OpenCharities

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

2021-03-31-accounts

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service Registered Charity No.1063430 Registered Company No. 3376847

Annual Report and Accounts 2020/2021

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service Board of Trustees Annual Report sl For the year ended 31 March 2021 Page 2

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service Board of Trustees Annual Report For the year ended 31[st] March 2021

Table of Contents

1 Welcome from the Chairman .................................................................................... 5
2 Operational Activities and Achievements ............................................................... 7
Reducing health inequalities -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7
Connected Lives ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7
Working with Hertfordshire County Council ------------------------------------------------------ 8
Volunteer Support Service – Our ‘Hearing Aiders’ --------------------------------------------- 9
Hertfordshire Care Providers Association --------------------------------------------------------- 9
Hearing Support Service – Our ‘Hearing Advisors’ -------------------------------------------- 10
Introducing the HAS Postal Service --------------------------------------------------------------- 10
Supporting NHS Audiology Services -------------------------------------------------------------- 10
Hearing Support Service ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10
Technical Support Service – Our Equipment Specialists ------------------------------------ 11
Hearing Advisory Services in the East of England -------------------------------------------- 12
Bedfordshire Hearing Advisory Service ---------------------------------------------------------- 12
Northamptonshire Hearing Advisory Service---------------------------------------------------- 12
Gibraltar Hearing Impairment and Tinnitus Association, GHITA --------------------------- 12
Suffolk Hearing Advisory Service ------------------------------------------------------------------ 13
The Training Centre------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 13
Social Clubs, Self Help Groups --------------------------------------------------------------------- 14
Deaf Clubs – at the heart of the community ----------------------------------------------------- 14
Deaf Patient Participation Groups ----------------------------------------------------------------- 14
Increasing awareness of Hearing Advisory Services ----------------------------------------- 15
Equality and Diversity --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16
Measuring Achievement ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 17
3 Our Structure and governance ................................................................................... 18
Our Vision ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 19
Our Core Values ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19
Our Mission ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19
Our Aim --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19
Our Strategic Intent ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 19
Our Strategies ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19
Our Objectives ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 19
Our CSR policy ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 20
Our ESG Policy ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20
The Trustees --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21
The Board, Committees and Working Groups -------------------------------------------------- 22
Honorary Patron, Advisors and Officers ---------------------------------------------------------- 23
Our Benefactors and Supporters ------------------------------------------------------------------- 24
Our Corporate Benefactors -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 24
Our Colleagues in the Public Sector -------------------------------------------------------------- 24
Our Colleagues in NHS Audiology Departments ----------------------------------------------- 24
Our Colleagues in the Charity Sector ------------------------------------------------------------- 25
Our supporters, organisations and groups------------------------------------------------------- 25
Our Hearing Advisory Service Team -------------------------------------------------------------- 26
4 Financial Reports ................................................................................................... 27
Hon Treasurer’s Report ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 27
Independent Examiner’s Report -------------------------------------------------------------------- 29

Page 3

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service Board of Trustees Annual Report For the year ended 31[st] March 2021

5 Financial Accounts ..................................................................................................... 30 Statement of Financial Activities -------------------------------------------------------------------- 30 Balance Sheet ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 31 Responsibilities of the Directors -------------------------------------------------------------------- 31 Movement in Resources ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 32 Notes and policies to the accounts ---------------------------------------------------------------- 33

Thank you to our Local Authority and NHS Commissioners

Audiology Services

Page 4

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service Board of Trustees Annual Report For the year ended 31[st] March 2021

1 Welcome from the Chairman

Dear Friends and Supporters

The Charity has the utmost respect for our professional colleagues in healthcare and social welfare. We note our thanks to them during the pandemic, and in particular our colleagues in NHS Audiology who were re-tasked to wards.

Our on-going dialogue with healthcare professionals and front-line care providers informed the decision to anticipate a national lockdown and close our services across the East of England over a week earlier. This enabled the team to implement a managed closure with our scheduled sites at surgeries, days before they closed physical access and care homes cocooned residents. Our Hearing Aider Volunteers were all asked to stand down and stay safe at home. We hope these early actions helped save lives.

When the pandemic struck, the Charity adapted quickly with examples like:

Our staff

The staff team have been adaptable, with flexible work patterns, working from home, some shielding, and using technology to continue some services on-line.

Two members of staff left the Charity through redundancy in the last year. These decisions are never taken lightly, and there is need to reassess our future plans due to the impact of Coronavirus.

In March 2020, the appointment of our two Link Workers, to join the Hertfordshire Community Network Service, HCNS, placed the Charity on the front-line of social prescribing. The Charity also appointed a new Office Manager, due to the retirement of Dawn Sharpe after many years of service to the county.

We thank Dawn Sharpe and Gary Appleby for their many years of service and contribution to the success of the Charity.

Financial review

The Charity's diversity of income, with our three county hearing support services, was strengthened with the award of a pilot scheme to provide services in South Northamptonshire, and the award of a Link Working Host contract in West Hertfordshire.

The diverse income brings with it an increased complexity. Work was undertaken to review the apportionment of costs across our services, and to identify reductions in costs where possible.

Page 5

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service Board of Trustees Annual Report For the year ended 31[st] March 2021

Performance

Hertfordshire Vision Loss, HVL, and Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service, HHAS, worked together to build a successful application to the Hertfordshire County Council's Tendering Process to deliver the Sensory Support Services contract.

Working together, the Chief Executive Officer's put together a compelling range of existing and new countywide services. Under the Partnership Agreement, HHAS contract income will be £124,000 annually, an increase of £24,000. We are grateful to Danais Primary Care Network, who agreed to work with HHAS and provide the new Hertfordshire Link Worker Host: the contract income will be £33,000 a year.

In addition to these new contracts, the Charity also received a fine Legacy from the Estate of the late Bert Pridmore. Bert was the widower of Janet Pridmore, who as Janet R. Shaw had been the Charity's first Volunteer Coordinator. The Legacy was worth over £41,000.

Partnership Working

The Charity is looking forward to developing new and existing services to support Deaf and hard of hearing people. We are enthusiastic about the Hertfordshire commissioning strategy, 'Connected Lives', and seizing the opportunities to work with partners to help their production of projects, or together in co-production, for example training courses or signed videos. Further details of our 'Deaf Awareness Working Group' are reported elsewhere.

We recognised that the pandemic has brought with it, in different ways, social isolation and loneliness. We must consider mental health and other health outcomes, how we can help.

Thinking ahead

As people have stayed at home, so has demand for some of our services. The next 12 months are going to be equally difficult and challenging. This is a time for charities to reflect, and evolve, to support our service users. It is clear that the Charity will need to change, as we meet the new normal, coming towards us. We need to consider developing our capabilities.

As mentioned previously, the diversity of income has also brought additional funding. The Charity has now reached the threshold set by the Charity Commission which requires a qualified Independent Examination. The Charity is in the process of appointing a suitably qualified Accountant. We thank Peter Bladon for his kind support as our retiring Independent Examiner.

At the Annual General Meeting, we welcomed two new Trustees to the Board, Beth Moore and Susan Street. There biographies are reported later on. We also formally accepted the retirement of Ardeshir Laloui. We thank Ardeshir for his experience and wise counsel over many years.

John Stoker

John Stoker (Chairman)

Page 6

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service Board of Trustees Annual Report For the year ended 31[st] March 2021

2 Operational Activities and Achievements

Reducing health inequalities

Herts Vision Loss, working in partnership with Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service, HHAS, were commissioned in December 2020 by Hertfordshire County Council, HCC, to improve existing services, and develop new services that support the latest Sensory Services Strategy. HHAS is committed to reducing health inequalities for the people who are hard of hearing and particularly, people who are profoundly Deaf and use British Sign Language, BSL, as their main aid to communication.

