Willowbrook Eveyy Contoct Counts Registered Chai-lty No. 1020250 Rofo 2024/25 The Best Care, Delivered with Compassi nforourc mmunity Together we are Willowbrooli Every Contact CoiAtrIts "Support, Fun, Warmth and Laughter" (Patienrsl www.willowbrook.org.uk A NOTE FROM OUR PATRON As Patron of Willowbrook Hospice, l am honoured to lend my voice in recognition of the extraordinary work carried out by the hospice over the past year. Willowbrook continues to provide exceptional care, comfort, and dignity to patients and their loved ones during some of the most challenging times in their lives. The dedication, compassion, and professionalism of the staff and volunteers embody the very best of our community spirit, ensuring that every individual is supported with warmth, respect, and understanding. I remain immensely proud to be associated with such a vital and inspiring organisation and offer my heartfelt thanks to everyone whose generosity, time, and commitment malZzZ I cu Iiilll STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT Governing Document The company Is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association. The company is limited by guarantee, whereby every member of the company undertalces to contribute to the assets of the company in the event of winding up, while they are members or within one year after they cease to be a member, for payment of the debts and liabilities of the company contracted before they cease to be members, such amounts as may be required not exceeding I l. Appointment of Trustees The trustees who have seryed during the year are set out on page 6. The trustees are appointed by the members of the Company and every three years each trustee retires by rotation but may offer themselve5 for re-election in accordance with the Articles of Association. Trustee Induction and Training The trustees undergo an induction to brief them on their legal obligations under charity and company law, the content of the Memorandum and Articles of Association, the committee and decision-mal(ing processes, the business plan and recent financial performance of Willowbrook hospice. They are also required to read, understand and sign the Governance Policy. Durlng this induction they meet key employees and other trustees. Trustees are encouraged to attend approprlate external events where these will facilitate the undertalcing of their role and provide additional knowledge and information. Organisation The Board of Trustees governs Willowbrool( h05pice. The Board usually meets bimonthly to manage the hospice's affairs, receiving reports from the Assurance sub-groups, details of which are set out on page 7. All operational activities are carried out by the Executive Leadership Team which has the delegated authority, within terms of delegation approved by the Trustees, to carry out these matters. Key Management Personnel The Trustees consider the key management personnel to be the Executive Leadership Team. The day to day running of the hospice is delegated to this team. During the time applicable to this report, the remuneration of the l> TRUSTEE REPORT continued Mitigation.. Implement energy efflciency measures, such as renewable energy solutions and building upgrades. Continue to regularly revlew staffing structures and workforce planning to maintain efficlency while supporting staff wellbeing. Seelc collaborative procurement opportunitles to reduce costs across utilities, supplies, and shared services. 5. Potential Impact of a New Assisted Dying Law on Hospice Fundraising Public and donor sentiment could shift depending on how new legislation affects perceptions of hospice care. Mitigation.. Maintain clear communication about the hospice's values, misslon, and commitment to compassionate end-of-life care. Engage proactively in national conversations to ensure hospice perspectives are represented and understood. Monitor public opinion and adjust fundraising messaging to reinforce trust and support. Finance The Finance Team continues to ensure the effective rnanagement of Willowbrook's finances, maintaining accurate records of the many donations we receive each day alongside our expenditure. Their diligence enables us to plan confidently and use our resources wisely in support of patient care. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, we extend our heartfelt thanks to all our staff, volunteers, donors, and supporters for their invaluable contributions- both in the past year and throughout Willowbrook's history. The hospice we have today is a direct result of the dedication, compassion, and commitment shown by so many, making Willowbrook one of the most respected hospices In the Cheshire and Merseyside region. As a Registered Charity (No. 1020240) and Company Limited by Guarantee (No. 2808633), Willowbrool< Hospice submits an Annual Return for public display on the Charity Commission website (httPs.'l/www.gov.uk/government/orgonisations/charity-conimission) and files Its audited accounts at Companies House. In 2024125, statutory grant income represented only 36 % of our total charitable costs. The remaining income was generated by our well-established Fundraising and Trading Company teams- through events, campaigns, our lottery, our networli of retail shops, donations, legacies, and the generous support ofthe communities we serve. The hospice experienced a very challenging year in terms of flnances and the ongolng tlnancial climate. However. due to the generous funding provided from external charities we have been able to continue our support of the St Helen5 district nurse service. As with all healthcare facilities, the continuing challenge Is to sustainably grow quality end of life care services In a difficult economic cllmate. We aim to continue to improve facilities, provide more engaging fundraising opportunities, increase our lottery membership and make our retail offer more efficient by increasing income but at the same