North West sees back to back declines in business activity

LATEST NatWest Regional PMI® survey data showed a 2nd straight monthly decline in business activity across the North West, amid a sustained downturn in demand for the Region's goods and services. With pressure on business capacity easing, employment fell for the 1st time in over 2½ years. More positively, inflationary pressures softened as firms' costs and charges rose at the slowest rate since September 2020, while business expectations improved.

Firms operating in the North West reported a fifth straight monthly decline in inflow of new business in September, indicating a sustained weakening of demand for the Region's goods and services. The rate of decline accelerated slightly from the month before and was the quickest since November 2022. Of the 12 monitored Regions, only the North East and Yorkshire & Humber recorded more marked decreases in new work.

Business expectations across the North West improved slightly in September, the 2nd month running in which this has been the case. As a result, confidence in the Region crept back above the UK wide average. Optimism towards the year ahead outlook was attributed to marketing plans, new product launches and hopes of a general improvement in economic conditions.

Mirroring the trend seen across the UK as a whole, employment in the North West decreased in September. It marked the 1st time in a little over 2½ years that workforce numbers have fallen in the Region. Where staffing levels dropped during the month, companies reported adjusting to lower demand and leaving vacancies unfilled.

September's survey indicated easing pressure on business capacity due to weakening demand, with firms reducing their backlogs of work for a 16th straight month! Although slowing since August 2023, when it reached the fastest for over 3 years, the rate of depletion remained sharp and faster than the national average.

Business costs rose at a slower rate in September. Input price inflation eased notably from the previous month to a 3 year low. It also fell below its long run average and was the 2nd slowest among the 12 Regions monitored by the survey.

Underlying data showed an easing of cost pressures in the service sector, while manufacturing purchase prices continued to fall.

Although there was some pass through of higher input costs by businesses in the North West, average prices charged for goods and services rose only modestly in September. The rate of inflation was the slowest in 3 years and softer than in any other Region. There was a lack of pricing power among manufacturers and services providers alike, underlying data showed.

Malcolm Buchanan, Chair of NatWest North Regional Board, commented:- "The latest PMI data indicate that a slowdown has set in across the North West economy, with businesses in the Region registering back to back reductions in activity and a 1st decrease in employment for more than 2½ years. What we're seeing is the result of a sustained downturn in demand for goods and services due to high inflation, tighter financial conditions and general uncertainty. Encouragingly, price pressures are subsiding, with local firms reporting the slowest rise in costs for 3 years and a much weaker rate of increase than the national average, which perhaps explains why business confidence in the Region has started to rebound."

Damien Moore MP welcomes £3,000,000 investment in 1st Adult Social Care Digital Transformation Projects

THE Government have invested over £3,000,000 of funding into 4 new pilot programmes, designed to integrate digital social care, utilising: outstanding, safe, personalised data, into contemporary healthcare recovery protocols, demonstrating our commitment to the transformation of Adult Social Care across the UK. 

These programmes aim to enhance patient autonomy, self-management, and reduce avoidable hospitalisation and community-based re-admission. Following the launch of the Adult Social Care Technology Fund in April 2023, the following 4 applicants have successfully received funding:-

• National Care Group will receive £300,000 to improve the quality of medication management, promoting recipient independence using Electronic Medication Administration Record Systems. 
  

• Shropshire Council has been awarded £1,200,000 over 2 years to embed technology in people's homes alongside a virtual care delivery service to help meet care and support needs digitally, decentalising healthcare while supporting patient independence within the community.  
  

• Reading Borough Council has received over £1,000,000 to trial sensor technologies to monitor changes in unhealthy recipient behaviours. 
  

• Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board will receive £380,000 to deliver a project to determine the efficacy of a digital falls prevention programme for older people living within the community. 

The administered funding will assist in identify how care focused technology solutions can be integrated into the wider health sector, complementing and updating contemporary understandings of system efficacy and future care-protocol applicability.  
 
Additional funding applicants to the Adult Social Care Digital Transformation fund will be evaluated on a rolling basis, pending successful demonstration ASCDT system conformity. 

Damien Moore, Member of Parliament for Southport said:- "I fully support the continued investment and integration of technology within both our care sector, and wider society. From the:- £1,000,000 Automated External Defibrillator Fund, to the Adult Social Care Digital Transformation Projects, the Conservative Government is demonstrating positive progression in re-embedding healthcare within our local communities. While I fully support the Government's commitment to reforming the provision of Adult Social Care nationally, I will continue to advocate for the re-instatement of paediatric A&E services locally, ensuring Southport remains a centre of healthcare excellent for all members of society." 

Minister for Care, Helen Whately, said:- "I'm delighted to announce the projects receiving the 1st £3m of our adult social care technology fund. These exciting projects will use technology to improve quality of care and help people live independently for longer. More care at home and more personalised care is what people want and helps reduce pressure on the NHS. We are also investing in digital care records to join up care and reduce the burden of admin on staff. I look forward to seeing these projects develop and scale up the use of technology in social care, better meeting people's care needs and helping us build a sustainable care system." 
 
Oonagh Smyth, Managing Director of Skills for Care, said:- "Congratulations to all 4 teams who have secured funding that will help them evaluate the effectiveness of care technologies in adult social care, and how it might be scaled up at a local level. These projects will support the Skills for Care digital leadership, digital champions and digital skills programme where we are working with the adult social care sector to build the confidence and skills of our workforce to embrace, adopt and embed technology." 
 
Michael Armstrong, Managing Director at Havering Care Homes, said:- "We have used a digital care planning system for several years and it revolutionised our business.  It has reduced the time staff spent recording information, which allowed them to spend more time with the residents, and the information staff produced was more valuable in building up an understanding of care needs and how they are changing. From a management perspective it has given us much better management information to get a good overview of residents individual and collective needs, along with such benefits as:- GP connect and access to shared care records."