The Charity welcomes the additional funding from HCC. This will allow us to address the problems that hard of hearing and Deaf people have as out-patients and in-patients – something we have commented on over past years. These are highlighted in the RNID report ‘A Simple Cure’, the Department of Health report ‘Deafness and Mental Health – Towards Equality and Access’, and the Sign Health Report, ‘Sick of it - The Health of Deaf People'.

The ‘Sick of it’ report found poorer health, poorer diagnosis, and poorer treatment / management. These problems were probably largely caused by poor access to services, poor communication and poor access to clear information - themes that resonate through health and social care strategies.

Research showed Deaf people face barriers accessing NHS services, and both Deaf people and healthcare staff have difficulties communicating in consultations. Deaf people reported feeling excluded, marginalised and disenfranchised by the healthcare system, finding barriers at every step preventing them taking control of their health.

Connected Lives

Connected Lives is the latest HCC commissioning model, which positively encourages colleagues to emerge from their silos, and address challenges together. By considering the Hertfordshire Sensory Strategy, NHS Commissioning Guidance, national study recommendations together with our own knowledge and experience of services, together we can make a difference for profoundly Deaf people.

We are enthusiastic to consider and willing to try through the work of our staff, volunteers and colleagues of partner organisations.

Page 7

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service Board of Trustees Annual Report For the year ended 31[st] March 2021

Working with Hertfordshire County Council

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service has always been well supported by the Hertfordshire County Council, since the organisation was first created as a collaboration between the Council, NHS Audiology, Hertfordshire League for the Hard of Hearing and the several County’s several Deaf Clubs, and named 'Hertfordshire Deafness Support Association', HeDSA, over 40 years ago.

In 2020, the Council published Hertfordshire's Sensory Strategy 2020-2023.

This confirms there is a commitment to working with the voluntary sector and other key partners to deliver and implement the Strategy. This is in alignment with the Connect and Prevent principles within Connected Lives. A key requirement for the strategy is to include collaborative working with Herts Help, the Link Workers (also called Community Navigators), and other partners.

The County Strategy Priorities are set out in the table below and include our intended Service Responses.

Sensory Services Strategic Priorities HAS Service Responses
‘My Health’ Workstream
Providing clearand accessibleinformation AccessHertfordshire! - A Deaf PPG
Improving collaborativeworking/integrated pathways HASDeaf AwarenessWorking Group
**‘My Home, My Community’ **
Improving emotional/peersupport Deaf Befriending-partnershipwith HVL
Making Assistive Technology accessible HAS Hearing Aid Support Service
HAS Equipment Support Service
ImprovingwiderSensoryAwareness ofcolleagues HASTraining Centre andThe Studio

The Sensory Strategy also refers to national strategies, including the NHS Action Plan on Hearing Loss 2015. This was developed by the Deafness and Hearing Loss Alliance, 'the Alliance', an association of Officers representing the Audiology profession, Hearing Aid manufacturers, and leading charities representing sensory loss.

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service worked with other Alliance members, including SignHealth, and NHS England to later produce commissioning guidance including “What works - A guide for healthy hearing” NHSE 2016.

Page 8

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service Board of Trustees Annual Report For the year ended 31[st] March 2021

Volunteer Support Service – Our ‘Hearing Aiders’

Our longest running service is provided by our friendly, trained volunteers, ‘Hearing Aiders’. They would normally visit sheltered accommodation, residential and nursing homes, and other community venues for an hour or two each month, to help people get to grips with their hearing aids. The pandemic led to the closure of many such sites and the cocooning of residents. Meanwhile, a number of volunteers advised us that they were also shielding.

Thanks for advice from colleagues, HHAS were able to take pre-emptive steps that led to a managed closure of our services that may have helped save lives.

Appreciated, Valued – Volunteering is Fun…!

Volunteering is fun and can be personally satisfying seeing someone’s face light up with the return of a world of sound. Many volunteers who join the Charity stay for years and find that the two or three hours a month they give, fits in with their other commitments. We would be delighted to hear from you if you have some time to spare.

In-house Training and Development

Most of us take our hearing for granted, but it is so important for our communication, confidence, independence and quality of life. In a care home setting, the number of residents having a hearing loss can be disproportionally high, presenting a challenge to raise the awareness of residential and care home managers for the need of better ongoing support for both hearing aids and assistive technology.

‘Hearing Aider[TM] ’ Training is an intensive one-day course on hearing aid maintenance and deaf awareness we have developed for busy front-line care home staff. This is ideal in areas where demand for support cannot be met by volunteers, or as in-house training across multi-site care home groups.

Our partnership work with Anchor Hanover - the country’s largest social landlords – provides useful insights into how to improve our services. We look forward to developing our partnerships with RMBI Care, by providing some more bespoke in-house training courses.

Hertfordshire Care Providers Association

Hertfordshire Care Providers Association supports many of the care home providers, across the county from the smallest to the largest. Plans to add more ‘Hearing Aider’ training courses on during the year had to be put on hold. However, we are grateful to HCPA for publicising our HAS Postal Service on their social media.

Thanking, Rewarding, Celebrating - Our Annual Volunteers Evening

Every year in Hertfordshire, the Charity looks forward to hosting and event to celebrate the achievements of our fantastic Volunteers. In September, this was not possible, due to the pandemic.

The Chairman and Board of Trustees paid tribute to our fantastic Volunteer ‘Hearing Aiders’ who give of their time to support people affected by hearing loss.

Page 9

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service Board of Trustees Annual Report For the year ended 31[st] March 2021

Hearing Support Service – Our ‘Hearing Advisors’

The Hearing Support Service is the staff led side of our activities and operates scheduled services across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Suffolk. It can be a real help for people who wear a hearing aid and who have mobility, dexterity or transport problems, but may live independently in their own homes, rather than sheltered housing or residential homes.

The services are supervised in Suffolk by Service Manager, Maria Waller, and in Hertfordshire/Bedfordshire by our Office Manager, Dawn Sharpe. In March 2020, we welcomed Charlotte Spurway as our new Office Manager, ahead of Dawn’s retirement. The pandemic and the closure of Woodside Centre had an immediate effect on our operations and administration. After the shortest face-to-face handover on record, over the months that followed, Charlotte continued managing the office/service administration, while Dawn kindly agreed to manage the office move.

Given the uncertainty of the pandemic, two posts were made redundant during the year. We were sad to say goodbye to Hearing Advisor, Charlotte Crowe, and Senior Hearing Advisor, Gary Appleby.

Introducing the HAS Postal Service

In an effort to covid-proof services, our small postal services were staffed by the remaining members of the team: Bob Macdonald in Herts/Beds, and Steph Daley and Maria Waller in Suffolk. Our thanks go to Jameson Press, Herts Valley CCG and South Northants District Council for contributing to the pre-printed envelopes for clients to use.

Supporting NHS Audiology Services

The Charity delivers non statutory services across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, West Essex, South Northants and Suffolk. We work in partnership with the Heads of Audiology to serve our shared client group, although the Departmental catchment areas are not necessarily co-terminus with our county boundaries.

Hearing Support Service

Our core service provision has developed to support people and increase the confidence they have in using their own hearing aid. Maintaining aids, and offering support increases personal confidence and reduces the devastating social isolation that hearing loss can cause. Our services are complimentary to statutory provision, we continue the important process of rehabilitation after hearing loss, started by our NHS Audiology colleagues.

