PCMIS Health Technologies has partnered with NHS England to launch the Nationwide Digital Pathway for the Infected Blood Psychological Service (IBPS).

The digital pathway, now live across England, will facilitate dedicated psychological support to those infected or affected by the national infected blood scandal.

PCMIS has been implemented as a standalone system to enhance the confidentiality provided to infected or affected people.

The launch represents a significant national undertaking, involving the coordination of multiple NHS services, specialist psychological care teams and clinical safety officers.

The FTSE 100 is up by around 15 points so far today in a quiet day for London’s biggest listed firms.

WPP (+6.03%) is the biggest riser so far, having reportedly won the UK Government’s £1.5bn strategy, planning and buying business ahead of Omnicom.

Defence companies on the prestigious index are also on the up, with Babcock (+2.47%) and BAE Systems (+2.07%) both experiencing price rises.

North East-based tech firm Sage (+2.48%) and education giant Pearson (+1.72%) are other incremental gainers making up the top five.

Meanwhile, Tesco (-1.73%) has dropped as it faces pressure from competitors as we enter the festive period.

The biggest loser so far today is Antofagasta (-3.01%) but the company is up by over 5% over the course of the last month. Easyjet (-1.49%) has also very slightly lost ground.

In the FTSE 250, Trustpilot (+5.38%) is the biggest riser. This follows a multitude of “transaction in own shares” RNS announcements and could be related to an ongoing buyback programme.

Helios Towers (+4.53%), Playtech (+3.15%), Man Group (+3.08%) and Close Brothers (+3.00%) round out the top five gainers.

On the flip side Ceres Power (-3.93%), Chemring (-3.64%), PayPoint (-3.91%), Wizz Air (-3.00%) and Partners Group PEY (-2.40%) has dropped slightly so far in what has been a day of not much movement in London.

The UK’s first female-led fund of funds (FOF) has named anchor partners and targeted a £130 million first close.

The Invest in Women Taskforce, established to support female entrepreneurs in the UK, announced Nationwide and the British Business Bank as new partners in the  ‘Women backing Women’ fund.

The fund, managed by Bootstrap4F – thought to be the largest dedicated FOF in the world – is the first female-led initiative of its kind, focused on deploying capital into female founded businesses and mixed investment teams in the UK.

 

The North West Business Leadership Team (NWBLT) has announced its new chair as Chris Woodroofe, managing director of Manchester Airport.

Outgoing chair Simone Peppi, co-founder of The Pilot Group, has agreed to remain as deputy chair of the organisation.

Emma Degg, chief executive of the NWBLT, said: “Chris has a well-deserved reputation for elegantly driving change and making a positive impact in sometimes challenging circumstances. Manchester Airport lies at the heart of our economy, and the impressive transformations Chris has already delivered are testament to his acumen.

“The success of the North West Business Leadership Team depends upon working in a positive and collaborative way with all our stakeholders, as we strive to make the region a better place. Chris perfectly embodies those values, and we are proud that he will be leading us.

“Simone’s extensive commercial experience, strong values, and a passion for positive environmental change will continue to help drive our work. Under her leadership the NWBLT has gone from strength to strength – particularly her regular reminders to us of the crucial role played by SMEs in driving the region’s growth. We are grateful to her for her service and so pleased that she has agreed to remain as deputy chair.”

eCommerce SEO agency Re:signal has acquired digital PR specialist Root Digital.

Re:signal says the move marks its evolution from a single agency into a group of specialist businesses built to support every aspect of SEO, content performance, digital reputation and AI discovery.

Re:signal works with leading eCommerce brands including ASICS, Under Armour, N Brown, Vivobarefoot and Jollyes ‘to stay ahead of shifting search algorithms, AI-driven discovery and intensifying competition’.

Root adds creative firepower with high impact, award-winning digital PR and content marketing campaigns for clients such as Radical Storage, Icewear and StandoutCV   – including a ‘Disappointing Masterpieces’ study that it says sparked global coverage and led the Louvre to reposition the Mona Lisa.

Root will operate as a distinct company within the Re:signal Group. The deal grows Re:signal Group’s revenue by 30% and also sees headcount increase by a third.

