Tag Archives: Sheffield

AI, News

Sheffield tech firm launches AI to predict tenants’ rent debt up to six months before it happens

As social housing rent arrears hit £1bn earlier this year, an innovative tech firm has launched first-of-its-kind artificial intelligence (AI) to help housing associations predict when residents are likely to fall behind with their rent – up to six months in the future.

Pivigo’s Rent Arrears Prediction AI platform means social landlords can reduce the number of tenants struggling with debt and drive down lost rental income needed to run services and build new homes.

By predicting arrears early, staff can focus on positive prevention and support for tenants – including the most vulnerable – rather than focusing solely on recovering missed payments. According to the Chartered Institute of Housing’s #ShineALight campaign launched in 2020, around one in three social housing tenants in rent arrears are experiencing mental health problems.

The Pivigo platform is the first of its kind in social housing to predict rent arrears up to six months before they happen.

Alex Willard, CEO of Pivigo, said: “Our technology is giving social housing new-found abilities to see far over the horizon. We have trained our AI on tenancy data with multiple housing associations to develop an accurate and reliable model to predict future arrears and understand the likelihood of them becoming a long-term problem.

“We differentiate the high-risk cases from temporary ones, enabling social landlords to make better use of their resources to benefit both residents and the organisation.”

Using AI to predict who is most at risk of falling into arrears means income and support teams can contact the right tenants at the right time so they can avoid the stress and anxiety of being in debt.

It comes at a time when housing providers have seen a rise in rent arrears as the Covid-19 pandemic has affected residents struggling with furlough, reduced working hours and redundancy.

Pivigo, based in Sheffield, build and manage AI Services for social housing. This approach means that social landlords need little in-house IT expertise to benefit from AI, as the platform is cloud-based, deployed in 8 weeks and can be connected to existing housing management systems.

Alex added: “We want to make the benefits of AI accessible across the entire social housing sector, regardless of whether the landlord is big, small, tech-advanced, or on a budget.”

News

Groundbreaking health therapy arrives in Horley

Celebrity chiropractor from ‘Horley Spinal Health’ expands his services with a revolutionary cell regeneration machine

 

Surrey-based chiropractic clinic, Horley Spinal Health, established by Dr. Philip Mitchell, who has been practising for 15 years and has had the privilege of working with world famous actors, has invested in the new cutting-edge Molecular Bio-Physical Stimulation (MBST) machine.

 

The machine has been in situ for several weeks, and Dr. Philip Mitchell has seen enormous interest: “We have been amazed by the initial interest and results from the MBST machine. There are so many people that can benefit from this treatment. The first couple of patients who have completed courses for chronic knee osteoarthritis have already noted reduction in pain and better mobility”.

 

Established in 2001, Horley Spinal Clinic has treated over 5000 patients in the past two decades, from babies to ninety-year olds, including one of England’s finest actors. The clinic specialises in helping patients to achieve their wellness goals, treating conditions including; back pain, neck pain, headaches, accident and injury recovery, stress, and mobility issues. 

 

It is the latest of just 12 centres in the UK to offer the groundbreaking therapy which stimulates cell repair and regrowth using non-invasive technology. When combined with traditional chiropractic  techniques, MBST can offer potentially life-changing results. 

 

Dr. Mitchell, who has been practising for 15 years and treated over 10,000 patients,  describes; “one of my frustrations as a Chiropractor is that there are some patients who have damaged joints that just don’t get better, or don’t get the results that we would like. When my father underwent MBST therapy to successfully treat his chronic back pain, I investigated further.” 

 

Philip’s father, Dr. Tim Mitchell relays his positive experience: “When Cura suggested that I try MBST for my back pain due to degenerative discs I decided to give it a go. It was a really easy experience and quite mindful just lying down for each of the 7 sessions. It also worked! I do feel it could be a game changer for the NHS if its value is recognised.” 

 

MBST is not widely known in the UK but it has transformed the lives of thousands of people across the world over the past 20 years. It is a completely pain-free and non-invasive therapy.

 

Success stories of MBST include David Flatman, former England rugby player, who credits the treatment after a career in rugby that left him battered, with his joints now “feeling like new” and he that “can’t actually believe the power of it [MBST]”.

 

Philip has been amazed by the technology and the results it provides for people with such a range of conditions. He adds: “It has persuaded me this was something I needed to offer my patients, so I’m very excited to announce that our MBST machine has been installed this month.”

 

Horley Spinal Health will use the pioneering MBST technology in tandem with chiropractic practices to treat pain, injuries and musculoskeletal conditions such as osteoarthritis, sciatica, and spinal degeneration, as well as medical conditions including; pinched nerves, nerve spasms, slipped disks, and tennis elbow.