The services offered include:

The total number of ‘Hearing Aider[TM] ’ volunteers in all areas supported by the Charity in 2020/21 was 110, (2019/20: 112).

Page 10

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service Board of Trustees Annual Report For the year ended 31[st] March 2021

Technical Support Service – Our Equipment Specialists

Communication is vital to maintaining relationships, being understood, achieving success at work, maintaining our individual well-being and ability to reach our full potential. Without it, we become misunderstood, isolated, anxious and frustrated.

For many people, their listening experience and their lives can be transformed by a simple piece of technology, the Hearing Loop. It allows people who use hearing aids or cochlear implants to listen more easily, cutting out unwanted background noise, and creating a clearer sound. It enables them to participate in everyday activities with dignity and without stress.

Our Technical Support Service continued to offer advice and information on useful equipment that support daily living. Visitors can try hearing loops, personal amplifiers, alerting devices, mobile and landline telephony during our monthly open sessions. This service assists deaf and hard of hearing people in the home and workplace, supported by our trained staff and technical volunteers.

Local Resource Centres

A well-used part of our scheduled Hearing Aid Services in Hertfordshire is the Local Resource Centres, LRC, manned by ‘Hearing Aider’ volunteers or ‘Hearing Advisor’ staff.

The most active LRCs had been the Boxmoor Methodist Hall in Hemel Hempstead, Woodside Centre in Welwyn Hatfield, and Phoenix Group for Deaf Children’s Hyde-Out Centre in Stevenage. This supports the parents of children who are deaf and is also accessible for people living nearby in Central Bedfordshire, too.

The closure of Woodside Centre and move to the smaller, affordable Weltech Centre, had drawn the end to our permanent county Equipment Display Room. In the future, it is most likely that we will copy our neighbouring services, by attending ‘pop-up health hubs’ instead.

Hearing Loop Information Service

Our ‘Hearing Loop Information Service’ provides loop installation advice for village halls, places of worship and community centres, and continued to provide a valuable specialist service to organizations, concerned with providing support for visitors, residents, and parishioners. We continue our efforts to publicise the benefits of hearing induction loop systems which can result in clearer hearing for hearing aid users.

The ‘Equipment Follow-Up Service’ and ‘Hearing Aid Follow-Up Service’, for housebound clients, were supported by HAS volunteers and staff, and continued to undertake referrals during the year.

Page 11

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service Board of Trustees Annual Report For the year ended 31[st] March 2021

Hearing Advisory Services in the East of England

The Charity continues to work with Audiology Department Heads in Hertfordshire and across the East of England, to seek additional resources from charitable trusts and others. Our intention is to continue piloting new services, where invited by Audiology Departments and Local Authorities during 2021/22, to provide the evidence of need required by the Clinical Commissioning Groups, and to support our neighbouring counterpart charities.

Bedfordshire Hearing Advisory Service

The Bedfordshire Hearing Advisory Service extends our ‘Hearing Support Service’, with the difference that the main service operates using a local appointments system, in partnership with the health centres, and also residential homes on an ad hoc basis. For a county like Bedfordshire, with rural areas to the North, a mobile service is ideal and saves long journeys into town.

This service was made possible because of the support given by our colleagues at the Audiology Department of Bedford Hospital, and Bedfordshire Sensory Services. We look forward to working in partnership with Sight Concern Bedfordshire, to develop a ‘Hand In Hand Club’ and Lip-Reading Classes funded by Central Bedfordshire Council.

Northamptonshire Hearing Advisory Service

The South Northamptonshire Hearing Advisory Service pilot was encouraged and supported by the South Northants Locality Engagement Group, (part of Nene CCG), Northampton Audiology and Central Milton Keynes Audiology. We were delighted to be awarded funding by South Northamptonshire Council, which started to deliver before the pandemic. We included South Northants in our postal service, because of the positive response from clients, and the Town/Parish Councils. We thank them for their support.

Norfolk Deaf Association, Cambridge Hearing Help and Hearing Help Essex

We keep in touch with our friends in the East of England, at Norfolk Deaf Association, Cambridge Hearing Help and Hearing Help Essex. We continue to jointly promote our client services along county boundaries and continue to cooperate on matters of mutual interest and support.

Gibraltar Hearing Impairment and Tinnitus Association, GHITA

Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory, with a population of over 34,000 people, and served by regular flights between the City and nearby London Luton Airport on the UK mainland. Our staff team have informally adopted Gibraltar and GHITA as part of our social responsibility, and we continued to offer practical support during the pandemic by arranging the shipment of hearing aid batteries and offering lip-reading courses on-line to residents.

Page 12

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service Board of Trustees Annual Report For the year ended 31[st] March 2021

Suffolk Hearing Advisory Service

The Suffolk Hearing Advisory Service is staff led and operates scheduled services across the county. It can be a real help for people who wear a hearing aid and have mobility or dexterity problems, and difficulty with transport. The service results are reported in more detail elsewhere in the annual report.

The Training Centre

The final report of The Marmot Review, “Fair Society, Healthier Lives”, has provided successive governments with compelling evidence that has informed policy making over the last decade. The Charity is well placed to consider the provision of services, over the lifetime of clients.

Our ‘virtual’ Training Centre is a means to capture the several providers of training, the range of subjects and course types on offer, and the target audiences for the training. The common factor is that the training supports people who are Deaf or have a sensory loss.

Front-line staff training

For many client-facing staff, there is already an appreciation for Continuing Professional Development. Some smaller courses that raise awareness, can help make health information more accessible, and reduce barriers to communication. These may include:

Lip Reading Classes

Lip reading is a widely recognised and vital skill that can be taught to aid communication for people with acquired hearing loss. It can be great fun to learn, and many friendships start as the result of classes. Students learn to observe lip patterns, movements of the tongue, jaw and facial expressions. Developing skills that gradually put them all together enable lip readers to interpret what is being said, as an aid to communication.

Courses are available to people of all ages: students and teachers set individual learning plans and regularly review progress so that by the end of the course it is clear to see how much has been achieved.

Learning to lip read requires dedication and commitment. Our different classes run for 20 weeks per year with modest charging for some courses, benchmarked against other similar regional providers.

If you are interested in attending Lip reading classes, please contact Maria Waller on 01472-286060, text phone 07467 122766, or suffolkinfo@hhas.org.uk, or complete the online form. Charges for lip reading classes were reviewed in 2021, so please check with the Suffolk office.

Page 13

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service Board of Trustees Annual Report For the year ended 31[st] March 2021

Social Clubs, Self Help Groups

Everybody wants to live a happy and enjoyable life, reducing the effects of hearing loss and feeling positive. The Charity may provide or support social clubs for clients and their carers, something that will be explored as ‘production’ with our team, ‘co-production’ or ‘publicity’ with others.

Hand in Hand Social Clubs

Mostly provided in Suffolk, Hand-In-Hand Clubs are social clubs for people with dual sensory loss, (hearing and sight loss). These clubs run every month and are subject to a small subscription charge. Our clubs encourage people to build relationships and enjoy learning new skills. There is a programme of various activities and social outings helping to develop confidence to allow individuals to have as much control over their lives as possible.

The programme of activities includes support that will help to promote positive health, social inclusion and strategies for living. The clubs are managed by qualified and trained staff supported by a team of trained volunteers.

Hard of Hearing Social Clubs, Self Help Groups

We are looking forward to safely re-starting our Hard of Hearing Social Clubs and self-help groups, once the effects of the pandemic have subsided. We may try combinations of ‘Zooms’ and ‘Rooms’, as we all return to the new normal.

