Mid Surrey Dementia Care Trust Charity No 1051814
Annual Report 2022-2023
What we do
The Trust was set up by deed dated 13 December 1995 for general charitable purposes, with particular reference to those who need care as a result of living with dementia. At that time, the Alzheimer’s Society (ALS) was given free use of a conservatory owned and maintained by the Trust to operate a small social for people in the early and middle stages of dementia. ALS ceased operating the club in July 2003 and since September 2003 the Trust has run the club for people with memory difficulties (our members); its location in the conservatory has given rise to its name of the Conservatory Club.
The club operates for five days a week and is open from 10am to 3pm each weekday, with capacity for up to eight members to attend daily. A senior club manager runs the Club from Monday to Thursday with a second club manager running it on Friday; each club manager is assisted daily by a volunteer.
Potential members and their carers are asked to complete a short assessment form to ascertain whether the Club can provide their required level of service, given that personal care is not provided. The assessment is followed by an invitation to the potential member to attend for a trial day to allow an initial mutual assessment of whether the club is appropriate for their needs and provides a comfortable environment for them. If so, further assessment takes place over the following month before membership is agreed and confirmed.
The conservatory is adjacent, and physically attached, to the Fairfield Centre in Leatherhead, a social centre for the over-60s run by Mole Valley District Council (MVDC). Conservatory Club members and staff are also members of the Fairfield Centre where they benefit from hot lunches, refreshments and other facilities while enjoying their own discrete club room in the conservatory.
Members’ daily activities include arts, crafts, games, quizzes, gentle floor games such as hoops, looking through newspapers and magazines, music and general conversation to help maintain their mental and physical activity, communication skills and interest in life. On occasion, and when appropriate to their needs, members also join in with the Centre’s classes and social events. As funds allow, members are also taken on outings such as lunches out, walks around the town and visits to local garden centres.
An important aspect of the club is that it provides carers with a 5-hour period of respite from the unremitting task of caring. This respite helps many to continue caring for their loved one at home for longer than might otherwise have been possible, often to the end of life.
Management
Five trustees remained in place throughout the year, managing the affairs of the Trust as a management team through bi-monthly meetings, regular communication and personal contact. Sadly, our Fundraising Trustee and our Treasurer gave notice of their intention to retire from the Board, in June and July 2023 respectively: we are seeking replacements to be in place from as early as possible in our 2023/24 accounting year.
Staff, Trustees and Club volunteers are all DBS checked and subscribed to the DBS update service which enables us to monitor all DBS checks on an annual basis.
A GDPR policy and required procedures are in place. Members, carers, next of kin, staff and volunteers have all given their consent for the Trust to hold the personal information that they have supplied to us.
Finances
Our bank balances have remained healthy during the year, helped by a steady increase in membership levels that saw booked attendance at the Club increase from 55% in April 2022 to 100% in January 2023, remaining at full capacity for the remainder of the accounting year. The year ended with a waiting list for places at the Club, not only from new members seeking to attend but existing members wanting extra days.
In the few years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were very fortunate to have benefited from several large donations that have helped us to keep the Club open during the period at the start of the year when membership levels were low. During 2022/23, we have seen a drop in donations, although we have been able to maintain the level of funds held for either a replacement for the conservatory or the costs involved in relocating the Club as described in the Risks section later in this report.
We have been fortunate to receive donations from Waitrose, through their instore donations programme, from the Ernest Hecht Foundation, from personal supporters and the families of past members through In Memoriam donations.
We attended Ashtead Rotary Village Day in June 2022 when the event was held for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. We had decided to use the day as a publicity opportunity but our collecting boxes were out and people very kindly gave generously to us.
Our Building
There are two areas where water leaks into the conservatory but both only manifest when rain is very, very heavy. We have reported one leak to MVDC as it lies in deterioration of the damage to the gutter between our building and the Fairfield Centre which was caused during MVDC’s installation of a fire alarm in the conservatory some years ago.
The second leak occurs at floor level and is the result of damaged sealant where the conservatory meets the courtyard floor. The plan is to replace the sealant during summer 2023.
Main risks and how we manage them
The most significant risks on a day-to-day basis are injury to and security of members and fire. We are also mindful of the risks associated with our ability to attract and retain volunteers and fluctuating membership numbers, which affect our funding levels.
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There is always a risk of injury to our client members, some of whom are unsteady on their feet or have failing eyesight, and to volunteers and staff. Members must be able to walk unaided for at least a short distance. An on-going dialogue is maintained with each carer about a member’s state of health and behaviour. We require carers to make a signed commitment that they will inform us of any changes in a member’s behaviour. We also require a carer’s signed authority that we may administer medicine, which must be provided in a container with the correct dosage along with details of potential side-effects.
