meetings can work really well on Teams, but when you’re brainstorming you need to spend time face to face and whiteboarding,鈥� he says.

鈥淚f you are creating a document then working remotely is fine: you don’t need to necessarily interact with anybody else. But where you’re building new solutions and breaking new ground then working remotely is less effective.

鈥淚f a team is having a quick agile stand鈥恥p to check on the progress of projects, there is no compelling reason to go to an office. But if you’re then going to take a project apart, look at the opportunities and challenges, then you can鈥檛 beat being face鈥恡o鈥恌ace in a room with a whiteboard so you can explore and share ideas.鈥澨�

Chwarae Teg鈥檚 Furlong adds: 鈥淲e are using the 鈥榓dopt, abandon, amend鈥� approach with what we have learnt whilst working through the pandemic. We see the need to have more staff get鈥恡ogethers as we won鈥檛 be having those water cooler moments, but realise how important it is to keep connections with staff and that one size does not suit all.鈥澨�

Ask your staff

Indeed, every business is different 鈥� and Access2Funding鈥檚 Coker agrees that speaking to staff is crucial to finding the right approach. 鈥淚 circulated a staff wellbeing survey to gauge how employees felt about a potential return to the office and, as expected, opinions were varied,鈥� she says. 鈥淗ybrid working is most likely going to be the strategy of choice for many in the near future, including us, which will hopefully provide a happy medium and minimise the impact of putting employees through another stressful time in their working lives.听

鈥淒espite technology allowing employees to collaborate and socialise online, there is no substitute for physical interaction.鈥澨�

She advises: 鈥淐onsider creating more flexible workplaces, such as hot鈥恉esking onsite so employees can hop in and out of the office with their laptops, whenever they like.听

鈥淗ighlight the positives 鈥� has your company thrived as a result of remote working? Has greater flexibility meant productivity increased? Has a reduction in time spent commuting or attending client meetings meant more time spent on tasks?听

鈥淓qually, do not dismiss the negatives, but show awareness and provide ways to resolve any challenges to a hybrid working model. You can鈥檛 please everyone, but it is paramount that we as business leaders develop a healthy balance between the office and remote working.鈥澨�

Location-independent

SysGroup鈥檚 solutions are designed to be 鈥榣ocation鈥恑ndependent鈥�. 鈥淵ou can’t build a solution now that demands people have to be in a physical location. It’s just not going to happen going forward,鈥� says Penny.听

鈥淚f we deploy an application in our Enterprise Cloud, or, if necessary, in the Public Cloud, we need to make sure it is available from anywhere.听

鈥淲e need to support our customers to be flexible: our customers need to not worry about where their people are going to be 鈥� we’ll just make sure they can access any data and applications they need to make them effective, wherever they are. SysGroup will manage endpoints for you and your overall application strategy, so that all you need to focus on is your business and not worry about whether James or Jenny can access something because he or she is working from home.

听鈥淲e need to focus on building a 鈥榣ocation-independent鈥� approach to all IT solutions – this allows us to work alongside whatever the customer set needs to do.鈥�

/blog/2021/04/28/is-this-the-end-of-the-office-tech-leaders-discuss-covid-19-changes/

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Based on research from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 鈥楥ough-In-A-Box鈥� has been shown to correctly identify 98.5% of positive cases, including 100% of asymptomatic cases.听

Scottish software firm听Cloudsoft,听Fujitsu and听Formwize听helped听the UK Government implement听the听test, which听can accurately detect the virus using only voice data听鈥撎齛udio听recordings of a user coughing directly into their smartphone鈥檚 microphone.听

Analysing more than 70,000 recordings submitted by volunteers, which included around 2,500 from people confirmed to have COVID, researchers from MIT were able to train the AI model.听听

Since December 2020, a team of听Cloudsoft听engineers have been working with specialists from Fujitsu,听Formwize听and the听UK鈥檚 Department of Health and Social Care听to convert the application to the cloud.听听