If you are interested in attending a Hard of Hearing Club, or starting one in your area, please call Maria Waller 01472-286060, text phone 07467 122766, or suffolkinfo@hhas.org.uk. Social Clubs are subject to a small annual subscription fee.

Deaf Clubs – at the heart of the community

The last year has been difficult for Deaf Clubs, whose members use British Sign Language. Social calendars stopped, income for running costs down, friends isolating at home. We hope that our Deaf Outreach work will help bring some practical support to those Clubs we have some initial links with: Ipswich Deaf Club, Welwyn Hatfield Deaf Club and Watford Deaf Club.

Deaf Patient Participation Groups

Local Authority and NHS commissioners rarely collaborate when it comes to Deaf Services. Consequently, each Clinical Commissioning Group, CCG, has a small Deaf population. Addressing the needs of Deaf people are not always taken into account because the numbers involved are so small.

The Charity, working with partners at primary care level, will seek to establish at least one Deaf Patient Participation Group, PPG. It will be associated with an existing PPG, in a pilot that, if successful, will be the first in England.

Page 14

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service Board of Trustees Annual Report For the year ended 31[st] March 2021

Increasing awareness of Hearing Advisory Services

The Charity will continue to raise awareness of our services, by modestly investing and improving our channels of communication. Awareness of the Charity was gauged as part of our Measuring Outcomes work, reported elsewhere. Being online is a great way to engage supporters and volunteers and is an important way to reach service users. And of course, using digital tools can help keep overheads down. More people spend more time online, so we need to be ready to meet them there.

Hearing Helpline

Our aspiration is to ensure that the telephones are manned during office hours Monday – Thursday, with an answerphone at all other times.

News and Views

‘News and Views’ is the Charity’s newsletter distributed free to our volunteers and available on subscription to our supporters, in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Suffolk. Publication has been on-hold, although we are considering reintroducing a ‘News and Views’ as a slimmed down news sheet, to coincide with the new postal service.

On-line

The internet used to be a service through which organisations could push their messages. But over recent years it has become increasingly about online communities and usergenerated content. However, digital media can have its drawbacks because it is free and quick.

We continue to discover how the internet can make a real difference to the lives of our clients, such as Video Remote Interpreting, VRi, and sharing demonstrations of these new platforms to communication colleagues in statutory authorities and NHS trusts.

Social Media

Social media is now a part of many charities’ communications channels. We continue to be cautious about social media, balancing both the positives and negatives, at a time when personal data, and protection of both individuals and organisations, have become more reflective about the choices they make.

We continue to develop our Facebook presence, and new website. Our Facebook page for the Charity is…

It would be great if you could send these links to any friends and colleagues to get them to Like our Facebook page!

Page 15

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service Board of Trustees Annual Report For the year ended 31[st] March 2021

Equality and Diversity

Deaf Awareness Working Group

In 2021/22, the Deaf Awareness Working Group, DAWG, returns to the Charity’s Committee structure, with a wider commitment to provide training, co-produce training with others, and promote training produced by others, which improves the health and wellbeing of our clients and their carers.

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service is aware of the problems deaf and hard of hearing people have as out-patients and in-patients, highlighted in the RNID report ‘A Simple Cure’, the Department of Health report ‘Deafness and Mental Health – Towards Equality and Access’, (the TEA report), and the SignHealth Reports, ‘Please communicate with me’, (Sick of It).

The DAWG originally worked on the delivery of TEA 2, the provision of CACDP Level 1 qualification in Communication Tactics for front-line staff, and the Audiology Quality Assessment Task programme. It was then absorbed into the terms of reference of the Sensory Disability Working Group led by Hertfordshire Health Watch.

The Charity is committed to supporting our colleagues in countywide Health Watches and will maintain quarterly communications with them.

Deaf Awareness Group Commitment

Members Commitment

Page 16

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service Board of Trustees Annual Report For the year ended 31[st] March 2021

Measuring Achievement

For the voluntary sector in Britain, the ‘Social Return on Investment’, SROI, approach is steadily increasing to demonstrate to funding organisations a more rigorous approach to performance management, while attempting to capture the social impacts of public spending. The aim of the SROI approach is to maximise the value of social outcomes produced by a given level of expenditure.

However, outcomes need to be organised in a clear hierarchy, so that they are capable of driving a set of operational plans. The Government’s plans focus on creating the right conditions to secure desired outcomes, but do not clearly articulate the outcomes: Charities are expected to articulate the outcomes themselves.

The Charity’s Commissioning Managers require us to state how we have measure and monitored outcomes we have agreed to.

Outcome Measurement

Outcome Measurement, with respect to post-hearing aid instrument fitting in a social care context, (as opposed to a clinical or health care context), is a new area of work within the hearing impairment field. The ‘Rapid Participatory Appraisal’ method, RPA, and questions asked, do appear to indicate whether outcomes have been achieved.

The Charity will need to move from not only measuring what we do, (outputs), to being clear about what it is trying to achieve, (outcomes). This is also consistent with the Charity Commission requirements to report on how our charitable purpose relates to our operational services and our financial activity.

Surveying during the pandemic

The Charity would normally perform our annual client survey across all services during the spring. However, due to the pandemic, the 2020/21 surveying was not possible. We anticipate conducting the next survey via our postal service.

Survey 1 ‘Has our service met your needs?’

The Charity has shared the investment in research and development of our Outcome Measurement RPA model with other sensory impairment charities, in a spirit of open cooperation. The first stage, Survey 1, is a simple freepost postcard. Clients answer questions related to outcome measures and invited to share their more general thoughts and comments, too. They may also provide contact details, to take part in Survey 2.

Survey 2 ‘How do you feel now..?’

Our second survey to clients up to 3 months later, identifies changes in behaviour after our service had been used. If clients reported an action as a result of our help or advice, it would be a successful outcome. A period of 3 months would be long enough for a change to be noticed, and short enough for the change to be attributed to the service.

The 3-year average for responses has been 33%, (2018/19: 35%).

People are managing their hearing loss better.

Page 17

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service Board of Trustees Annual Report For the year ended 31[st] March 2021

3 Our Structure and governance

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service helps people affected by hearing loss and associated conditions in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, and is a charitable company, limited by guarantee. Established in 1982 as Hertfordshire Deafness Support Association, HeDSA, HHAS was incorporated in May 1997.

In November 2016, the Trustees passed a Special Resolution, changing the Objectives and Governing Document, to better reflect current best practice published by the Charity Commission and the Charity’s own operating requirements.

Charity Registration No. 1063430 Company Registration No. 3376847 Company Secretary Mr Philip Linnegar*

Our Performance and Results

The Board of Trustees Annual Report 2020/21 report connects the HHAS governing document and the Statement of Financial Activity. This is achieved by reporting the aim of the charity, our strategies, and how successfully our principal activities have been achieved using different strategies. Our main service activity is summarized in this report.

All the staff team worked hard to deliver services through the pandemic. However, this was not always possible due to staff shielding, lockdown, Woodside Centre being closed, and having no telephone lines for a number of weeks. We are grateful to our commissioning officers for their support, and also those organisations that helped with additional funding for covid-proofing services later in the year.

Hearing Support Services

Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire: Hearing Aids 567; Batteries 2372 Suffolk: Hearing Aids 2112; Batteries 1165

Page 18

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service Board of Trustees Annual Report For the year ended 31[st] March 2021

Our Vision

Smiles from ear to ear.

Our Core Values

Our Mission

Hearing Advisory Service works to improve the health and well-being for people affected by hearing loss.

Our Aim

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service is established to relieve those people suffering from hearing impairment, deafness, sight impairment, blindness, deafblindness (dual sensory loss), and associated conditions as well as their carers.