Author: Chris Maguire

ITA Group, a US-headquartered leader in engagement solutions, has acquired C2events, an award-winning Yorkshire-based event management agency specialising in the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors.

The strategic move strengthens ITA Group’s presence in Europe and enhances its ability to deliver world-class event experiences globally.

Founded in 2004 and based in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, C2events employs 40 team members and has managed events in 20 countries and 37 cities across Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and the US.

The agency has a reputation for creating impactful experiences for some of the world’s most recognised healthcare and pharmaceutical brands.

Mark Saxby, executive director, C2events, said: “Four of our five largest clients are US-based, and we’ve always aspired to have an operation in the US.

“When ITA approached us, the benefits were clear. This partnership allows us to enhance our services and accelerate growth while maintaining our culture and commitment to clients.”

ITA Group now has offices in the US, Australia, UK and the Netherlands, and maintains strategic partnerships in Belgium and Singapore.

Plum has been authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority as an Electronic Money Institution, giving it a major regulatory upgrade in the UK.

The AEMI licence means the FinTech can now hold and distribute e-money and provide services like transfers, direct debits and domestic payments without relying on third-party partners.

It marks another step in the app’s shift toward being a fully fledged personal finance platform, bringing more of the customer relationship in-house.

Founded in 2016, Plum now serves more than 2 million users across Europe, with over £6 billion saved via the app.

UrFuture, a Preston-founded recruitment app aimed at Gen Z jobseekers, has secured a five-figure investment from Lancashire’s Fhunded Angels network.

Launched in August 2025, the platform has already seen more than 23,000 downloads and around 20,000 active users, building a strong presence on TikTok and Instagram.

Its growing reach has attracted major employers including British Airways, Tesco, Sky, British Gas and the Metropolitan Police, who are using the platform to promote entry-level roles to younger audiences.

The funding adds momentum to a wider seven-figure raise the startup is targeting for early 2026 as it looks to scale in a crowded recruitment market.

TechNExt Festival will return from 15-19th June 2026 with what organisers are calling its most ambitious programme yet, expanding on the momentum built over the last three years.

Sage, Accenture and Leighton have been confirmed as headline sponsors, showing the continued backing from major employers for the North East’s growing tech ecosystem.

Across the week, the festival will host a packed schedule of events including a Festival Launch, Schools Challenge, Tech Talent Live, Festival Party and an Industry Dinner. 

The thematic hubs also return for 2026, with focused sessions planned around four tracks – Data and AI, Tech for Good, Tech Startups and CreaTech. 

Organisers are again leaning on community involvement, inviting regional businesses and institutions to sponsor, pledge support and propose hub talks or fringe events when submissions open in early 2026.

Catalyst has officially launched ONEHEALTH, a new €10 million cross-border research programme backed by around €9.9m from the PEACEPLUS fund.

Working with partners including ATU, Queen’s University Belfast, HIRANI, Tyndall National Institute and the University of Galway, the four-year project will apply AI and digital health tools to shared public-health and agrifood challenges by linking human, animal and environmental data.

ONEHEALTH aims to break down fragmented health research across Northern Ireland and Ireland’s border counties, with targets including 12 joint R&D projects, product support for 20 SMEs, accelerator mentoring for a further 20 and 20 collaborative publications or patents.

Orbital Marine Power has secured a £7 million investment to push ahead with its international tidal energy projects, with PXN Ventures joining existing backers including Scottish Enterprise. 

The funding lands soon after Nova Scotia awarded Orbital new tidal energy licences, strengthening its commercial runway in Canada and beyond. 

Orbital is already scaling fast in the UK, with government-backed CfDs in place for 14.4MW at Orkney’s EMEC site, adding six more turbines to its existing O2 units. 

The company says the expanded pipeline could power around 18,000 homes and deliver a major UK industrial boost, with roughly 70% of an estimated £200m supply chain planned to stay domestic.

Sir Rod Aldridge has been awarded an honorary Doctor of Business Administration by the University of Salford for his impact on public service innovation, social entrepreneurship and youth opportunity.

Best known for founding Capita in 1984 and growing it into a FTSE 100 business, Aldridge has since focused much of his work on education and social mobility through the Aldridge Foundation, established in 2006.

The foundation now supports schools and colleges in areas facing significant disadvantage.

He also has deep ties to Salford through roles including 18 years as chair of The Lowry and involvement in bringing UTC provision to the city.

The UK Government has unveiled a £725 million apprenticeship reform package designed to create 50,000 new opportunities for young people over the next three years, targeting youth unemployment while supporting economic growth. 

A £140m mayoral pilot will give local leaders new tools to link NEET (not in education, employment or training) young people with nearby apprenticeship roles. 

The reforms also remove a major cost hurdle for SMEs, with the state covering full apprenticeship fees for eligible under 25s. 

New foundation apprenticeships in areas like hospitality and retail, alongside expanded routes in digital, engineering, health and advanced manufacturing, aim to get more young people into work faster and into sectors where demand is rising.

Insig AI plc, a provider of AI-led analytics and machine learning solutions, has reported a huge increase in revenue in its half-year results while it massively narrowed losses.

For the six months ended 30th September 2025, revenue grew 164% to £438,000 while operating losses were £1.1m (H124: £5.2m).

The firm raised £1m in new equity and plans to deploy capital into the digital assets and AI space.

Lloyds Banking Group has completed its £1.7bn share buyback programme.

The programme was managed by Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc and saw Lloyds repurchase 2.2bn ordinary shares between 21 February and 8^th December 2025.

Oxford Metrics plc has announced a return to growth with its latest annual results.

The smart sensing and software company – which services the life sciences, entertainment, engineering and smart manufacturing markets – reported £44.8m revenues for the year ended 30th September 2025, up 8% on the previous year.

Adjusted EBIT was £2.2m, up 29%, but profit before tax was down 80% from £500,000 to £100,000.

Paramount Skydance has launched a hostile £81bn rival bid for Warner Bros’ film and TV studios despite a £54bn takeover by Netflix being agreed.

Paramount, who lost out in the bidding process alongside Comcast, subsequently made a complaint that Netflix was unfairly favoured during negotiations.

Now it has taken more aggressive action with a proposed deal backed by financing from Affinity Partners – the investment firm run by Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump – several Middle Eastern government investment funds and Larry Ellison, father of Paramount boss David Ellison.

Any deal will not include Warner Bros’ Discovery Global division, which includes CNN and TNT Sports.

Commentators say the traditional film and TV industry sees any successful Netflix deal as a threat – seeing as the world’s biggest streaming platform would own one of Hollywood’s largest and most iconic studios.

Warner Bros Discovery’s board of directors said it would review Paramount’s offer but is still recommending the Netflix deal for now.

As well as its high-profile film studio, Warner Bros’ portfolio includes HBO, the HBO Max streaming platform and DC Studios.

The deal, not expected to close until late 2026 or 2027, is likely to be closely scrutinised by competition regulators in the United States and UK.

Private equity-backed Polaris Software has acquired Massachusetts-based Sitestream as it expands into the US public sector compliance market.

Banbury-based Polaris partners with all UK police forces, enhancing their digitisation and optimisation efforts to free up public resources, increase productivity and reduce costs. 

Sitestream has long leveraged Polaris’ platform. The acquisition paves the way for large-scale expansion across a wide range of municipal compliance applications in the US.

The British Business Bank has agreed a £75 million cornerstone commitment to SV Health Investors’ new flagship fund –  SV8 Biotech Fund LP – which is dedicated to multi-stage therapeutics.

It is the bank’s largest fund commitment to date and brings its total fund commitments to life sciences above half a billion, with £560m committed across 15 life science funds. 

These fund commitments have collectively leveraged £3.04 billion from private sector investors, bringing in six pounds for every one pound invested, it says. 

Welsh EdTech Learna has been acquired by Dutch firm Reducate in a multi-million-pound deal.

Learna was founded in Cardiff in 2010 and serves more than 1,500 active learners.

It delivers 100% online, modular, tutor-led programmes – postgraduate masters, diplomas and certificates – for doctors and healthcare professionals, designed around medical career progression.