A Finnish start-up that delivers online postnatal exercise programmes to help new mothers recover safely after childbirth is part of the cohort of health businesses accepted onto Sheffield Hallam University’s latest Wellbeing Accelerator. Nordic Fit Mama is one of 12 national and international SMEs set to receive up to £20,000 of support to accelerate product development and help bring new health products and services to market. The flagship innovation programme, led by Sheffield Hallam’s £15.7m Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre (AWRC), brokers academic expertise from across the University to deliver research and development (R&D) support to businesses and leverages its network of over 90 experienced mentors. It follows a successful inaugural Wellbeing Accelerator programme in 2020 which saw 28 businesses supported, including Sheffield-based sleep-tech start-up SleepCogni that recently raised more than $2million to commercialise into the US market. The businesses accepted onto this year’s programme, which has been sponsored by investment and commercialisation specialists InterMedi Group, include:

• SCALED, based in London, uses Computational Design to develop nature-inspired, custom-fit, flexible and protective material solutions to tackle injury prevention for healthy ageing
• Nordic Fit Mama, based in Helsinki, delivering an online training programme with proven results to help mothers to recover safely after pregnancy and childbirth
• Ventriject, based in Copenhagen, delivering a cost-effective, fast and reliable estimate of cardiorespiratory fitness, a strong indicator of overall health
• Physiobuddie, based in Yorkshire, an innovative, secure digital-first service that provides its users with remote step-by-step progressive rehabilitation
• DM Orthotics, based in Cornwall, designers and manufacturers of specialist orthoses that help to improve the lives of adults and children who face a range of neuro-muscular and musculoskeletal challenges
• MindBehind gmbH, based in Cologne and Istanbul, develops intelligent virtual assistants powered by conversational AI to improve communication in multiple sectors. It aims to maximize its impact in the healthcare industry by building a chatbot to promote physical activity and enhance mental health
• Hyivy Health Inc, based in Ontario, Canada, creates a pelvic rehabilitation system for the 1 in 3 women worldwide who will experience a pelvic health complication in their lifetime
• Elecura, based in Sheffield, delivering an all-in-one business management platform for social care providers that enables and promotes a best-in-class and easily auditable service
• Tellu, based in Oslo, developing digital health technologies that helps to make everyday life easier for employees in the home care service, in institutions, hospitals and nursing homes
• THERAPHA is an AI enabled chatbot, designed to detect hidden clinical patterns to identify the best possible diagnosis. It effectively performs differential diagnoses, triages spine pathologies, automates the subjective portion of clinical documentation in a narrative format, even before an in-person visit
• Motion Exercise CIC, based in Sheffield, designing and remotely delivering interactive and inclusive exercise programmes tackling social isolation and increasing physical activity, amongst older adults
• Active Orbit Limited, based in Sheffield, allowing individuals to track all their daily activity, uses behavioural science to encourage an active lifestyle and rewards them for the levels of activity they achieve and maintain

Zeezy Qureshi, CEO and co-founder of Motion Exercise CIC, said: “We’re delighted to have been selected to take part in the AWRC Wellbeing Accelerator. Our mission with Motion Exercise is to empower older adults across the UK to live happy and healthy lives, through our tailored exercise programmes. The accelerator will be a fantastic opportunity for us to further evidence the impact our programmes have, develop our skills as a young team coming out of University and connect with experts across a variety of fields.” Following the programme, the AWRC’s R&D for business team continues its support and works with the participants to develop collaborative grant funding applications. The University does not take equity or use state aid allowances, and the programme is fully funded by Sheffield Hallam contributions and private sector sponsorship. Ryan Sylvester, programme manager for the Wellbeing Accelerator, said: “The most interesting part of the programme for me is the application stage, seeing the breadth of talent and ingenuity in how applicants are finding ways to address challenges people face on an everyday basis, not least those living in South Yorkshire. The chosen companies are a great representation of the diverse cohort of impactful companies we were looking to bring together, and the team are looking forward to helping them achieve their goals in the UK.” Jason Brannan, deputy director of the AWRC, said: “If we are to truly address the widening gap in health inequalities across the UK we must focus on the prevention of disease and the resilience of people, advanced wellbeing and physical activity have an important role to play in this, something that has been apparent throughout the Covid pandemic. These companies have a central role to play here and the AWRC Accelerator will support them in bringing their products to market.” The Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre, which forms the centrepiece of the Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, is dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of the population through innovations that help people move. Its mission is to prevent and treat chronic disease through co-designed research into physical activity – whilst also contributing to the creation of new jobs and attracting investment to the region.