Our Strategic Intent

The strategic intent of Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service is to sustain and extend as a charity that serves people, (clients) who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing, in Hertfordshire, Suffolk, Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire, in order to mitigate the effects of their Deafness or hearing loss.

Our Strategies

During the pandemic year, the Board considered how the Charity would be meet its strategic intent, by adapting our five charitable strategies:

Our Objectives

In furtherance of the Charity’s aim, the objectives were met by providing high quality local services set out in this annual report.

Page 19

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service Board of Trustees Annual Report For the year ended 31[st] March 2021

Our CSR policy

As a successful Investor In People organisation, the Charity adopted a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to attract some of the positive benefits possible for our people and clients. We worked with Gibraltar Hearing Impairment and Tinnitus Association, GHITA to provide Hearing Aider[ TM] training, expertise and assistive equipment. During the pandemic, we also arranged to supply hearing aid batteries for Gibraltarian residents who were locked down.

Our ESG Policy

The Charity is now looking at the Environmental, Social and Governance Agenda (ESG) to see whether further benefits are possible for the organisation.

Environmental View

The Woodside Centre, our Head Office for over 40 years, finally closed. A new school for Hertfordshire families with children with additional needs will then enjoy the site. Over the spring and summer, Charlotte managed the office, supported by Dawn who organised our move from Woodside Centre to Weltech Centre. Our new office is more energy efficient and has better arrangements for recycling.

Widening Society

The Charity are looking forward to forming new connections with the communities we serve. Social Prescribing is a significant development for public health and well-being. During the pandemic, in a variation to the role but in keeping with the community intention, both of our Link Workers Karen and Jenny helped people in Dacorum with their shopping and other essential help.

The Charity continued to be supported by specialist providers and consultants, in keeping with our aspiration to use local businesses, and pay invoices within 30 days.

Governance

The next 12 months are going to be difficult. This is a time for the Charity to reflect, in some areas strengthen, and develop support for service users.

The Charity has become a corporate member of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations to supplement support from our professional advisors, the Hertfordshire Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Network, Herts BAME, and the Hertfordshire Carers Group.

The Board have agreed to the formation of a Remuneration Sub-Committee of the Finance and General Purposes Committee. The Charity has developed Terms of Reference, and an appropriate Pay Policy.

Page 20

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service Board of Trustees Annual Report For the year ended 31[st] March 2021

The Trustees

The Members of the Board are the directors for the purposes of the Companies Act and the charity trustees for the purposes of the Charities Act. The Trustee Board members determine the general policy and ensure the governance of the Company.

Tony Edwards was formerly Managing Director of the Church Urban Fund. He has many years of experience having served as Deputy Director of Operations at The Papworth Trust, Director of Trading and Enterprise at Volunteering England, and CEO of Hertfordshire Society for the Blind.

Dennis Furnell* is a naturalist and broadcaster, who has been involved with national and international conservation projects. He has worked on BBC and Independent Radio, and BBC Television, Channel 4, Anglia TV and The Discovery Channel. He was also instrumental in helping to set up the Visual Language Media Group, a television training facility for people with hearing impairment.

Ardeshir Laloui is the former European Finance Director of McCann Erickson Advertising Agency. He has 48 years’ experience in airlines, manufacturing, research and industry. He is Hon Treasurer of faith inspired charities, ‘BASED UK’ and EBBF Europe, and served as our Hon Treasurer for 15 years until 2016, continuing afterwards as a Trustee. Ardeshir retired from the Board at the AGM in November 2020.

Claire Oliver is Head of Group Assurance for M Group Services. With over 15 years of experience in the delivery assurance services, Claire now leads on internal audit, risk management, investigations and business continuity planning for the Group. Claire has been Hon. Treasurer of the Charity since 2016.

John Stoker* is an HHAS Volunteer, and Chair of Trustees. He was formerly a Regional Director with a large multi-national consulting firm having enjoyed a long career as a mechanical, electrical and environmental engineer, both in the UK and overseas. John’s leisure activities include motorcaravanning, singing and playing guitar.

Susan Street* is a former Head of Commissioning within Health and Social Care, leading on programmes to improve transformation, service integration, pathways, prevention and outcomes, with stakeholders from the public, private and charity sectors. Susan has held a number of trustee posts both locally and regionally including Chair of Governors, East Regional Playwork Sector and Watford Women’s Centre. Susan enjoys gardening, walking, and is an active member of her local U3A.

Beth Moore is a former Head of Audiology, who joined the Charity as a Hearing Advisor and then other roles including Club Coordinator and Fund-raising Administrator to fit in with family commitments.

Philip Linnegar * is CEO of Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service. His former appointments include CEO for Middlesex Association for the Blind, CEO for Hertfordshire Society for the Blind, Interim CEO for the National Association for Patient Participation, and Head of Membership & Development at Hearing Concern.

He is Secretary of WFC ENABLES, the official Disabled Supporters Group of the county’s premier league Watford Football Club, Chairman of Hemel Aces Football Club and Vice Chairman of Friends of Bennetts End Surgery, FOBES.

Page 21

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service Board of Trustees Annual Report For the year ended 31[st] March 2021

The Board, Committees and Working Groups

During the 2020/21 financial year, John Stoker chaired the Board and the Annual General Meeting. John is chair of the Service Committee, and Claire Oliver is chair of the Finance and General Purposes Committee.

Each Trustee has taken responsibility for monitoring our activities in specific operational areas. Through their Chairman, each Committee or Group present their reports or recommendations for action to the Board.

Trustees are appointed where they have the necessary skills and experience to contribute to the charity’s development. Prospective Trustees are invited to attend HHAS Board meetings at least once, as a non-voting observer. This forms part of the Board co-option process. New Trustees are supported through an induction process, based on the NCVO Best Practice guidance.

We are grateful to all our Trustees and Committee Members for the commitment of time and consideration they have given towards the good governance of the Charity.

Finance and General Purposes Committee Tony Edwards Trustee John Stoker Trustee Claire Oliver Committee chair, Hon Treasurer Philip Linnegar CEO _Strategy and Governance Committee John Stoker Committee chair Claire Oliver Trustee, Hon Treasurer Philip Linnegar CEO Service Committee Hertfordshire*_ Garnet Newman Service Co-ordinator Elaine Bond Audiology Manager, West Herts Hospital NHS Trust John Stoker HHAS Volunteer and Trustee, (Chair) Tom Lyon Audiologist, Royal Free London Hospital NHS Trust

Service Committee Bedfordshire Sarah Kelley Sensory Services, Twinwoods Resource Centre Anna Lazenby Head of Audiology, Bedford Hospital NHS Trust Alison Lowe Senior Practitioner, Bedford Sensory Services Carol O’Brien Project Manager, Sight Concern Bedfordshire Garnet Newman Hearing Advisor, Bedfordshire Hearing Advisory Service

Service Oversight Suffolk Caroline Carr Managing Director, Sensing Change Suffolk Philip Linnegar Chief Executive Officer Maria Waller Service Manager, Suffolk

Page 22

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service Board of Trustees Annual Report For the year ended 31[st] March 2021

Honorary Patron, Advisors and Officers

Hon President

The Charity is supported by our Hon President, Sue Walter. Sue is a former Lip-Reading Teacher and is a prolific and long standing 'Hearing Aider' Volunteer.

Our first Hon President was Bert Chiswell.

Hon Patron

Our patron is The Rt Hon Sir Mike Penning MP. During the year, Sir Mike made enquiries on our behalf, to see if the ‘Articles for the Blind’ regulations could be amended as the pandemic worsened, to become ‘Articles for the Sensory Impaired’. This would have allowed vulnerable clients to use postal hearing aid services, without the need to venture to a post office. Sadly, our requests were declined, but we thank Sir Mike for his efforts.

Independent Examiner

For some years, our Independent Examiner ‘by experience’ has been Peter Bladon. An active volunteer in the community, Peter was formerly Accounts Payable Manager of Kodak Limited – a company who has provided the Charity with many excellent volunteers over the years. This year, we change our examining arrangement in-line with Charity Commission ‘Statement of Recommended Practice’, as explained elsewhere.

The Hon. Treasurer and Board would like to thank Peter Bladon for his kind assistance as Independent Examiner over the years.

The Board formally agreed to the appointment of Stuart Cuzner as the Charity’s Independent Examiner.

Insurers Arthur J Gallagher Insurance Limited Devonshire House, Riverside Park, Barnstaple EX31 1EY

Bankers

CAF Bank plc 25 Kings Hill Ave, Kings Hill, West Malling, ME19 4TA

Public benefit

In setting our objectives and planning our activities, our trustees have given careful consideration to the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit and in particular to keeping our costs and charges for any services to a minimum. Secondly, we ensure the benefits we offer are either restricted to those with hearing impairment, affected by hearing impairment, or designed to encourage engagement by deaf people with the wider community. Thirdly, in providing our services and activities, we always show due commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our service users.

Page 23

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service Board of Trustees Annual Report For the year ended 31[st] March 2021

Our Benefactors and Supporters

We take this opportunity to record our grateful thanks to all our Benefactors and friends who have provided us with valuable support in many different ways during the past year.

Our Corporate Benefactors

British Telecom Geemarc Telecom Jameson Press Hearing Products International Sarabec Limited Hanover Housing Hearing Healthcare Practice BH Hearing Care Suffolk Hearing Care Centre

Our Colleagues in the Public Sector

Bedford Council and Central Bedfordshire, Sensory Services Team Central Milton Keynes Sensory Advice Resource Centre Team Hertfordshire County Council, Sensory Services Team Suffolk County Council, Sensing Change Team NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire Suffolk and Northamptonshire

South Northants Council, for providing a grant on behalf of: Blisworth Parish Council; Brackley Town Council; Deanshanger Parish Council; Grange Park Parish Council; Kings Sutton Parish Council; Middleton Cheney Parish Council; Towcester Town Council

Our Colleagues in NHS Audiology Departments

Cambridgeshire Addenbrookes Hospital Bedfordshire Bedford General Hospital; Luton and Dunstable Hospital Milton Keynes UA Central Milton Keynes Hospital Hertfordshire (West) Hemel Hempstead General Hospital; St Albans City Hospital Watford General Hospital Hertfordshire (East) Lister Hospital, Stevenage QE2 Hospital, Welwyn Garden City Hertford County Hospital Essex (West) St Margaret’s Hospital, Epping Middlesex Royal Free London, LB Barnet, LB Enfield, LB Camden Northants (South) Northampton General Hospital, and Horton Hospital (N.Oxon) Suffolk James Padgett Hospital Ipswich General Hospital West Suffolk Hospital Gibraltar Gibraltar Health Centre

Page 24

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service Board of Trustees Annual Report For the year ended 31[st] March 2021

Our Colleagues in the Charity Sector

The Charity continued to work and co-operate with other charities and organisations, in pursuit of our strategic and charitable objectives. We work closely with other countywide social care charities, and the county branches of national charities, such as Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, and Phoenix Group for Deaf Children.

The Charity maintains a dialogue with colleagues across the Eastern Region, (Essex Hearing Help, West Norfolk Deaf Association, Cambridge Hearing Help), through the Eastern Area Region Hearing Help Group, and similar organisations elsewhere in England and overseas.

Particular thanks go to: Amanda Morgan CEO, Cambridgeshire Hearing Help Sophie Biebuyck CEO, Essex Hearing Help Carol O’Brien CEO, Sight Concern Bedfordshire Joanna Carter CEO, Hertfordshire Society for the Blind

Our Facilities Teams

Weltech Centre Office Manager – Maddy Hodgkinson Woodside Centre Office Cleaner - Jill Norris; Office Caretaker - George West

Our supporters, organisations and groups

Supporters:

Mrs Granger Mrs B Green Mrs A S Johnston Mr D Lintott Mr J Croft Mrs F J White Mr J Stoker Mr G Kirby

Organisations and Groups

Lowestoft Hand in Hand Club Ipswich Hand In Hand Club Bury St. Edmunds Hand in Hand Club Ipswich Lip Reading Group Felixstowe Hard of Hearing Club Martlesham Hard of Hearing Club Clothworkers' Foundation Hearing Healthcare Practice Bennetts End Surgery Team Watford Football Club

And to all our voluntary helpers and all other voluntary societies with whom we have co-operated during the year.

Our Consultants

We thank our consultants who assist the Charity in specialist operational support areas:

Emma Williams HR Initiatives, HR Consultants Ingrid Marson Acorn PR, PR Consultants Jeff Wiblin Eurotech Services, IT Consultants

Page 25

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service Board of Trustees Annual Report For the year ended 31[st] March 2021

Our Hearing Advisory Service Team

The Board of Trustees pay tribute to the staff for their commitment, hard work and dedication. The day-to-day management of the Company is delegated to the Chief Executive Officer, CEO, who is an ex officio member of all the committees and working groups. The CEO is supported by the Senior Management Team, SMT.

Chief Executive Officer Philip Linnegar*[~]

Finance Manager

Monica Ansbro[~]

Office Manager Office Manager

Dawn Sharpe[~] (To 31 March 2020) Charlotte Spurway [~] (From 31 March 2020)

Service Coordinator Garnet Newman Administrator Vacancy Administrator - Fund Raising Beth Moore (Ad-Hoc) Administrator – Fund Raising Izzy Spurway (Ad-Hoc) Hearing Advisor – Hertfordshire Bob Macdonald Hearing Advisor – Bedfordshire Ruth Roberts and Charlotte Crowe Newsletter/Website Editor Ingrid Marson Technical Support/Loop Installation Robert Guyver (Specialist Volunteer) Woodside LRC Volunteers John S, Robert G, and Jenny B Dacorum LRC Volunteers John C, Mike L, Bob, Jan and Joan Deaf Service Manager Emma Caswell Deaf Outreach Worker Vacant Service Manager Maria Waller[~] Senior Hearing Advisor Gary Appleby Administrator Maria Waller/Steph Daley Lip-reading Teacher Maria Waller Lip-reading Teacher Steph Daley Lip-reading Teacher Lizzie Servant Hand In Hand Club Coordinator Christine Roe Club Coordinator Steph Daley Technical Support/Loop Installation Vacancy (Specialist Volunteer) Other area LRC Volunteers Christine and Margaret

Family members ‘Volunteered’ or ‘Staffed’ Tom Waller (in family CV19 ‘Bubbles’) Izzy Spurway Mike Sharpe

Page 26

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service Board of Trustees Annual Report For the year ended 31[st] March 2021

4 Financial Reports

Hon Treasurer’s Report

The Balance Sheet (page 32) shows a cash balance, (cash at bank and in hand), of £48,643 an increase of £20,866 from the previous year. There is a total surplus of £44,979 this year, (2019/20: £12,482 deficit), which includes depreciation of £5,499 (refer to page 34, Movement in Resources).

The Statement of Financial Activities (page 32) are in accord with Financial Reporting Standard 3, and all gains and losses are recognized.

Risk Management

The Trustees have assessed the major risks to which the charity is exposed, in particular those related to the operations and finances of the Charity and are satisfied that systems are in place to mitigate our exposure to major risks.

