CLUSTER NEWS – August 2024
Congratulations to our region’s A Level students
Congratulations to students across the West Midlands who received good news in their A Level results this month.
Alongside the north east, the West Midlands had the largest increases in A*/A grades across England, rising from 22.9% in 2023 to 24.8% this year. The West Midlands’ pass rate remained at 96.8%, 0.4% less than the national pass rate of 97.2%.
There is still a little way to go to reach the national average for A-level grades being either an A or A* (27.6%). We are very pleased for all the successful students and their families, and doubtless so too are HealthTech employers in our region.
CLUSTER’S EVENTS
At July’s Topical Tuesday Rafiah Ansari and Clive Summerfield presented on Guidance for the Ethical Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare. There is no escaping the growing reliance on AI in all walks of life and at the cluster we see it as a vital service to help members introduce AI where appropriate and in a safe and ethical way.
The next Topical Tuesday is on Tuesday 10 September when George Kowalski of MiiCare Ltd will be talking to us about what they are doing to help keep older adults healthier at home. Read more and register to attend this event here.
Also in September WMHTC, Tech WM, Innovation Alliance and HIWM are teaming up to invite you to an exclusive event that we are collaborating on to explore the challenges and opportunities in Inclusive Health Tech. This event will be held on the 17th of September at I-centrum. At this in-person event we shall be focusing on inclusion in HealthTech. Read more and register to attend this event here.
I have been carrying out interviews this month to follow up on my recent survey about a single Narrative for HealthTech in the West Midlands.
We shall be hosting an event for HealthTech during Birmingham Tech Week in October – look out for our announcements shortly.
HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES SECTOR NEWS
New flexible MedTech qualification
We are working with the Combined Authority and IfATE (Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education) on a new flexible, modular, MedTech qualification at Levels 4/5. A pilot curriculum has been prepared.
Following a call for expressions of interest from relevant awarding bodies (via the Federation of Awarding Bodies) we now have a front runner to take the prototype qualification to the next stage of market delivery. This is the education company called Pearson.
I have been asked to identify relevant regional stakeholder who we could recommend to Pearson as part of their own engagement to better understand the medtech skills market (and from this to help with qualification design).
I have volunteered to be involved, naturally, would you be interested in taking part? If so, please let me know.
Survey results for a HealthTech Narrative
During July, I sent out a survey to HealthTech stakeholders asking for views on my proposal for a single Narrative for HealthTech in the West Midlands.
I sent out 100 survey requests and received 15 responses, so a response rate of 15 per cent, and the responders were diverse. A good range of views were expressed. There is a clear desire for our region’s HealthTech sector to be supported, and a recognition of its value to our region in terms of economic and jobs growth. It is also seen as a vehicle for contributing to tackling inequalities in health as well as wealth.
The complexity involved in providing support to the sector for its growth is clearly understood – there are long and deeply held views that the ecosystem is fragmented and we do not shout about our successes.
Some respondents were unsure about what makes the sector excellent, how it is differentiated from the HealthTech sectors in other regions and nations, and how to address challenges around overlap and duplication in our business support system. To address these uncertainties, there are suggestions for more anchor organisations (private sector larger companies and public sector bodies), more collaboration, and more projection of our strengths and successes.
There are helpful suggestions about drawing the Golden Triangle closer to our region, improving our understanding of our HealthTech sector, and adopting a single direction of travel (towards a “North Star”) as agreed by our sector’s participants.
Amongst respondents, there was wide support for all stakeholders to work together to develop an agreed narrative for the sector. It was pointed out that other organisations are working on strategies that will inevitably inter-relate with any such narrative. This suggests that collaboration and communication will be key to ensure that at the end of such processes whilst there may be many descriptions of our HealthTech sector and its strengths, there will be a single, consistent golden thread evident in them all.
Wanted, a Business representative on the HealthTech Land Insights Forum
The West Midlands HealthTech Land Insights Forum was set up earlier this year to monitor the availability of land in our region for HealthTech businesses and help ensure that we will have an adequate supply as the sector grows. Various business and local government interests are represented and the Forum is currently chaired by CBRE’s Head of Birmingham Office, Will Ventham. We are looking for a company to join the Forum and contribute input from the HealthTech customer’s perspective. Ideally, this will be a business which has experience of having looked for land for a HealthTech use.
If you are interested, please contact me. The Forum will next be meeting on Monday 14 October.
WEST MIDLANDS REGION NEWS
West Midlands Mayor’s New Youth Plan
Latest research shows that the WMCA area has the highest job-seeking claimant rates among Combined Authorities, with overall claimant rates at 7.5% and youth claimants at 8.7% (compared to a UK average of 3.9% and 5% respectively).
To combat this, the Mayor has launched a plan to create 20,000 work opportunities for young people, including training, apprenticeships and health support. Let me know if you want more information on this and whether you think you could contribute.