 

The technology works by stimulating damaged and degenerated cartilage, bone, ligament, tendon and muscle cells to encourage repair and regrowth. 

 

Once the cells of the affected area or injury have been sufficiently stimulated from MBST therapy, the cells will continue to grow and develop by themselves, reducing pain and enabling greater mobility. 

 

To find out more or to book an appointment please visit http://www.chiropractic-uk.com or call 01293 823444.

Apprenticeships, Awards, News, North of England, Tech

Resolve wins Apprenticeship Award at The Yorkshire Post Excellence in Business Awards

Sheffield based IT support company Resolve proudly celebrates their recent Apprenticeship Award win following the virtual awards ceremony that took place on Thursday 4th November 2020.

The Yorkshire Post Excellence in Business Awards recognises and celebrates inspirational businesses whom bring jobs and investment to the Yorkshire region, especially during a period of uncertainty as we have seen in 2020.

Despite the pandemic, this year’s awards attracted more than 180 quality entries from across the country. Shortlisted against four other fantastic local businesses, Resolve were absolutely delighted to bring home the Apprenticeship Award following the YP’s first ever virtual awards ceremony.

The award win played true testimony towards Resolve’s continued commitment to investing in apprentices, especially throughout the course of this year.

Resolve introduced their first apprentice to the business in May 2010, and their most recent apprentice is due to join them at the end of November 2020. Resolve has always placed apprenticeships at the heart of its business growth plans, with 21% of Resolve’s workforce made up of both past and present apprentices.

The announcement of Resolve’s Apprenticeship Award win was made by Yorkshire icon and expert host for the evening, BBC’s Look North legend Harry Gration via Zoom. Upon receiving the award, Resolve’s Managing Director and Founder Andrew Seaton said:

“I’m just so pleased for the team, we’ve worked really hard to invest in young people in our region. Jared who is Resolve’s Technical Team Leader, spends a lot of time mentoring our young people so it’s great to win this award, the team will be so thrilled.”

Responding to Gration’s question as to whether it is more important now more than ever to invest in the future, Seaton answered:
“Absolutely, we’ve all seen some of the slightly gimmer readings around jobs and what the future looks like for young people, but we’ve always seen the benefit in investing in young people. IT is a fast moving, high paced environment and so to have young people working in our organisation, who then train up future apprentices is great. Some of our most Senior Engineers started out as apprentices and so I’m extremely proud of everyone in the team.”

The first of its kind virtual awards ceremony ran seamlessly, albeit for all the award winners, it wasn’t quite the same having to celebrate remotely. On the positive side though, a dance round the kitchen table in your PJ’s is a lot comfier than hitting the dancefloor in ballgowns and bow ties.

Care

Care business aims to drive standards and grow nationally after lockdown launch

A CARE business launched in lockdown is aiming drive up standards in the sector.

Holm Care is just five months old and already employs more than 25 staff in the Greater Manchester area.

Founder Nik Seth, from Sheffield, set up the company after seeing how difficult it was to find high-quality care for his own father.

Holm Care has clients in Stockport, Manchester, Sale and Altrincham and is growing into Bury, Bolton, Rochdale and surrounding towns and cities.

Nik plans to roll-out their personalised, tailored services across the UK, improving the lives of both care workers and elderly customers to instil confidence and shine a light on the need for change in the industry.

“Launching the business in the midst of the pandemic was something I did think long and hard about,” said the 47 year-old.

“But given the effort that had gone into it, and the fact we had carers eager to get started and excited at the opportunity, we decided to go for it.

“The response has been positive and already our client base is growing throughout Greater Manchester.

“Where we are different is that all our systems are online, so it is quick and safe for people to join us and we pass on a saving of around 30% to the end user by not having huge administrative and office costs.

“It was unusual for the staff because of course there has been social distancing and they’ve worn PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), but the demand was high, and we are seeing a lot of interest.”

A campaigner for fairer pay and conditions for care workers, Nik had previously worked in retail, pharmaceuticals and business consultancy before taking over a nursing home in 2010.

He sold that four years ago and having now spent a decade in the care arena is determined to improve the health and wellbeing of both staff and customers after witnessing first-hand how low the benchmark is among many organisations.

They even publish prices and staff salaries on their website, to ensure transparency when recruiting and attracting new clients.

“Seeing how long it took to get care for my own Dad, and after speaking to other families who had been affected by the same issues, is what made me found the company,” he said.