Pension Statement

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service introduced pension auto-enrolment and adopted the Friends Provident/Friends Life Stakeholder Pension scheme, subsequently managed by Aviva. Pension provision is kept under review, and during the year it was decided to move our auto-enrolment scheme to The People’s Pension. The current scheme is available to all qualifying staff.

Payments

The Trustees acknowledge the importance of maintaining goodwill, by meeting financial obligations to volunteers, staff and suppliers, in a timely manner. The Charity seeks to pay its bills within 30 days of receipt.

Financial scrutiny

The Hon Treasurer takes the lead in supervising the charity’s financial affairs, and the maintenance of proper financial records and procedures, in order to ensure the Charity’s financial viability. The Finance and General Purposes Committee met twice during the year, to discuss and make recommendations on, amongst other matters, the budget for the next financial year and the Annual Report and Accounts, respectively.

Going concern

The Trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the charitable company's ability to continue as a going concern. They have approved a break-even budget for 2021/22 and have reviewed the projected cash flow to September 2022.

They are confident that, with appropriate budgetary controls and even in the current difficult economic climate, Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service will continue in operation and that it is appropriate to prepare these financial statements on a going concern basis.

Page 27

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service Board of Trustees Annual Report For the year ended 31[st] March 2021

Reserves Policy

The Trustees have reviewed and updated the Charity's reserves policy, to more explicitly articulate the links between the policy and the Charity's key risks and strategic objectives.

In doing so, Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service differentiates between short-, medium-, and long-term risks as follows:

1. Short Term: Meeting working capital requirements and mitigating unbudgeted, in-year financial risks. In HHAS's situation, examples might be to manage the cash flow implications of contractual payments.

Reserves held to mitigate these short-term risks must be held as cash or short-term deposits immediate access as needed.

2. Medium Term: Mitigating the financial impact of changes foreseen over the next 1-3 year planning cycle, allowing sufficient time for the Charity to develop and meet these challenges whilst minimising the impact of any required changes. Examples would include managing the foreseeable impact of changes in public sector funding or benefits policy.

Reserves held to mitigate these medium-term risks can be held as long-term cash deposits or bonds, as their drawdown can be planned over a longer period of time.

3. Longer term: Ensuring the Charity can invest in planned renewal of infrastructure and intellectual property, so that its assets do not become outdated over time. This would include investment in property, IT and digital assets, and in professional development of staff.

Reserves held to mitigate these long-term risks would be designated by the Board of Trustees against an agreed investment plan. Trustees will expect the Charity to build these reserves back up over time, in order to support ongoing investment.

4. Supporting Innovation: Having funds available to identify and act on opportunities to branch out into new activities that will achieve its charitable objectives, whilst minimizing risk and impact on the Charity's existing activities. This would include research and development of new services and policy areas.

Reserves held to support innovation will be designated by the Board of Trustees against a clear investment plan. These funds would be held to support explicitly high-risk activity, and as such there is less requirement of a financial return.

The Board of Trustees will review the level of reserves set against each risk category, regularly as part of the annual budgeting cycle, and immediately in the event of a significant change in the Charity's activities, size or risk profile.

Based on the Charity's current size and scope of activities, the Trustees consider that one month's operating expenditure is sufficient to cover short term risks; and a further two months operating expenditure is sufficient to mitigate medium terms risks.

At 31 March 2021, Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Services' total unrestricted funds were £40,000, which equates to two months' operating expenditure. HHAS's general funds excluding designated funds were £24,982.

Page 28

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service Board of Trustees Annual Report For the year ended 31[st] March 2021

Independent Examiner’s Report

To the trustees of Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service ('the Company')

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Company for the year ended 31st March 2021.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity's trustees of the Company (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 ('the 2006 Act').

Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the Company are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of your charity's accounts as carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 ('the 2011 Act'). In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5) (b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiner's statement

Since your charity's gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a listed body. I can confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a registered member of FCA which is one of the listed bodies.

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe:

  1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the Company as required by section 386 of the 2006 Act; or

  2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or

  3. the accounts do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requirement that the accounts give a true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or

  4. the accounts have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities (applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)).

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Stuart Cuzner ACA FCCA Wags LLP t/a Wagstaffs Richmond House Walkern Road Stevenage SG1 3QP

Page 29

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service Board of Trustees Annual Report For the year ended 31[st] March 2021

5 Financial Accounts

Statement of Financial Activities

For the period 1[st] April 2020 to 31[st] March 2021

Note
Incoming Resources
Grants
1
Donations & Projects
Bank Interest
Net income from trading
Other
Total Incoming Resources
Resources Expended
Direct charitable expenditure
2
Fund Raising & publicity
3
Management & admin costs
4
Total Resources
Expenses
Net Incoming (Outgoing)
Resources
Balance
brought
forward
As at 1stApril 2020
Transfer between funds
Balance Carried Forward
As at 31st March 2021		 Unrestricted
Fund
£

100,426
43,099
14
2,877
10,518
156,934


49,559
13,863
55,944

119,366

37,568

29,935
(2,521)

64,982		 Restricted
Fund
£
128,147
-
-
-
-
128,147
120,737
-
-
120,737
7,410
(9,931)
2,521
-		 Year to
Total
31/3/2020
£
£
228,573
201,450
43,099
13,349
14
56
2,877
4,100
10,518
1,890
285,081
220,845
170,296
164,452
13,863
16,036
55,944
52,840
240,103
233,328
44,978
(12,482)
20,004
32,486
-
-
64,982
20,004

The operating profit for the year arises from the company’s continuing operations. No separate Statement of Total Recognised Gains and Losses has been presented as all such gains and losses have been dealt with above.

The notes on pages 33 to 35 form part of these financial statements.

Page 30

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service Board of Trustees Annual Report For the year ended 31[st] March 2021

Balance Sheet

As at 31st March 2021
Note
March
2021
Fixed Assets
Tangible Assets
5
13,286
Total Fixed Assets
13,286
Current Assets
Debtors
37,139
Cash at Bank & in hand
6
48,643
Prepayments
7,119
Total Current Assets
92,901
Liabilities:
Amounts falling due within one year
Creditors
6,126
Barclaycard
1,132
Advance payments
33,947
Total
41,205
Net Current Assets
51,696
Total Assets
64,982
Represented by:
Restricted funds
-
Unrestricted funds
64,982
Total
**64,982 **		 March
2020
17,795
17,795
9,964
27,777
3,025
40,765
7,498
1,437
29,621
38,556
2,209
**20,004 **
(9,931)
29,935
**20,004 **

For the year ended 31/03/2021 the company was entitled to exemption from the requirement to have an audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006. The Members have not required the Company to obtain an audit of its accounts in accordance with section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.

Responsibilities of the Directors

The Directors acknowledge their responsibility for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and for the preparation of the accounts.