time, reducing costs. TRUSTEE REPORT contiiiued FINANCIAL REVIEW 2024125 The group shows a consolidated net reduction in funds for the year of £84,155 compared wlth a surplus of £31,695 in the prevlous year. Income Total incoming resources were £6,260,628 representing an increase of £379,692 compared to the previous year. This main element5 of this increase can be atti"ibuted to additional income from our charitable activitles of £323,208 and from our trading activitles of £244,328 offset by a reduction in donations and legacies of £224,087. The reduction in donations and legacies is perhaps reflective of the current financlal climate and we remain extremely grateful for the continued support of the people of St Helens and Knowsley. We continue to strive to maximise all our income streams. Income from charitable activities includes a 2.150/0 increase to our core grant from NHS Cheshire & Merseyside ICB, and we were awarded a grant of £100,022 from NHS England to support our capital expendlture in the year. Our fundraising team delivered a full year of events, with the highlight belng our Strictly Glitter Ball which raised over £40,000, thank-you to all our dancers and their supporters. Within the Trading Company, our retail and café outlets performed well in the year, with an increase in Income of £314,752, but our lottery continues to face competition whlch resulted in a reduction in play income of £35,694. (See Note 8). Expenditure Total expenditure in the year rose from £5,948,439 to £6,384,663, an increase of £436,224 from the previous year. Expenditure on medical and clinical salaries Increased by £403,531 largely due to the uplift in payments for unsocial hours and on-call. Expenditure is controlled as far as possible throughout the year and efficiency savings of 198,500 were achieved in the year to help off-set general cost-of-living 5ncreases. All costs are closely monltored at the monthly finance meetings. Reserves Policy The Trustees have reviewed the Charity's needs for reserves in line with guidance issued by the Charity Commission and have issued a detailed Reserves Policy. Having reviewed historical information, the vulnerable nature of the Charity's income streams, which are dependent on voluntary giving, the needs of patients and their families for the continuity and range of care provided by Willowbrool< Hospice, together with the obligations of the Hospice towards its employees, the Trustees feel it is prudent, where possible to hold reserves of between 6 to 12 months of budgeted expenditure. Currently, this remains on target but with increased costs and a drop in income this could change over the next 5 years our 5-year Finance Strategy will include plans to address this area of concern. Coiitinued on Page 14 >> 13 TRUSTEE REPORT continued As part of the current policy on reserves, where the reserves exceed 12 months, the Trustees will actively encourage the senior team to identify and spend money on projects whlch beneflt the aims and objectives of the Hospice. Where the reseryes fall below six months, the Trustees will review and promote strategies that not only address current needs but respect the future financial stability of the Hospice. An analysis of reserves at 31 March 2025 shows total funds of £9,786,220 (2024 - £9,870,375). Of which, £2,268,953 (2024 - £2,189,067) are restrlcted. This leaves total unrestricted funds of £7,517,267 {2024 - £7,681,308) which includes £1,924,034 (2024 - £2,033,554) held In fixed assets meaning the charity has free reserves of £5,593,233 (2024 - £5,372,224) and thls represents approximately I I months of total running costs for the year ended 31 March 2025 (2024 - 1 I months). Tal 5 years). These investments are for capital growth over the long term and would typically be represented by equities. No more than 300h of total funds will be invested in long term Investments; however, in the exceptional circumstances of a sudden windfall receipt or of strong marl> 17 INDEPENDENT AUDITORS, REPORTTO THE MEMBERS OF WILLOWBROOK HOSPICE continued Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements In respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detalled below, However, the primary responsibility for the prevention and detection of fraud rests both with those charged with governance of the entlty and management. Our approach wa5 as follows: Discussions with management and those involved in the financlal reporting process Including consideration of Icnown or suspected instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations central to the group's and parent charitable company's ability to operate, and fraud; Evaluatlon and testing of the operational effectiveness of management's controls designed to prevent and detect irregularities; Identifying and testing journal entries, in particular any journal entries posted wlth unusual account comblnations or of significant monetary amounts. and Review of the ratlonale for the calculatlon of key accounting estimates in the flnancial statements and testing of the accuracy of these calculations. There are inherent limltatlons in the audit procedures described above. The further removed non- compliance with laws and regulations is from the events and transactions refletted in the financial statement5, the less likely we would become aware of it. Also, the risk of not detecting a material misstatement due to fraud is higher than the ris1( of not detecting one resulting from error, as fraud may involve deliberate concealment by, for example, forgery or intentional misrepresentation, or through collusion. A further descrlption of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council's website at www.[rc.org.uklaiiditorsresPonsibilities. This description forms part of our Report of the Independent Auditors. Use of our report This report is made solely to the charitable company's members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertal