2020
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ADVANCED LIFE
SUPPORT GROUP
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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[st] December 2020
Registered Company Number: 4580873 (England and Wales) Registered Charity Number: 1095478
2020
C o n t e n t
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A w o r d f r o m t h e C h a i r m a n a n d C E O
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P u r p o s e , v i s i o n a n d v a l u e s
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W h a t w e d o
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H i g h l i g h t s o f 2 0 2 0
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H i g h l i g h t s o f a r e m o t e l y e n h a n c e d c o u r s e
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C a s e s t u d y
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C o n f e r e n c e s a n d p a r t n e r s h i p s
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Q u a l i t y a n d i m p r o v e m e n t i n 2 0 2 0
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S o c i a l a n d e n v i r o n m e n t a l i m p a c t 2 0 2 0
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L o o k i n g f o r w a r d
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F i n a n c i a l s u m m a r y
1 6
R e f e r e n c e a n d a d m i n i s t r a t i o n d e t a i l s
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R e p o r t o f t h e t r u s t e e s
20 I n d e p e n d e n t a u d i t o r ’ s r e p o r t
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S t a t e m e n t o f f i n a n c i a l a c t i v i t i e s
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B a l a n c e s h e e t
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C a s h f l o w s t a t e m e n t
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N o t e s t o t h e f i n a n c i a l s t a t e m e n t s
A word from the Chairman & CEO
Welcome to our 2020 annual report and accounts
Welcome – a different year from the one we had envisaged but still progress has been made .
Our vision is to improve patient outcomes and save lives by offering training on structured, standardised courses, which include the latest advances in clinical practices, new procedures and techniques.
At Advanced Life Support Group (ALSG) during 2020, we have made significant changes to our training and the delivery methods of our courses.
This in part has been due to COVID-19, which accelerated our plans to evolve our training programmes to ensure training could be delivered safely, and sustainably going forward. So whilst the pandemic has affected each one of us, we have adapted to the challenging circumstances we found ourselves in and made significant progress in how we can offer our courses. As such, we have made substantial in-roads in our development as an organisation during 2020.
We have launched three Remotely Enhanced courses which has involved a considerable amount of work to develop online learning materials whilst reducing the face-to-face course time. Like the traditional APLS delivery method, the RCPCH has endorsed the Remotely Enhanced APLS course, thereby confirming that learning is still very much at the heart of the course.
It could not have been achieved without the continued and endless commitment from our Trustees, staff and our volunteers from across the globe who have all helped to evolve our course delivery so that it is safe to deliver this essential training.
In 2020, ALSG made many of its online course modules and e-books available free to support and update colleagues returning to work during the pandemic. This was ALSG’s contribution to managing COVID-19 by offering uninhibited access. A total of 2,350 people made use of ALSG’s e-books and 2,273 accessed ALSG’s course e-modules.
Despite the pandemic, ALSG continued its life saving training and during 2020 ALSG has trained 7,342 candidates, worked with 1,068 instructors and 282 instructor candidates and given the circumstances we operated in during 2020, we are both extremely proud of what has been achieved.
We would like to pay tribute to Jenny Antrobus who retired in June 2020 after 28 years with ALSG and was a member of the Senior Leadership Team. Throughout the years, Jenny has made enormous contributions to the growth and development of the Charity and we all wish her many happy years ahead.
We are enormously proud of what we have achieved as an organisation in 2020, by continuing to deliver the highest standard of training in a safe environment whilst maintaining education at the heart of the learning, which in turn, improves patient outcomes and saves lives.
| Sue Wieteska Kevin Mackway-Jones |
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| Saving lives and improving patient outcomes CEO Chair of Trustees |
Objectives: Pur oses of the charit p y
The purpose of the charity as set out in the governing document is to "preserve life by providing training and education to the general public and in particular but not exclusively, to doctors, nurses and other members of the medical profession, in life saving techniques, in particular regarding advanced trauma, cardiac and paediatric life support treatment."
Vision
ALSG is clear that its vision is to save lives and improve patient outcomes.
Values
S U P P O R T
We are loyal. We look after our candidates, staff, volunteers and partners. We listen, respond, provide and support.
E D U C A T E
We educate clinicians to give them the confidence, knowledge and practical skills to save lives.
C O L L A B O R A T E
We are collaborative. We enjoy mutual respect with our partners through shared values and trust.
I N N O V A T E
We continually pioneer new approaches to improve medical education.
E X C E L
We excel at providing standardised, quality assured training needed to save lives.
Saving lives and improving patient outcomes
As an organisation with saving lives and improving patient outcomes at its core and with medicine and clinical practices constantly evolving, ALSG is progressive in its training programmes in both the advancement of its content, as well as the mechanism for delivering the courses.
What we do
Each course is governed and managed by a Working Group which meet regularly and is made up of highly skilled professionals specialising in specific sectors. The role of the working group is to review and update training packages to ensure they are in line with current guidelines and best practice, whilst keeping learning at the heart. Underpinning each course is a standardised structured approach to a variety of life threatening situations.
By operating a structured approach to each individual course, no matter where in the world, this ensures consistency and quality assurance. Course development is a fundamental element of what we do, as ALSG is committed to delivering the highest quality of training and believes each course must be fit for purpose and deliver against learning outcomes.
ALSG has been examining its delivery method for some time, recognising there is huge potential in the digital era, as well as acknowledging clinicians have enormous time pressures. COVID-19 has expedited the implementation and accelerated the launch of the online/remote delivery of courses.
During 2020 ALSG has adapted courses so that the same high standard of training can be delivered remotely, and reducing face-to-face training down to one day to ensure everyone is safe and socially distanced. In addition our CPRR has been moved completely online and is delivered remotely in one day. Existing online teaching platforms were used, Zoom and Microsoft Teams, creating video content of course materials and adapting teaching methods to ensure education remains at the heart of ALSG’s training.
The charity has adapted what we do to support our frontline colleagues by providing free resources and continuing to offer essential training in innovative ways.
Sue Wieteska, ALSG CEO
Saving lives and improving patient outcomes
Highlights of 2020
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A large number of courses sadly had to be cancelled due to the pandemic but we made every effort to accommodate our candidates by being as flexible as possible with frontline workers who were much needed in their workplaces. In 2020 ALSG trained 7,342 candidates which brings us to 248,342 in total.
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Even in the circumstances, our volunteers continued to support the delivery of this essential training with 1,068 instructors teaching on our courses as well as 282 instructor candidates working towards becoming fully trained instructors. We want to thank our volunteers for the enormous commitment they continue to show us.
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Across the globe, 114 centres including ALSG Manchester ran ALSG courses during 2020, demonstrating the commitment and dedication to education being at the heart of our work.
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Three courses were adapted and now have a remotely enhanced provision, namely APLS, GIC and APEx, with further courses underway so as to offer our candidates a flexible option to suit their needs.
During 2020, the RCPCH endorsed the APLS Remotely Enhanced course as well as maintaining our endorsement for the original APLS course over two days of face-to-face training. This recognised that learning is fundamentally at the heart of ALSG activity.
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In 2020, ALSG made many of its online modules and e-books available for free in order to assist key frontline workers from every field returning to work during the pandemic. This was to contribute to the effort of managing COVID-19 by offering uninhibited access. A total of 2,350 people made use of ALSG’s e-books (worth £81,843).
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ALSG made a research award in 2019, the Martin Samuels Paediatric Research Award which was awarded to Dr Joe Langton who is based in Malawi and her work continued throughout 2020. Dr Langton is undertaking a programme of education in mothers of babies in a life threatening condition and the necessity for medical intervention, as well as training others to promulgate the teachings further.
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The Generic Instructor Course (GIC) Mike Davis Bursary was awarded to Sarah Harley who has successfully undertaken her training to become an ALSG instructor. Sarah has completed her additional instructor training and is now a member of the APLS family.
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The World Health Organisation announced 2020 was the Year of the Nurse & Midwife in recognition of the 250[th] birthday of Florence Nightingale and in honour, ALSG offered five free course places. However, due the pandemic, this was put on hold but ALSG will be announcing the winners during 2021.
Saving lives and improving patient outcomes
Highlights of a remotely enhanced course
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We have adapted teaching methods to offer an alternative training model which is utilising existing digital technology and delivering training packages online which reduces the time spent face-to-face as well as limiting the need to travel.
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This new model draws on many specialists from an extensive range of specialties and each Remotely Enhanced course is tailored and adapted to ensure the highest standard of training is delivered.
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ALSG has added to its teaching materials, employing videos of a range of skills demonstrations using the first two stages of the four-stage approach to learning and podcasts which form part of the remotely enhanced run courses.
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In addition, new case-based discussions have been introduced to prepare the candidates for how their learning and practice works in the workplace. Breakout rooms are used for small group discussions led by the candidates to improve candidates’ learning.
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Low stakes quizzing is used to test the candidate’s learning throughout the remote delivery, creating an engaging and dynamic interaction between candidates and faculty.
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The Remotely Enhanced courses use ‘continuous assessment’ as the measure which gives candidates regular real-time feedback as well as the opportunity to learn, review and implement a positive outcome.
Stephanie Smith, Emergency Paediatric Consultant in Nottingham Children’s Hospital and Chair of the APLS working group explains the benefits further, saying:
As a working group we have worked hard during 2020 to deliver sustainable online education as we recognise it is imperative to evolve and move with the times.
By offering Remotely Enhanced training packages, we provide greater flexibility, reduce the need to travel and provide a mechanism for undertaking courses whilst at home or even from individual work places. This is alongside keeping education and learning at the centre of the course.
Whilst I have led the group for the APLS course, so many others from around the world have contributed and advised on the content and I am extremely grateful for their expertise. As ALSG continues its journey, it clearly recognises the need to advance and progress its training and this change to offer Remotely Enhanced courses is a major step in moving forward.
Saving lives and improving patient outcomes
Case study
Sarah Harley, winner of the Mike Davis Bursary Award – Generic Instructor Course (GIC) Sarah Harley, winner of the Mike Davis Bursary Award – Generic Instructor Course (GIC)
“I really enjoyed oing the GIC course and would recom“I really enjoye d doing the GIC course and would reco m end it to anyone thinking about developing their teaching skills. mend it to anyone thinking about developing their teaching I was initially very nervous bskills. I was initially very n e cause I had nrvous becaus e I had ver do ne ver done any formal teaching before but any formal teaching before but the facul t he faculty were very y were very reassuring. reassuring. I quickly settled into the pattern of teaching and found that I was able to remember what I had learnt. It was great to be able to practice teaching in a safe and secure environment. “I quickly settled into the pattern of teaching and found that I was able to remember what I had learnt. It was
great to be able to practice teaching in a safe and secure environment. It was a good opportunity to get to know health professionals from other areas and specialities and we were able to share our experiences of teaching and practices along the way. “It was a good opportunity to get to know health professionals from other areas and specialities and we were able
to share our experiences of teaching and practices along the way. I have found scenario based learning to be the most helpful teaching method to develop my own confidence for facing emergency situatio“I have found sce n s and ario b as ed learning to be the most h a result wanted to be involv e lpful teaching method to develop my own confidence for d in facilitating and encouraging others in this and that’s why I undertook the GIC course. facing emergency situations and as a result wanted to be involved in facilitating and encouraging others in this and that’s why I undertook the GIC course. In day to day clinical practice there is often limited time available for education so I considered the GIC as a way of me making ducation a priority “In day to day clinical practice there is often limited tim e available for education so I considered the GIC as a way by setting s de time specifically focused to do th s. I have already been able of me m a k i ng education a priority by setting as i de time specifically focused to do this. I have already been able to to apply some of the teaching methods I learnt and I’m confident to apply some of the teaching methods I learnt and I’m confident to undertake other opportunities to teach in the undertake other opportunities to teach in the future.” future.”
l i f h ik i d G i C (G C) Sarah Harley Nurse at Nottingham
The GIC is a half-day remotely enhanced experience and one day face-to-face. In the remote session the educator leads the adult learning plenary, incorporating breakout rooms for unfacilitated discussions amongst the candidates whilst modelling and creating effective use of the online space for teaching and learning.
During the remotely enhanced element of the course, the candidates then practise their presentation in small groups with an instructor supporting and assessing them. We focus not only on general presentation skills, but on the specific, and sometimes more subtle skills needed for remote teaching.
This is then followed by a face-to-face session for a day and candidates stay within the same space with two instructors. Due to being together for only one day, we have reduced the number of practices but increased the length of each practice.
Each candidate is expected to practise one element a second time and demonstrate knowledge and respond to the feedback. We have introduced an educator plenary where candidates are asked to reflect on and verbalise their learning.
Saving lives and improving patient outcomes
As an organisation, ALSG believes it is important to hold conferences in order to not only allow for networking opportunities but to update delegates on information, procedures and the latest developments arising within the clinical and care pathways. The ALSG conference is our way of thanking our instructors by supporting them to improve their teaching and provide relevant CPD. However, due to the pandemic we made the decision not to hold or attend conferences in 2020.
We are resuming our conferences and we kick off with an online Triage conference later on in 2021. We are hoping further conferences and events will take place either in a physical format or online in 2022.
ALSG firmly believes in collaborating with partners who share the same vision and we continue to work closely with the RCPCH, which it has done for a number of years. Collaborations with the Royal Colleges and the special interest groups are an important part of the course development process, to ensure our training meets the curriculum needs of their members as well as ensuring best practice and current guidelines are implemented.
ALSG continues to work with the Resuscitation Council UK (RCUK) in the delivery of our Generic Instructor Course (GIC) across the UK, not only in the Remotely Enhanced development, but in also moving the administration online with the e-progress logs.
Our strategic partnership with Maternal & Childhealth Advocacy International (MCAI) continued with funding being provided for their important support to Developing Nations during the pandemic and in the Strengthening Emergency Care programme more generally.
The Division of Medical Education, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health at Manchester University continued to provide support to ensure that our courses have impact on outcomes, although due to the pandemic no active development of this work was possible during 2020.
Saving lives and improving patient outcomes
Quality and improvement in 2020
Development of the organisation
Now in its 30[th] year, ALSG continues to evolve and grow as an organisation. It has become increasingly difficult for our volunteers and candidates to access their study leave, added to a pandemic, 2020 presented a whole other challenge. As such, ALSG has been working to minimise the necessary requirement to physically attend a training course and has created three Remotely Enhanced courses during 2020.
The courses and their delivery have been exceptionally well received by candidates and instructors whilst losing nothing of the quality or content of the training packages and keeping education very much at the heart of the learning. ALSG is devising further Remotely Enhanced courses, building on our experience from this year’s developments and successful roll-outs.
ALSG has also moved to a paperless courses system which means paper is not being moved between instructors or candidates and therefore helping to reduce transmission of the COVID-19 virus, along with reducing the environmental impact of producing paper-based progress logs and in-course assessment tracking. The paperless system is available to all centres running ALSG courses.
Feedback from instructors and candidates is reviewed on a regular basis, to ensure the training packages are relevant and current, as well as being fit for purpose. Candidates have told us how much better prepared they feel when coming to the face-to-face day, which embeds their learning more deeply.
Faculty feedback from an APLS instructor:
ALSG have continued to put the needs of the patients and candidates first resulting in a course [APLS] that continues to deliver first rate education. I felt that the COVID measures in place were innovative and comprehensive which meant they had minimal impact on our ability to focus on teaching.
Development of research
Our commitment to research has been curtailed due to the pandemic however, in 2019 ALSG awarded the Martin Samuels’ Bursary to Dr Joe Langton who is based in Malawi. Her submission was chosen as it is trying to understand misperceptions about resuscitation in babies by young mothers and explains how it can save lives, as well as recruiting and educating other clinicians to ensure it advances knowledge and mitigates any concerns among young mums. Dr Langton’s work has continued during 2020.
Saving lives and improving patient outcomes
Development of people
2020 has been a steep learning curve for our people as we have had to quickly adapt to new technologies and teaching methods. In order to craft and adapt our courses to be delivered Remotely Enhanced, our people have undertaken detailed training to incorporate the new delivery methods and support our volunteers in their learning.
Our volunteers have also been through a learning curve as the new remotely enhanced courses are delivered in a totally new way and as such, teaching is delivered differently. To support this, the GIC has been enhanced with modules on how to teach online through presentations and managing small group discussions. A group of ‘super moderators’ have been put together to support other course coordinators in running this new method for the first time creating an environment of support.
Our succession planning continues as we see senior members of the team retire. In 2020 we said a fond and grateful farewell to Jenny Antrobus, who was with ALSG for 28 years. Despite COVID we joined together virtually to celebrate Jenny’s tireless commitment to the organisation and wish her well in her retirement.
As we prepare for our CEO to retire in 2021, succession planning has been underway and following a rigorous process, Sinead Kay has been appointed the interim CEO from January 2022.
Development of technology
A new system has been introduced called Zendesk. This online communications platform allows us to improve our service to candidates, centres and instructors by responding more quickly to queries. By proactively monitoring these, it can inform adaptations to our systems and enable us to update FAQs. These constantly reviewed and improved FAQs can provide 24/7 support to our users, so that they can get help on a just-intime basis.
Like most organisations in 2020, ALSG has had to invest significant time, resources and funding in developing our technology infrastructure. This has not only seen Zoom and Teams playing a major part of our everyday function and the platforms for our remote course delivery, but in order to support this, we have moved to Cloud based systems rather than static servers giving ALSG greater capacity as it grows.
ALSG has successfully migrated onto SharePoint and as employees, we communicate mostly via MS Teams using Office 365, as well as engaging with the wider ALSG community on this platform. We host many online meetings for our volunteers on the Zoom platform, which allows us to communicate more easily with large numbers of people.
Saving lives and improving patient outcomes
Social and environmental impact 2020
ALSG has a social and environmental responsibility policy which is regularly reviewed to ensure as an organisation, we are undertaking and fulfilling all our commitments.
Forming part of this plan was to utilise digital and technology platforms more effectively, not just to minimise the face-to-face requirements of a course, but to reduce the environmental impact. As ALSG transforms and redevelops more courses to Remotely Enhanced training packages, it continues to reduce its carbon footprint.
With Remotely Enhanced courses, this too has radically reduced the use of paper and we continue to work towards an entirely paperless environment.
In previous years the Charity has delivered free life-saving training within our community which involved working with schools, colleges and other organisations to teach CPR however, due to the pandemic, this has had to cease during 2020 and currently there are no plans to reinstate this programme while restrictions are in place.
At ALSG we remain committed to delivering our social and environmental policy as well as scrutinising our operational functions and look to reduce our carbon footprint.
Saving lives and improving patient outcomes
Looking forward
PROTECT OUR VALUES AND ETHOS
SUSTAIN THE ORGANISATION
ENSURE A SAFE AND EFFECTIVE HANDOVER TO THE NEXT GENERATION
Future plans
Whilst 2020 has been a very different year than we envisaged, ALSG has made significant changes in its delivery and operational training packages whilst still working towards the conclusion of our five year strategic plan, running from 2017 – 2021, and fulfilling our vision, values and our objectives.
During the year and due to COVID-19, the Trustees and Senior Leadership Team decided to extend the five year strategic plan to the end of 2022 as it was felt there is enough longevity in the plan with adaptations to accommodate the COVID-19 world. It was also felt prudent to understand the post-COVID recovery plan before a new five-year strategic plan is formulated.
Therefore, our aims remain to consolidate and embed lean and effective systems and processes, to ensure efficiencies at every level. Our succession planning continues as we recognise the forthcoming retirement of our CEO and other members of the organisation.
Looking ahead, we will continue to develop by responding to the data we receive throughout the year, as well as continuing to review our grass-roots talent, taking opportunities to develop our people, identifying transferable skills in individuals and utilising these in other areas of the organisation.
Our Major Incident courses are next in line for development as we look to review how these are delivered and explore the Remotely Enhanced format. The Trustees and senior leaders acknowledge that being able to respond to changing work environments is a crucial element in our approach and therefore as ALSG continue to advance other courses to be Remotely Enhanced, our existing formats will continue to be supported and developed giving our candidates, centres and instructors a choice of format allowing them to choose the best type of training format to fulfil their individual needs.
Kevin Mackway-Jones, Chair of Trustees explains ALSG’s future plans further, saying:
In our discussion as Trustees with the senior leadership team, we were mindful of the five year plan coming to its conclusion in 2021 but with the pandemic, there were elements which we couldn’t fulfil or complete. Therefore it was decided to extend our strategy into the following year, as reviewing not only our aims, vision and objectives but also our specific goals, these were still applicable and relevant.