The Directors acknowledge their responsibility for:

Signed on behalf of the Trustee Members

Trustee Claire Oliver

Claire Oliver Date 5[th] January 2022

The notes on pages 33 to 35 form part of these Financial Statements

Page 31

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service Board of Trustees Annual Report For the year ended 31[st] March 2021

Movement in Resources

1stApril 2020 to 31stMarch 2021
Incoming resources
Grants and contracts
1
Donations & Projects
Bank Interest
Net income from trading
Other
Total Incoming Resources
Outgoing resources
Staff Salaries & related costs
Staff Auto Enrolled Pension
Staff travel & expenses
Staff recruitment
Staff & Vol. Training
Trustees/Vol. travel & expenses
Postage
Property costs/rent
Venue Hire – Clubs and classes
Printing and Stationery
Trading Stock
Telephone & internet
Website & computer
Insurance & licenses
Legal & consultancy
Advertising & publicity
Events & catering
Subscriptions & Donations
Vehicle Fuel & maintenance
Repair and maintenance
Depreciation
Payroll and Bank Charges
Other
Total Outgoing
Net Incoming/Outgoing Resources
Balance Brought Forward as at 01/04/20
Transfer between funds
Balance Carried Forward as at 31/03/21		 Unrestricted
Fund
£

100,426
43,099
14
2,877
10,518
156,934
63,827
5,018
523
124
1,640
163
2,387
10,669
225
10,509
-
4,825
1,733
431
7,107
325
-
2,659
-
644
5,499
1,057
1
119,366
37,568
29,935
(2,521)
64,982		 Restricted
Fund
£
128,147
-
-
-
-
128,147
118,235
-
1,130
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
802
-
-
-
-
570
-
-
-
-
120,737
7,410
(9,931)
2,521
-		 Year to
Total
31/03/20
£
£
228,573
201,450
43,099
13,349
14
56
2,877
4,100
10,518
1,890
285,081
220,845
182,062
158,870
5,018
3,027
1,653
12,250
124
157
1,640
1,470
163
3,583
2,387
1,742
10,669
4,689
225
8,353
10,509
8,861
-
-
4,825
5,362
1,733
1,217
1,233
954
7,107
5,793
325
1,550
-
1,100
2,659
2,369
570
3,993
644
258
5,499
6,793
1,057
924
1
13
240,103
233,327
44,978
(12,482)
20,004
32,486
-
-
64,982
20,004

The notes on pages 33 to 35 form part of these Financial Statements

Page 32

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service Board of Trustees Annual Report For the year ended 31[st] March 2021

Notes and policies to the accounts

Basis of Accounting

The financial statements are prepared under historical cost convention as modified by the revaluation of certain assets and in accordance with the statement of recommended Practice: Accounting for Charities.

Income

Grants, donations and legacies are taken to the statement of financial activities when there is a reasonable assurance of receipt. Grants relating to future period are deferred.

Tangible Fixed Assets and Depreciation

Tangible assets are stated at cost less depreciation. Depreciation is provided at the following, which is rated in order to write each asset over its estimated useful life.

Furniture 20% on written down value Computer Equipment 25% on written down value Display Equipment 25% on written down value Motor Vehicle 25% on written down value

Stock

Stock of equipment for on-sale and consumables are valued at the lower of cost and net realisable value after making due allowance for obsolete and slow-moving items.

Taxation

The company is a registered charity and is exempt from tax on its income and gains applied to charitable purpose. The company is not registered for VAT.

Allocation

Resources expended are allocated to the particular activity where the cost relates directly to that activity. However, the cost of overall direction and administration on each activity, comprising the salary and overhead costs of the central function, is apportioned on the following basis, which is an estimate based on staff time, of the amount attributable to each activity:

Fund-raising and publicity 20% Management and administration of the charity 80%

Restricted, Unrestricted and Designated Funds

Restricted funds are to be used for specific purposes as laid down by the donor. Expenditure that meets these criteria is charged to the fund, together with a fair allocation of management and support costs. Unrestricted funds are donations and other incoming resources receivable or generated for the objects of the charity without further specified purpose and are available as general funds. Designated funds are unrestricted funds earmarked by the Board of Trustees for particular purposes.

Page 33

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service Board of Trustees Annual Report For the year ended 31[st] March 2021

Notes to the accounts for the period 31[st] March 2021

1. Grants and contracts Unrestricted Unrestricted Restricted Year to
Fund Fund Total 31/03/20
£ £ £ £
NHS Hertfordshire - 40,285 40,285 43,947
HCC Community Wellbeing 59,588 - 59,588 56,033
NHS Bedfordshire - 17,170 17,170 17,170
NHS Suffolk/SCC 41,500 - 41,500 41,500
Suffolk Lip Reading Classes - 30,000 30,000 30,000
Suffolk HIH Clubs - 11,500 11,500 11,500
Suffolk Community Foundation - - - 300
Hospital Saturday Fund - - - -
HVCCG Social Prescriber LW 3,000 25,530 28,530 -
South Northants Pilot - - - 500
Grant contribution - - - 500
Deaf Outreach Service - - - 300
Total 104,088 124,485 228,573 201,750
2. Direct Charitable Expenditure Unrestricted
Restricted
Fund Fund Total
£ £ £
Vehicle expenditure -
1,372
1,372
Volunteer expenses 565
-
565
Support officer salaries & expenses 48,994
119,365
168,359
Total Direct Charitable Expenditure 49,559
120,737
170,296
3. Fund Raising & Publicity Unrestricted Restricted
Fund Fund Total
£ £ £
Staff salaries and expenses 13,538 - 13,538
Publicity 325
-		 325
Total Fund Raising & Publicity 13,863 - 13,863
4. Management & Administration Unrestricted Restricted
Fund Fund Total
£ £ £
Salaries & expenditure 22,808 - 22,808
Insurance & licenses 431 - 431
Office expenses 20,099 - 20,099
Consultancy and Legal expenses 7,107 - 7,107
Depreciation 5,499 - 5,499
Total Management & Administration 55,944 - 55,944

Page 34

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service Board of Trustees Annual Report For the year ended 31[st] March 2021

5. Fixed Assets Office Office Display Motor
Equipment
Furniture		 Equipment Vehicle Total
£ £ £ £ £
Costs at 01/04/20 22,466 12,811
7,885		 16,970 60,132
Additions 499 491
-		 - 990
Disposal - -
-		 (2,980) (2,980)
Costs at 31/03/21 22,965 13,302
7,885		 13,990 58,142
Depreciation at 01/04/20 15,922 11,828
7,527		 7,060 42,337
Charge for the year 1,658 217
126		 3,497 5,498
Disposal - -
-		 (2,980) (2,980)
Depreciation at 31/03/21 17,580 12,045
7,653		 7,577 44,855
Net Book value at 31/03/21 5,385 1,257
232		 6,413 13,287
Net Book value at 31/03/20 6,544 983
358		 9,910 17,795
Fixed Assets Segregation 2020/21 2019/20
£ £
Direct charitable purposes 7,972 10,677
Indirect charitable purposes 5,315 7,118
Total 13,287 17,795
6. Cash at Bank and in Hand 2020/21 2019/20
£ £
Cash at hand 683 667
CAF Cash & CAF Gold A/C 46,572 22,452
Bank Account (Suffolk) 1,388 427
Total Cash 48,643 23,546

Number of Employees earning between £40,000 and £50,000 P/Annum was: 1 Number of Employees earning between £30,000 and £40,000 P/Annum was: 0 Number of Employees earning between £20,000 and £30,000 P/Annum was: 1

The average number of paid employees, analysed by function and Reported from this year as Full Time Equivalent (FTE) at 31[st] March:

2021 2020
Direct services 4.8 4.8
Fundraising & Publicity (10% of CEO’s time) 0.2 0.2
Management & Administration 4.0 4.0
Total 9.0 9.0
Remuneration paid to Trustee members was: Nil Nil
Reimbursement of expenses paid to Trustee Committee Members was: Nil Nil
Transactions with any members of the Trustees Board: Nil Nil

Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service

Annual Report and Accounts 2020/21

The Chairman and Board of Trustees thank you for your interest in the work of Hertfordshire Hearing Advisory Service

Weltech Centre, The Ridgeway, Welwyn Garden City AL7 2AA www.hhas.org.uk

Back page

Page 35