This has allowed the UK Government to rapidly scale the application for 40,000 further trials, as well as ensure it meets the strict demands for data processing and security due to the need of anonymising personal voice data and combining it with participant鈥檚 medical history and PCR test data from all four home nations across the UK.听听

In addition, by utilising a combination of Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure cloud platforms, the application benefits from increased resilience and reliability, which are key requirements for the future use of the project as the UK Government expands its ongoing trials.听

/ai-drugs-firm-to-create-100-jobs/

Ross Gray, CEO,听Cloudsoft, said: 鈥淭his is transformational technology for the greater human good and we鈥檙e proud to at the forefront of technological innovation to contribute to overcoming COVID-19.听听

鈥淲ith so many applications in the real world, this technology could be a game-changer for so many sectors 鈥� including travel and hospitality, providing the current trials continue to show the same level of effectiveness as the initial MIT study.鈥�听

David Cairns, Head of Innovation at Fujitsu, said: 鈥淭his is exactly the sort of project that is only possible in the cloud. We relied on听Cloudsoft’s听expertise to co-architect the application to be cloud-native, ensuring that it could meet the demands of scale, reliability and security.听听

鈥淭his cutting-edge approach to Covid-19 detection has huge potential and is a perfect example of innovating for the human good.鈥�听

The UK Joint Biosecurity Centre is now working with the Alan Turing Institute to assess the wider feasibility of the application, with the initial trial being expanded to include those taking part in the REACT1 COVID-19 prevalence survey.听

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The brainchild of听Akhand Armour CEO听Meena Hanspal,听the face coverings could be a useful tool in the fight against multiple variants of the killer disease.听

鈥淎s soon as infected droplets land on the wearables, which are impregnated with a virus-destroying tech, the outer wall of the coronavirus is destroyed 鈥� rendering it useless,鈥� she claims.听

鈥淥ur methodologies neutralise the landed virus and bacteria. Killing it off means it cannot infect and cannot mutate.听听

鈥淣ot only do we mitigate听contact-based transmission,听we听mitigate the likelihood of variants developing. By moving over to these wearables,听we can help reduce background virus transference by removing landed infected droplets from circulation.鈥�听

Hanspal听says this would mean 鈥渉uman virus neutralisers moving through the community鈥�.听听

鈥淚n the same way as people can become 鈥榲irus transmitters鈥�, we can turn them into 鈥榟uman virus听neutralisers鈥�. There will be strength in numbers听鈥撎齮he听more people using the tech, the greater the shielding effect,鈥澨齭he said.听

The听dual pathway system for enhanced virus destruction听has听been tested and certified at听MSL,听a microbiological testing laboratory based in the UK.听It is听the first听company听to achieve an ISO certification for non-medical face masks and wearables scientifically confirming the landed virus is destroyed on contact with the fabric.听

Proven effective against coronaviruses, the flu and bacteria as well as a multitude of other microbes,听the听鈥榮elf-sanitising ecosystem鈥櫶齣ncludes face masks, sanitising face mask pocket cases, glasses cases, shopping bags and mobile phone cases.听听

It has听also developed scarf-mask hybrids听鈥� trademarked as听a听Scarsk听鈥撎齠or听people who cannot听use听masks,听and a baby-changing blanket for use in public听facilities or when travelling.听

The issue with ordinary face coverings is they can become an infectious surface and need to be worn with care. This is especially true when the virus is airborne.听

Dr David Greensmith, one of Akhand鈥檚 scientific advisors and a leader in Infectious Diseases at the University of Salford,听points out that face coverings can become contagious surfaces by collecting microbes through use.听听

He听said:听“A听covering听which is designed to prevent transmission may, after time, facilitate it…听a face covering augmented in the way Akhand Armour have developed, can ultimately reduce the likelihood of microbe spread between individuals…听and effectively contribute to a respective reduction in R value.鈥�听

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Esri works with Transport for London, Vodafone and the Metropolitan Police听and its geographic information systems, location intelligence and mapping听software is听also used by 75% of Fortune 500 companies, the majority of national governments globally and more than 7,000 universities worldwide.听

Organisations typically use Esri’s technology to help them more effectively use space and mitigate risk.听For example,听it听identified 13.5 million square feet of unused space in a single London borough, thus helping to determine the best locations to build new housing.听听听

Most recently, however, the company has played听a prominent role in the fight against COVID.听Its technology powers听John Hopkins University鈥檚听global COVID-19 dashboard; meanwhile,听in听the UK alone, its听disaster response programme听has听donated more than 拢8 million worth of software to more than 150 organisations听to support their response to the pandemic.听

鈥淲hen the pandemic hit, John Hopkins University used Esri鈥檚 geospatial cloud technology to produce a dashboard monitoring the spread of coronavirus across the world. The dashboard initially contained figures on the number of cases and deaths, but now even contains data on the vaccine rollout,鈥澨�Stuart听Bonthrone, Chief Executive of Esri UK, told听老九品茶Cloud.听

鈥淭he dashboard was built by a PhD student, and at its peak was accessed more than 8,000 times a second. Just a decade ago, this wouldn鈥檛 have been possible 鈥� and its testament to how far technology has come.鈥�听听

Esri鈥檚听primary product, ArcGIS, allows people to create maps that can represent thousands of relationships between hundreds of data layers.听听

For example, it can be used to collect and manage drone imagery and remotely sensed data, build 3D visualisations and even digitally transform field operations.听

鈥淐OVID-19 changed policing in the City of London overnight,鈥� explains听Bonthrone.听鈥淭he force used Esri’s geospatial technology to develop听, creating an interactive map displaying the latest data available on footfall in the City of London and highlighting which business premises are open or closed.听听

鈥淭hese dashboards contain up-to-date data from as many of the 23,890 businesses based in the City of London as possible, including, notably, the 280 large businesses that collectively provide 50% of jobs in the听City.听听

鈥淧olice officers from Project听Servator听on the beat within the City of London use the Esri ArcGIS Survey123 app on their mobile devices to record observations about people鈥檚 movements in busy areas, and this up-to-the-minute data is then automatically visible on the dashboards.听听

鈥淪enior police officers can then use the dashboard to better monitor changes and vulnerabilities and make well-informed policing decisions.鈥�听

Esri has been mapping the world for more than 50 years, thanks to its听emphasis on innovation. The company听dedicates a third of its annual revenue to R&D.听

The company has three offices in the UK 鈥� in Aylesbury, Edinburgh and Cambridge 鈥� and听employs more than 300 people here, while it also runs听an extensive graduate programme.听

鈥淥ver the last seven years, our revenue has doubled in the UK 鈥� and our goal is to double that figure again in the next decade,鈥� said听Bonthrone.听

鈥淭here鈥檚 a number of factors driving our growth in the UK, and many businesses are only just beginning to realise the huge potential offered to them by geospatial technology.听

鈥淭he shift to the cloud has been enormous for Esri, as it鈥檚 democratised access to GIS听鈥撎齛nd听allowed our customers to inexpensively create and share maps, apps and geospatial data.听

鈥淎nother reason driving our growth is the changing expectations of business. Environmental and Social Governance听is now a major factor for boardrooms up and down the country. Shareholders, employees and customers are rightly demanding that companies operate in more sustainable and ethical ways.听听

鈥淭o do this, companies need systems in place that can help them monitor and manage their impact on the planet. Esri has been mapping the world for more than 50 years, and we鈥檝e collated the largest library of geographic data 鈥� which is an invaluable resource for companies looking to understand and improve how their operations affect the world around them.鈥�

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In contrast to existing COVID-19 tests that require unpleasant, invasive nose and throat swabs, Intelligent Fingerprinting says its test uses a simple swab to collect a saliva sample from the inside of the cheek.听

The firm, manufacturers of the world鈥檚 first and only fingerprint sweat drug test, says听the easy-to-use nature of the test makes it听particularly suitable for testing more vulnerable people and children.听

It facilitates frequent testing across a range of applications including schools, workplaces, public events, care homes, healthcare, airports and prisons. Test results are available in 20 minutes 鈥� a third quicker than most current nose and throat lateral flow tests.听

鈥淎lmost everyone who has taken a nose or throat swab to test for COVID-19 knows just how unpleasant they can be. In developing our new COVID-19 saliva test, we have successfully combined the benefits of much simpler sample collection with high levels of accuracy using our existing technology,鈥� explained Intelligent听Fingerprinting鈥檚听Executive Chairman Philip Hand.听

鈥淭he introduction of our new COVID-19 test involved rapid design, development and manufacture within the UK over a听10-month period.听听

鈥淢anufacturing capacity at our Cambridge plant, utilising existing equipment and ISO 13485 quality control, is ready to support the production of millions of tests per month, and we also anticipate we will be working with existing and new distribution partners to make this test available across multiple markets.鈥�听

The firm also says the test strip is engineered to keep plastic usage to a minimum 鈥� with none of the plastic casing present that is usually associated with lateral flow tests.听

听

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CEO Dr Connor Bryant set up听MedicAir听with听COO Dr Priyam Patel听in 2019听to听kill and remove airborne viruses including influenza听as听well as reducing the impact of hay fever, asthma and allergic reactions to pet and dust dander.听

Specially created for the dental profession, Surrey-based MedicAir ramped up production at the onset of COVID-19 and was immediately invited to install the units in the NHS and private sector units in most major UK cities.听

It has been proved beyond reasonable doubt that viruses are released as part of the exhalation process, as well as whilst talking and coughing.听听

During such processes, the micro droplets are extremely small and can remain airborne for long periods. A typical 5-渭m droplet will likely travel tens of metres before settling to the ground.听

Using ultra-high 24w power UVC technology, 360-degree air intake and a five-stage filtration process, clinical trials show that in just 30 minutes,听MedicAir听removes 99.9% of invisible allergens and viruses conveyed in the air within an听area of 27.5 m^3.听This听includes听well-known surrogates of COVID-19.听

鈥淲e are passionate about clean air and believe it is a fundamental human right. Clearly, it took a pandemic for many of us to realise just how important clean, hygienic air is and we now need to shift our focus from reactionary to preventative,鈥� said听Dr Bryant.听

鈥淥ur products, which are available across the UK, most of Europe, US and Australia, are already significantly disrupting the impact of airborne viruses such as influenza and of course COVID and our ideal is to ensure safe air in all indoor spaces to give maximum health protection and peace of mind.鈥�听

Consumer awareness of the benefits of clean air has driven the company to expand into many sectors, including hospitals, hospitality, retail, office spaces and education.听

Increasing public concern for air quality particularly within medical facilities, schools, offices, and restaurants is behind the company鈥檚 rapid growth, which from January to May this year has resulted in a YOY growth of 1,000%.听

MedicAir听is already safeguarding and transforming vulnerable spaces such as care homes, hospitals and offices as life slowly returns to normality.听

The device operates听with the same power as a standard fan听鈥撎齤ust听60w through any suitable plug socket and operates with minimum noise.听

An on-screen display shows everything from air quality levels to relative humidity and room temperature. On-board laser sensors constantly monitor the quality of the air, detecting increases in contamination and activating the unit鈥檚 motors accordingly.听听

The antimicrobial coated HEPA-13 filters only require changing approx. once a year which can be done simply, meaning no engineer is required – a common necessity with other air filtration systems.听

Dr Bryant continued:听鈥淐ombining innovative technology with outstanding design and user convenience, our sophisticated air purification system ensures the highest levels of protection and reassurance in everyday environments.听听

鈥淥ur products are designed to fit seamlessly into any environment, enabling the user to safely continue with everyday activities in the safe and certain knowledge of premium quality air.鈥�听

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Test To Go, available on Apple and Android devices,听records听the results听of a test听instantly and creates听a digital certificate.听