Saving lives and improving patient outcomes
The Charity has always recognised the need to progress, not simply in ensuring courses are up-to-date and current but in its method of delivery as more and more of everyone’s lives move online. That has meant that ALSG has had to adapt, something which has been planned for some time but with the advent of COVID-19, accelerated the roll-out of several courses having a large portion (or the entirety) of its teaching, available online.
Looking forward, naturally we are designing other courses so as to offer true flexibility and keep abreast of online demand as we recognise the time constraints on clinicians.
Conferences
ALSG is pleased to announce our first virtual online Manchester Triage Conference on 9[th] December 2021. We will have speakers on a range of subjects, not least how COVID-19 has impacted or changed how teaching is delivered, as well as supporting our volunteers in this new world of education. As a virtual experience, this will allow for greater participation from around the world.
COVID-19 impact
Clearly a world-wide pandemic has enormous implications for ALSG and as a charity, it has been a challenging and at times, a tough year in 2020. However, with the endless support of our Trustees and our incredible volunteers who tirelessly work with us, along with our dedicated staff, we have succeeded, we have progressed and have taken a significant step-change in the delivery of our training.
On many occasions we have had to move candidates to a different course date, as Government restrictions and policies came into effect, but ALSG has navigated successfully through 2020 and has implemented a new refund/ carry-over policy, ensuring no-one was left out of pocket or without their essential training.
COVID-19 had a significant and negative impact on our expected activity and, therefore, income for the year. However, an early decision to furlough the majority of the staff team, the support from government grants and the opportunities to continue some training with the Remotely Enhanced model, helped us to mitigate some of the impact. We are expecting a similar picture in 2021, however, as more and more of the nation is vaccinated, ALSG is hopeful to successfully move forward in 2021/2022 and post-COVID.
Many of our courses have supported the emergency response and the lessons learned during COVID will, where necessary, be integrated into our courses moving forward.
In the following pages, our financial statement is laid out in full:
Saving lives and improving patient outcomes
Financial summary
Financial review
During the year the Charity’s total income was £1,346,918 (2019 £2,002,646), and the overall performance recorded a deficit of -£151,193 (2019 surplus £116,113), resulting in a similar decrease in reserves. Support costs, expended as a percentage of income, increased slightly during the year to 9.00% (2019: 6.17%).
Principal funding sources
There are three main sources of funding that all support training course provision, training course development and feedback and quality assurance activities:
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Course fee income from candidates attending courses in the Manchester training centre.
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Certification and on-line course fee income from courses running elsewhere for ALSG courses.
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Royalties donated from the sale of published materials.
Principal risks and risk management
The trustees and senior management team have conducted a review of the major risks to which the charity is exposed. The principal risks are NHS funding and the impact on training budgets and instructor availability. A risk management policy and system has been prepared, which details the steps that have been taken to mitigate the risks. In May 2020, the risks were reassessed as a result of COVID-19 and an additional risk added "Government or other agencies put restrictions or requirements (e.g. with the NHS) in place that stop us (and others) delivering face-to-face training". We identified the potential impact and planned and implemented steps to mitigate the risk. This remains a 'red' risk which means that it is under regular review by Trustees and the SLT.
Investment policy
Currently, ALSG is working towards succession planning for key roles, a potential building purchase and managing the uncertainty around COVID-19 and this is restricting funds available for investment. Therefore, ALSG only invests in cash deposits in the bank to maintain an amount in the current account sufficient to cover immediate needs. ALSG has a cash and investment policy and this governs investment processes and decision-making.
Reserves policy
The Trustees reviewed the reserves policy to take into account the impact of COVID-19 and the prudent approach of having funds available to respond as the situation changes. They consider that the ideal level of reserves as at 31st December 2020 would be £343,678. This is to cover approximately 4 months' foreseeable fixed expenditure (including purchase of fixed assets). At this level, the Trustees feel that they would be able to continue the current activities of the charity in the event of a significant fall in take up of courses. As at 31st December 2020, the 'free reserves' i.e. funds not already invested in fixed assets, amount to £539,396 which exceed the required level by £195,718. The Trustees are taking a cautious approach to the purchase of a new building in view of the extended recovery period from the impact of COVID. The excess reserves are being held for that purpose but may be required for recovery from the pandemic.