“The average wait to get a carer is eight weeks; with us it’s 48 hours. We pay our staff more than the average and for us it is all about quality. Our team are experienced, knowledgeable, and skilled – I am very proud of them.

“This is seen as a low-skilled job but that could not be further from the truth. An incredible amount of training goes into being a carer and their wages should reflect that. This in turn means a happier workforce and better care.

“Around 40% of people unhappy with present care service, and often the person being cared for is discounted and disenfranchised, they don’t even get a say in their own future. That can’t continue.”

By operating predominately online, Holm Care is winning supporters and clients who embrace the opportunity to secure top-quality live-in care for themselves or a family member in less than 30 minutes.

“A lot of people still like to speak to us on the phone or face to face but once they understand the process it can all be done on their mobile or computer,” said Nik.

“Social care hasn’t changed much in decades, the same problems exist, and we want to shine a light on them to make a difference.

“With us you get to choose the carers you want permanently – there is no chopping and changing of staff, which is a particular concern for the vulnerable and people with dementia – and that gives peace of mind.”

He added: “My ultimate vision is to improve care throughout the country, because at present it’s extremely fragmented.

“That means driving standards forward, taking Holm Care into other parts of the UK and altering perceptions. This is seen by some as a dead-end job with poor pay and poor conditions, a high turnover of staff and high levels of dissatisfaction – we aim to change that.”

For more information, visit the website www.holm.care or call 0161 706 0288.

Music, News, North of England

Sheffield city centre venue bringing back popular Busk Stop

Following the success of it’s Busk Stop initiative last summer, Leopold Square is bringing it back for 2020 and is calling out to musicians and performers from across Sheffield to get in contact and reserve a space.

The Busk Stop takes place in The Square between May and September and is open to artists who perform all genres of music. Whether a guitarist wants to play their own songs, an acapella group would like to entertain visitors, or a classical quartet would like to bring something different, The Square would like to hear from them.

Each busker will be given an hour set between 5pm and 7pm on a Friday and is welcome to collect donations from The Square’s visitors and passers-by.

David Freestone from Leopold Square commented:

“We launched Busk Stop last year and welcomed some fantastic local talent to Leopold Square, so we’re delighted to be bringing it back and giving the opportunity to more musicians to showcase what they can do.”

Musicians who would like to be part of The Square’s Busk Stop simply need to email LeopoldSquare@pmwcom.co.uk sending through a short video, clip, or link to their music. All space must be pre-booked and Terms and Conditions can be viewed on Leopold Square’s website – www.leopoldsquare.com.

Food & Drink, News, North of England

Top Sheffield chefs give tips on cooking the perfect Christmas dinner

It’s not long until families across the region will be coming together and sitting down to enjoy a delicious Christmas dinner. With many seeing it as the most important meal of the year, it can be a stressful time, which is why two head chefs at Sheffield’s Leopold Square restaurants have issued their top tips for cooking a tip top festive meal.

Both Adam Salim, Head Chef at Leopold Hotel, and Sanjeev Biswakarma, Head Chef at The Botanist, said planning and preparation are the most important aspects so those tasked with the cooking don’t spend all day in the kitchen.

Start with the turkey

With turkey being the most popular choice, Chef Biswakarma has advice to get it right:

“No Christmas is complete without a well-prepared roast turkey and, to achieve that, ensure you choose the right size for your oven – even if you’re serving a different meat, this is still something to consider. As turkey is very dry, to keep it moist and make it a lot tastier, pre-marinate it overnight, then baste with the marinade during roasting.”

Everything has its place

“I find working in a large hotel kitchen means you have lots of everything, whereas at home you don’t, so my top tip is to draw up a hob plan of where the trimmings will be cooked,” said Chef Salim. He added:

“This allows you to know exactly where each pot and pan is going. I find it easier to put a strategy in place with, for example, the carrots at the back, as you can afford to take your eyes off them while they boil, whereas you want to keep the gravy at the front so you can regularly stir it.”

Use the right tools

Chef Biswakarma added:

“Christmas is all about organising and pre-planning. The key is to have the right equipment and utensils for the right dishes. It saves a lot of time and helps to cook dishes perfectly.”
Help out the washer-upper

The last thing you want to be doing after enjoying a wonderful Christmas meal is to spend time washing-up, so Chef Salim suggests using disposable and recyclable trays. He commented:

“At home we don’t have the infamous ‘pot washer’ unlike at Leopold Hotel, so I strongly recommend using disposable foil tins for cooking your turkey and all your trimmings. There won’t be any difference in flavour, but it really will save on the washing up; you want to be cutting as many corners as you can to ensure whoever cooks gets to enjoy the festivities of the day.”