Developed by Excalibur Healthcare Services and powered by听MagnifEye, it听could help businesses welcome staff safely back to the office and enable people to听travel, participate in leisure activities or attend events听with greater confidence.听

The Department of Health & Social Care has signed a production contract to use the technology for reading COVID-19 lateral flow diagnostic tests as part of the UK government鈥檚 asymptomatic testing programme.听

The听app offers an 鈥榚nterprise鈥� setting which is particularly suited for use by employers and managers in the office, travel, events, hospitality, entertainment, sport, leisure, health and social care sectors. There is also a separate setting for individuals.听

Excalibur听says the听app听eliminates errors in reading听tests:听during extensive trials involving over 15,000 samples, the听app was up to three times more effective than the human eye in confirming low levels of infection.听听

Recorded test results are submitted within seconds to听the听Public Health England national database for monitoring infection levels.听

It听can also record the user鈥檚 PCR test results straight from the laboratory should they be required for travel purposes and has the capacity to add vaccine and serology certification.听

Ignoring Britain’s SMEs was government’s fatal mistake

The app has been developed through a pioneering partnership between Cambridge-based Excalibur and听Sensyne听Health plc, the Oxford-based clinical AI company.听

A combination of Excalibur鈥檚 advanced COVID-19 testing systems and听Sensyne鈥檚听pioneering algorithm听MagnifEye听technology has created the digital solution.听听

Excalibur鈥檚 COVID-19 rapid test was developed in its own Cambridge laboratory and then rigorously tested by leading university research laboratories, pharmaceutical companies and international hospital groups. It has been validated in over 12,000 symptomatic and asymptomatic samples and settings and exceeds the Department of Health and Social Care鈥檚 acceptable criteria.听听

The test is also registered with the UK regulator MHRA, and is one of the fastest, most accurate and reliable tests on the market.听

Professor Sir Chris Evans, chairman and CEO of Excalibur Healthcare Services, said: 鈥淭he Test听To听Go App is one of a kind 鈥� and an excellent example of British partnership and innovation.听听

鈥淚t鈥檚 a very exciting development and can play an important part in helping businesses and their employees get back to normal.听听

鈥淧eople can go to their offices or get on a train or a plane knowing exactly their COVID-19 status. We think this will also be an invaluable tool in the entertainment sector.听

鈥淓very effort needs to be made to ensure that infection rates are kept under control. Taking a reliable test and creating a credible digital record of the result will be extremely useful in doing this and it is important that test results are submitted to the national database.听听

鈥淎s an independent company, we have committed to doing this and will are looking to collaborate with other test manufacturers to develop this further.鈥�听

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The Liverpool-headquartered company signed a lease this week on a new office in Manchester city centre, which is part of Binks鈥� strategy to disrupt the market.听

The company has predicted that revenue for the year to March 31听2021听is likely to be 7 per cent lower than the previous year鈥檚 figure of 拢19.5m,听although EBITDA is expected to be up by 3 per cent over the same period.听

The fall in turnover has been blamed on the impact of the pandemic but Binks said it would have been 鈥榳rong morally鈥� to have exploited the furlough scheme.听

Subject to government guidelines the company is planning to return to the office on May 24 having been working from home since March 13, 2020.听

Binks said: 鈥淲hen we assessed the situation at the start of the pandemic we were largely underpinned by recurring revenue. Financially we were in a very strong position with a great cash balance.听

鈥淚f we鈥檇 furloughed听people听I think it would have been wrong morally. We鈥檇 have been using an excuse to take advantage of a scheme we didn鈥檛听need听and we knew there were far more deserving businesses out there for these public funds.听

鈥淣either did we need the Bounce Back of CBILS loans. The only thing we took advantage of was the deferral of our Q1 VAT payment but we鈥檝e since repaid that in full.鈥�听

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The pandemic prevented workers in SysGroup鈥檚 consultancy services division visiting customers but the company chose to reconfigure the business rather than furlough staff.听