I shall also be launching a HealthTech sector campaign for recruitment of apprentices off the Path 2 Apprenticeships programme this autumn.
The cluster organisations in the West Midlands, ourselves included, have been approached by Serco, on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions, to participate in Restart Blue, a programme to support out of work graduates into work. I shall definitely want to participate as a mentor personally.
Write to Win – Grant application guidance
Business Growth West Midlands is offering a free workshop at the Black Country & Marches Institute of Technology, Zoological Drive Dudley DY1 4AE on Wednesday 04 September. It will provide a step-by-step guide to making successful grant applications.
Securing funding for the projects that matter to you is more challenging now than ever. This workshop will help you to navigate the terminology in the world of grant proposals and write clearly with impact. The session will take you through a step-by-step guide to making successful grant applications.
This workshop is designed to enable the applicant to have the very best chance of success to secure funds to grow their business. The workshop is aimed primarily at the Dudley Council SME Grants and uses their application process as the blueprint for the course.
To apply for your free place, visit Business Growth WM website.
Debunking the Myths of the “Green Book”
Treasury-compliant Green Book business cases ensure greater investment into our region. With a wide range of investment funds and the development of levelling up partnerships, emerging economic assessments, place-based strategies and greater devolution deals the ability to understand and craft the 5 elements of a business case is critical to driving the future growth of the Midlands Economy.
The event features Joseph Lowe, the Editor of The Green Book from 2006 to August 2024 and Head of the Economics of Social Welfare and Public Value. He will explain how to develop a good business case that will deliver in practice.
The event will be held at The Exchange on Tuesday 03 September and is free to attend. You can book your place here.
NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Improving Public Funding Allocations to Reduce Geographical Inequalities
As the UK continues to grapple with local and regional disparities, a more equitable and efficient public funding allocation system could play a crucial role in narrowing the gap between prosperous and disadvantaged areas. A research team from University of Birmingham is intent on providing the evidence that will allow the new UK Government distribute funding more fairly to reduce spatial inequalities.
By involving stakeholders, including citizens and co-producing knowledge with policymakers, the project team aim to ensure that findings are relevant and applicable to what is happening on the ground. The findings could help shape the future of public funding in England, leading to more targeted and effective investments in areas that need it most. This, in turn, could help create a more balanced and prosperous nation, where opportunities are less determined by geographical location.
You are invited – policymakers, local leaders, and interested citizens – to join the conversation and help reshape how public funds are allocated in the UK to support a more balanced and prosperous nation.
Whilst HealthTech businesses are not the primary audience for this new Government guidance, they may see how health technologies could support landlords in ensuring that tenants’ health is ensured and damp and mould eradicated.
The health impacts were all too painfully exposed in the tragic case of Awaab Ishak, a young boy who died in his family’s home because of untreated damp and mould.
I am reminded of the session we organised earlier this year to examine health impacts of poor quality air and technologies that can be used to intervene and prevent serious health conditions. Presenters made clear that poor health impacts human health both outdoors and inside buildings.
Perhaps this guidance will save lives in future – and maybe with the help of smart health technologies.
Information Commissioner considers £6M fine for HealthTech company
The ICO has provisionally decided to fine Advanced Computer Software Group Ltd (Advanced) £6.09m, following an initial finding that the provider failed to implement measures to protect the personal information of 82,946 people, including some sensitive personal information.
Advanced provides IT and software services to organisations on a national scale, including the NHS and other healthcare providers, and handles people’s personal information on behalf of these organisations as their data processor.
The provisional decision to issue a fine relates to a ransomware incident in August 2022, where we have provisionally found that hackers initially accessed a number of Advanced’s health and care systems via a customer account that did not have multi-factor authentication.
It is worth reading the ICO’s provisional decision in full to appreciate the need for effective cyber security.
Spotlight on…
Mud, Sweat and Cheers
The Technology Supply Chain may be best known to you for Richard Fallon’s very enthusiastic promotion of all aspects of support for the supply chain. But how many know about his charitable work in conjunction with Moseley RUFC?
This year, as in past years, the team will be hosting matches at Birmingham Moseley Rugby Club. These are highly sought after events and invitation only, where a great mix of business professionals enjoy the relaxed atmosphere.
This is a ‘save the date’ notification, if you are interested, for the first of these charity days of the new rugby season, Saturday 28th September when Moseley will play Blackheath.
f you would like to help kick start their fundraising for the Army Benevolent Fund, who are their charity of choice for both the Moseley rugby event and the Innovation Awards, here’s the Just Giving page for the event; https://www.justgiving.com/page/paul-cadman-mudsweatandcheers-abf
I hope you enjoy reading my e-bulletin. Feel free to contact me personally with your feedback and suggestions for future activities at david@wmhtc.co.uk
Regards,
Executive Chair.