New mental health research from Deloitte has revealed that the cost to employers of poor mental health has increased, to up to £56bn in 2020-21 compared to £45bn in 2019. The overall increase in total costs is due to higher staff turnover. Deloitte’s survey found that 28% of UK employees either left their job in 2021 or they are planning to leave it in 2022, with 61% of respondents saying this was due to poor mental health. Young people (18-29 years old) were found to be most likely to have moved jobs or be considering a job move. One in five (21%) young people surveyed said they were planning to leave and one in four (24%) said they had intentionally left their job in the past 12 months. Of those who had intentionally left or planned to leave their job, two in three (65%) said this decision was driven by poor mental health. Elizabeth Hampson, Deloitte director and author of ‘Mental health and employers: the case for investment – pandemic and beyond’, said: “We have seen poor mental health costs UK employers up to £56 billion a year, based on a new Deloitte survey, an increase of 25% in the cost of poor mental health to employers compared to 2019. “Mental health issues are a strong driver for the ‘Great resignation’. Long hours, increased stress and job insecurity have had a detrimental impact on quality of life during the pandemic. People are leaving their jobs, re-evaluating their careers and changing occupations in large numbers. “Burnout among employees, such as feelings of exhaustion, mental distance from the job and reduced job performance, have been more evident during the pandemic. Measures by employers to improve mental wellbeing should not only benefit employees themselves but should also reduce employment costs such as recruitment costs and provide broader societal benefits.” Jackie Henry, managing partner for people and purpose at Deloitte UK, said: “Wellbeing must become a strategic priority for organisations of every size – not only to support employees experiencing anxiety and stress, but also to prevent people from becoming overwhelmed and overworked in the first place. “COVID-19 has given us an opportunity to tackle stigma and improve awareness. Leadership should set the tone at the top: whether continuing to invest in training to help managers and employees spot signs of poor mental health and understand how to reach their employees and help.” Emma Mamo, Head of Workplace Wellbeing at Mind, said: “It’s shocking but not surprising that the cost of poor mental health to employers is now up to a huge £56 billion per year. We know that the pandemic has taken a huge toll on the mental health of the nation, including our colleagues. “A 2021 survey by Mind of over 40,000 staff working across 114 organisations taking part in our Workplace Wellbeing Index revealed that two in five (41 per cent) employees said their mental health had worsened during the pandemic. “The lockdowns and restrictions gave lots of us more time to think about what we wanted from our lives and our careers, and as a result more of us decided to leave or move jobs. Recruiting and retaining talent is hugely important to employers, and we know employers who invest in staff wellbeing are more likely to report having staff who are happy, productive and less likely to leave. “This latest report from Deloitte suggests employers see a return of £5.30 on average for every £1 invested in staff wellbeing so it’s never been timelier to prioritise staff mental health, especially given staff are once again adjusting to new ways of working, with many employers trialling hybrid working. “Mind can help employers of all sizes and sectors to create mentally healthy workplaces, including through our training and the resources available via our website.”

A new defence and security cluster is to be created to support the surveillance and reconnaissance capability at RAF Waddington.

RenewableUK is proposing a wide-ranging plan to the Government outlining key steps which would enable the UK to effectively end dependence on gas for electricity within five years. The organisationn’s CEO Dan McGrail said: “With the rocketing global cost of gas continuing to push up energy bills, Government and industry need to work together to cut our reliance on gas to generate electricity as quickly as possible and I believe we can do that within five years. We can start on this by doubling down on what we can get in this year’s clean power auctions, to protect consumers from global price shocks in the future. “If we remove the cap on cheap onshore wind and solar capacity in this auction, then shovel-ready projects could be generating power by next year. And we risk being penny-wise but pound-foolish if we don’t take this opportunity to invest a small amount extra in offshore wind for a huge payback to consumers, alongside growing our domestic supply chain. The new factories we want to see in ports around the UK are a golden opportunity to create thousands of new jobs and attract billions in private investment, especially in parts of the country which need levelling up most. “And we can’t have a new energy strategy without a plan for grid investment alongside it. National Grid needs the freedom to invest more in accelerating the transformation of our energy system, to make the most of the huge amounts of renewable electricity we’re generating. There’s a pressing case for Ofgem reforming grid charges for renewable generators, as the current system actively deters investment in some of the UK’s largest and most productive projects at a time when we desperately need new power sources. “These extraordinary measures can boost the UK’s energy security faster than any alternative and our plans for a rapid shift away from gas power is the best option for consumers”.Replacing gas with new renewable energy capacity to generate power would reduce the country’s vulnerability to huge fluctuations in global gas prices which are hurting consumers, as well as accelerating action against climate change. Renewables UK says gas prices are many times higher than the cost of renewables, low carbon technologies offer the cheapest route to the UK’s energy independence, so the industry is keen to work more closely with Ministers to ensure new renewable projects are built faster and any remaining fossil fuel generation plays only a minor role in peak demand. With renewables already set to expand rapidly this decade, the plan would unlock a further 25% growth in renewable power by 2030. The measures in the Renewable Energy Response Plan include increasing the amount of new renewable capacity which will be secured in this year’s auction for contracts to generate clean power. This can be achieved by removing the limit imposed on the amount of onshore wind capacity which can go ahead in this auction and raising the budget available for offshore wind as more projects are now shovel-ready than when the Government set out their initial ambitions. By investing an extra £68 million in the budget for offshore wind, we can cut consumers’ exposure to gas by £1.5 billion. Government should also ensure that the planning process for renewables moves faster, to maximise the capacity that can be secured from annual clean power auctions starting in 2023. Planning decisions for offshore wind projects should be taken within a statutory timeframe of 1 year, whereas it’s currently taking at least 2-3 years. The planning regime for onshore wind in England is in urgent need of reform as in practice it is blocking nearly all new projects from going ahead, including those with broad community support. Most UK onshore wind development will take place in Scotland where, wind speeds are strongest, and the Scottish Government should clarify and expedite the planning system, which is currently being reviewed. Other key reforms are needed so that regulation doesn’t undermine investment in renewables. The energy regulator, Ofgem, should urgently enable new grid investment to bring forward renewable projects faster and tackle the enormous disparities in the way renewable energy generators are charged for using the grid – for example, projects in Scotland pay 15 times more for this than generators in England and Wales. New rules are also needed to bring forward grid-scale batteries as fast as possible. Innovative technology can play a part too, as the cost of green hydrogen falls rapidly. If the Government brought forward a 5GW renewable hydrogen target by 2030, this could replace 5% of total UK gas demand, equivalent to £5.7bn.