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Confidential records and photographs are kept of all members as a check for changes or trends that may indicate a need for action. In the event of accident or injury, the Fairfield Centre Manager, or deputy, is the responsible First Aid Officer and is based within easy reach of the conservatory.
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All who are in regular contact with members are DBS checked.
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Risk of fire is low and the conservatory opens onto a large brick courtyard through doors that give easy access to it.
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Funding security: As mentioned earlier in this report, donations helped us keep the Club open until membership levels increased and the 2022/23 year ended with Club membership at full capacity. At the full level of membership, the members’ payment of the daily fee of £23 enables us to cover our running costs and use funds that are gifted to us for members’
outings and special events at the Fairfield Centre. It also means that we have sufficient funding to maintain the conservatory in good order. We can call on our reserves if membership levels decrease but at the close of the year we had a waiting list for places.
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Shortage of members: Although this is currently not a problem, we are mindful that this can change throughout the year. Low membership levels would result in a loss of income, which could mean that we are unable to operate the club on a daily basis. New members come to us through personal recommendation of other users, through referral by the local authority, through our advertising leaflets and internet searches and we will pursue all these avenues to increase our membership levels should this be necessary.
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Shortage of volunteers: The club would not be able to operate on any day without a volunteer in place to assist the Club Manager and we are fortunate that we have had four very committed volunteers working with us during 2022/23. A fifth volunteer joined us in March 2023 but this increase in our volunteer numbers was offset by another sadly leaving us because of pressure of her paid work in the care sector as her free day that enabled her to volunteer with us was regularly being called on by her employers. Trustees always help if a volunteer is not available, but we would prefer to build up a bank of volunteers available to fill in and we are always trying to think up new ways of attracting them. We are registered with Central Surrey Voluntary Action (CSVA) who also have our “volunteer needed” leaflets in their Dorking office
Longer-term risks
In previous reports we have stated the potential risk that our lease with MVDC would be terminated when it ends in January 2024. That risk has been addressed by MVDC’s offer of a new short-term lease covering the period from January 2024 to October 2025 when redevelopment of the Swan Centre is likely to begin but the prospect of the redevelopment raises fresh concerns.
The longer-term risks lie in the Trust’s ability to continue operating the Conservatory Club during the major redevelopment works and the uncertainty about the Club’s future location once the redevelopment has been completed.
Over the next couple of years, we will be facing the cost of:
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negotiating a new short-term lease with MVDC
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relocating the Conservatory Club during the period of redevelopment at the Swan Centre
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potentially, the cost of dismantling the conservatory and making good the courtyard area upon which it is built should we not be able to return to the conservatory post-redevelopment.
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setting up new permanent premises for the Club if we cannot return to the conservatory.
At present, we have no idea what level of costs might be incurred in the next two to three years but it is highly possible that our current reserves will all be needed to see us through this coming unsettled period and this will leave us vulnerable in terms of being able to afford the provision of a full service to our members. Our efforts will be focused on planning for these eventualities during the 2023/24 year so that we have a clear plan for our future operation, including for funding.
Our partners
We work with the local branch of the Alzheimer’s Society, Surrey County Council Adult Social Care, MVDC and other voluntary organizations including Central Surrey Voluntary Action. MVDC manages the Fairfield Centre to which our conservatory is physically attached: we use their catering services and our members enjoy many of the events that take place there. MVDC also provides a Community Bus service for some of our members.
Our plans for 2023/24
In addition to the planning mentioned above concerning the Swan Centre redevelopment and the renegotiation of our lease, we will continue our efforts to:
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have a full complement of members each day and raise our public profile to attract more members should membership numbers decrease.
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raise our public profile to attract more volunteers.
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ensure we always have volunteers available to open the Club each day.
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increase our fundraising activity, especially considering expected future costs.
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arrange appropriate training for existing and new staff and trustees.
Review
The Conservatory Club provides members with the opportunity to socialize, which is vital to their wellbeing, and their carers with some much-needed respite from their caring responsibilities. Living with dementia can be very isolating and a key aspect of the Club is the social interaction that it provides to our members who respond well to the activities and the friendly, relaxed atmosphere in the conservatory. The increase in our membership and the fact of our waiting list are evidence of the need that exists in the local communities
that we serve and we are thankful that we have been able to provide the support that brings benefit both to our members and to their carers.
Glynis Peterkin, Chairman 7[th] August 2023
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