Totally plc, a Derby-based provider of frontline healthcare services, corporate fitness and wellbeing services, has entered into an agreement to acquire Sheffield-based Pioneer Health Care Limited, an established independent provider of specialist NHS secondary care services. The total consideration for the acquisition is up to £13 million, on a cash-free and debt-free basis. The consideration is to be paid 80% in cash and the remaining 20% will be satisfied by the issue of new ordinary shares in Totally. £6.9 million is payable on completion, on a cash-free and debt-free basis, and up to £6.1 million is payable on a deferred basis, based on the financial performance of Pioneer in the year ending 31 March 2022. Pioneer Healthcare delivers insourcing and outsourcing services across a wide range of surgical and medical specialities to NHS patients and holds contracts with NHS Foundation Trusts and Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), predominantly across the North of England. Pioneer also holds the difficult-to-acquire Any Qualified Provider (AQP) status, which enables it to offer services direct to NHS patients across the whole of England, free at the point of delivery, where there is sufficient demand. The business is led by three experienced, senior NHS consultants, Mr Hesham Zaki, Professor Prasad Godbole and Mr John McMullan, who are well recognised in their chosen fields, and will continue to hold senior leadership roles within the business following the acquisition. Pioneer Healthcare and Totally Healthcare, which forms Totally’s Insourcing division, will be brought together to create a single, established, provider of insourcing and outsourcing services under the Pioneer brand. The acquisition is the company’s second in three months and supports the Board’s buy and build strategy, utilising the substantial cash balances held by the company to strengthen its service proposition and bring further earnings-enhancing opportunities to the Group. Wendy Lawrence, Chief Executive Officer of Totally, said: “We are delighted to welcome Pioneer Healthcare into the Totally Group. This is Totally’s second acquisition in three months, demonstrating our commitment to growing the business, delivering enhanced shareholder value through our ‘buy and build’ strategy and moving into areas where we know demand for services is outstripping current capacity. “The acquisition creates new opportunities for the Group and will ensure we can continue giving vital support to the NHS as it recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. “Pioneer’s services closely complement those provided by Totally Healthcare. The combined insourcing and outsourcing business will benefit from its stronger footprint across the UK and Ireland and the additional significant experience of the Pioneer leadership team. Pioneer has an excellent reputation in the market and we look forward delivering on the undeniable potential that is available to the combined business.”

A De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) graduate who created his own financial technology company while studying in Leicester has raised $150,000 for his start-up idea. Hands In, founded by Business Management and Economics graduate Sam Flynn and his business partner Raul Patel, is a digital payment option that allows users to split payments evenly across a group when making purchases online. Sam pitched the business to potential investors to secure funding, which will be used to hire more developers to build out the platform further ahead of its launch. “Hands In was born out of necessity,” Sam said. “When moving with my housemates in the first year, I was getting frustrated that there was no way we could split payments for shopping, takeaways and utilities. Someone was always left to foot the bill and they would have to chase the rest of the group for payment. “I wanted to create a platform where there was an option to split the costs of your basket when buying stuff online. When using Hands In to purchase something, the platform will send out a WhatsApp message taking users to a secure payment page where the people in the group pay their share. “Around 90 per cent of our costs at the moment are going on labour, as developers don’t come cheap but they are essential to ensuring our platform functions at its best and is cyber secure. “The initial funding was a good success to build on but I try not to get too caught up in the moment. I’m already looking at the next milestone for the company.” Having secured the boost from investors, Sam is now looking to raise a new round of funding, which will help the business operate for a further two years. Sam said: “We’re programming the platform so the funds only leave customers’ bank accounts once everyone has paid. If one person doesn’t pay in the allocated time, no purchase is made, which protects the rest of the group and our partnered merchants.” While studying at university, Sam approached the DMU Works Enterprise team for advice and hired student interns to help him conduct early market research. During the second year of his degree, he placed second and won £1,000 at the university’s annual Pitch2Win competition, which was set up to find the very best new student ideas. A trip to Silicon Valley in California through DMU Global proved to be inspiring for the budding entrepreneur, who was able to meet with successful business founders and investors, including the co-founder of Tesla, Marc Tarpenning. Sam said: “If I had one piece of advice for students, it would be to use DMU Global to understand how businesses work in other cultures. When I went to Silicon Valley, I sought out any opportunity to talk to entrepreneurs and did a lot of my own research out there. “I was lucky enough to speak to investors and meet people like Marc. Listening to those conversations with tech entrepreneurs and taking in that information at an early stage was so inspiring. “Had I not gone on that trip, I’m certain I wouldn’t think the way I do now. I hope the university upscales the programme and more students look to use it.”

Social enterprises from across the East Midlands are being urged to tap into £16.3m of funding that will help their communities recover from the impact of COVID-19. The Social Enterprise Support Fund (SESF) reopened for applications on Monday, with organisations across the region able to apply for grants of between £10,000 and £100,000 to help them deliver essential services or increase trading in the communities they serve. Funded by The National Lottery Community Fund, the initiative’s first round in December received 800 applications and a request for funding of over £37m. Five social enterprise support agencies – Big Issue Invest, Key Fund, Resonance, the School for Social Entrepreneurs and UnLtd – have come together again to deliver the fund with the target of assisting circa 500 enterprises. The fund is due to close for applications on March 24^th. “The volume of applications for the first round demonstrates not only the huge need for this financial support as community and social enterprises move to recovery mode, but also the depth and breadth of the impact that these organisations continue to provide to some of the most marginalised groups and communities in our society,” explained Matt Smith, CEO of Key Fund. “We’re proud to be part of the team delivering this funding at such challenging times for our sector, with support from The National Lottery Community Fund, and we look forward to receiving new applications in Round 2.” The COVID-19 crisis continues to disproportionately hurt communities who already experience social and economic inequalities. The Social Enterprise Support Fund, which is available to social enterprises if most of their beneficiaries are in England and boast an annual income of between been £20,000 and £1.8m in either of the last two financial years, will assist social entrepreneurs to put their solutions into practice to help people most impacted by the crisis. An emphasis will be on supporting organisations that will create economic growth while helping people in need or improving the environment. The fund is committed to inclusion, working to ensure that at least 50% of grants reach groups that are led by: people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities; LGBTQ+ communities; disabled people; and/or leaders with lived experience of the issues their social enterprise is addressing. One enterprise that was successful with its application was Leicestershire-based Highfields Community Association, which has a proven track record of developing and delivering a wide range of community focused activities, including academic/vocational/first-rung learning courses, cultural events and sports/youth work activities. It serves Spinney Hills/Wycliffe/Stonegate wards, areas that are characterised by a 85% multi-ethnic population experiencing varying severe degrees of socio-economic disadvantage. “It’s wonderful to receive the SESF grant, as it’ll enable us to make fuller use of our Art studios and H-Café as we rebuild our footfall and income after the debilitating impact of the pandemic and related socio-economic downturn,” concluded Priya Thamotheram, head of Highfields Centre.” For more information and to apply, social enterprises should visit http://socialenterprisesupportfund.org.uk/.