鈥淲e know some of the competition did (furlough staff),鈥� he said. 鈥淲e like to be different and think outside the box.听

鈥淲e sat down with our sales and consultancy services听teams听and we engineered our processes and spoke to our customers to work with them to deliver our services remotely but to the same high level as before.鈥�听

The company increased its headcount during the pandemic to 127听and听 is听preparing to open its first Manchester office after signing a lease on a suite on the fifth floor of 55 Spring Gardens, which will become its sales and marketing hub.听

The move will see the company create up to 10 new jobs in the first 12 months, with ambitious plans to create a further 20 in the next three years.听

Binks said the move reflected the company鈥檚 growth ambitions.听

鈥淧eople have known听SysGroup听and me especially as being Liverpool born and bred,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e kind of always stayed away from Manchester, with the big competition being over there.听

鈥淲e needed to shake the market up a little bit. If I look at some of the听competitors听I can see they鈥檙e downsizing offices and encouraging homeworking. I decided to fill the void that exists in Manchester now.鈥�听

The company鈥檚 revenues have grown by 83 per cent since Binks was appointed CEO in 2018 and he said听SysGroup听was committed to a buy and build strategy.听

鈥淥ur plan is still to take the business to a 拢100m market capitalisation,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e sitting here today at about 拢23m market cap. That might seem like a million miles听away听but it only takes two or three strategic acquisitions.听

鈥淚 do feel as though we鈥檝e had a听one year听delay because of Covid. We鈥檝e not made any acquisitions in the last 12 months. Now, as we come out of the pandemic, I think we can accelerate that acquisition journey.鈥�听

As well as looking forward to returning to the office Binks is also hoping to resume his flying career.听

鈥淲hen I was a听kid听I always had an ambition to be an airline pilot,鈥� he said. 鈥淎s I grew听up听I moved into an听IT听and it took over my life.听 I decided to get a private pilot鈥檚 licence and I鈥檝e been flying for 11 years now.鈥�听

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Creative technology agency Rehab and the University of Nottingham have developed COVID Vax Facts, a conversational interface aimed at tackling听hesitancy and听concerns around their听safety.听听

Experts suggest听90% of the UK population听must receive the听vaccine听for the nation听to achieve herd immunity, but figures from听a听University of Nottingham听study听indicate听1 in 5 people听remain听uncertain about going ahead.听

Rehab says celebrities posting听about receiving the听vaccine isn鈥檛 enough of a solution. Enter the chatbot,听which听converses with users in an objective, non-judgemental听manner, talking them through what is known and what isn鈥檛, with scientific evidence presented in an accessible way.听听

At the end of the conversation, participants are asked if they feel听more or less confident听in their initial opinion on the vaccine.听听

The chatbot also collects anonymous data on the responses,听which will allow the university鈥檚 research team to spot the influence of factors like age, ethnic group and social class.听This听could inform vital interventions in the coming months.听听

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The project comes out of a听three-year partnership between Rehab and the University of Nottingham focusing on digital interventions.听听

鈥淒igital technology, and social media in particular, contribute to the vaccine hesitancy issue, so it鈥檚 vital that we consider how we can make technology a part of the solution and work for society – rather than against it,鈥� said Rehab CEO听Rob Bennett.听

鈥�The potential of conversational interfaces has advanced tremendously in recent years, and this project hopes to spotlight how pivotal they can be in fighting on the right side of important battles.听听

鈥�Rehab is always looking at the endless possibilities of how technology can help people, and we鈥檙e very pleased to bring this project to the public.鈥�听

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Kavita听Vedhara, Professor of Health Psychology, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences commented: 鈥淭here is a lot of information and misinformation about COVID-19听vaccines听and it can be hard to know where to look and who to trust.听听

鈥�We have tried to develop a ‘one-stop shop’ that will provide information about the most common issues raised by the UK public. Our aim is to give people the information that will help them make an informed choice.听听

鈥�Having a COVID-19 vaccine is a choice and everyone deserves a chance to have access to the information that will help them make that choice.鈥�听

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