Saving lives and improving patient outcomes
Reference and administration details
| Charity name and registered numbers | Principal and registered office |
|---|---|
| Advanced Life Support Group | Advanced Life Support Group |
| Company No. 4580873 | 29-31 Ellesmere Street, |
| Charity No. 1095478 | Swinton, Manchester M27 0LA |
Trustees/Directors
| Trustees/Directors | |
|---|---|
| Dr Alan Charters | Prof Kevin Mackway-Jones |
| Ms KathyDoyle | Dr Barbara Phillips |
| Mr Peter Driscoll | Dr Martin Samuels |
| Dr Peter-Marc Fortune | Dr Chris Vallis |
| Mr Kim Hinshaw |
Senior Leadership Team
| Senior Leadership Team | |
|---|---|
| Secretaryand Chief Executive Officer | Mrs Susan Wieteska |
| Director of Operations | Mrs Clare Duffy |
| Director of Education | Dr Kate Denning |
| Director of Development | Mrs Sinead Kay (appointed 01/01/2020) |
| Director of Finance | Mrs Rachel Cohen |
| Director of Implementation | Mrs Jennifer Antrobus(retired 31/05/2020) |
Professional Advisors
External Auditor Bankers Beever and Struthers Royal Bank of Scotland PLC St George’s House Drummond House 215/219 Chester Road 1 Redheughs Avenue Manchester M15 4JE Edinburgh EH12 9YH
Saving lives and improving patient outcomes
Report of the trustees
Structure, governance and management
The charity is controlled by its governing document, its memorandum and articles of association, and constitutes a company, incorporated on the 4[th] November 2002, limited by guarantee, as defined by the Companies Act 2006. In the event of the company being wound up members are required to contribute an amount not exceeding £10. The company was registered as a charity on 20th January 2003.
Our Trustee Committee meets four times each year. They are responsible for the strategic direction and policy of the charity. At present there are nine members, eight from clinical backgrounds and one lay member, each bringing a vast range of knowledge. The CEO supported by the Senior Leadership Team has day-to-day responsibility for the charity activities via a scheme of delegation. ALSG has 35 full and part-time employees based in the Manchester offices. Volunteers contribute significantly to the charity; in some instances as expert working group members developing and quality assuring the courses and in others as instructors teaching on courses. The network of around 6,000 volunteers internationally are at the heart of what we do and work alongside us to achieve our aim of saving lives by providing training.
Recruitment and appointment of trustee committee
Under the requirements of the Memorandum and Articles of Association the members of the Trustee Committee are elected to serve for a period of three years after which they must be re-elected at the next Annual General Meeting. A Trustee board review was discussed in 2016 and is ongoing for 2020. This review has identified a requirement to recruit a number of new Trustees, and a bespoke recruitment strategy will be developed to allow the charity to appoint the most appropriate Trustees.
Trustee induction and training
All existing trustees are already familiar with the work of the charity through continued involvement in course development, course teaching and research.
New trustees are encouraged to attend induction training to familiarise themselves with the charity and the context within which it operates. These are led by the Chief Executive of the charity and cover:
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The obligations of the Trustee Committee
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The main documents which set out the operational framework for the charity
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The current 5 year strategic plan and annual detailed business plan
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The latest published accounts
In addition, in January 2019 a course on the ‘Duties of a Trustee’ was run by the Directory of Social Change for the Senior Management Team which a number of Trustees attended.
Saving lives and improving patient outcomes
Pay and remuneration of charity’s key leadership personnel
The Trustee Committee chaired by the Chair of Trustees reviews and agrees the pay and remuneration of all staff each year including the Senior Leadership Team (SLT). The ratio of senior pay to lowest pay is 1:5 overall and 1:4 for office-based staff. The approach is:
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In year five of a strategic plan, a full benchmarking exercise is completed as part of the strategic plan preparation. This then sets the benchmark for the next five years. Also at this point scenario-planning is undertaken to review the conditions within which we pay different percentage rises each year.
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In other years, a percentage pay increase will be considered at the April Trustee meeting based on performance, general market conditions and the scenario planning (see above).
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All members of staff undertaking the same role will have the same benchmarked pay.
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New roles will be benchmarked using the report from the year five benchmarking exercise.
The benchmarking in year 5 is completed by the SLT using the XpertHR Voluntary Sector survey.
Trustees' responsibilities for the year ended 31st December 2020
The trustees (who are also the directors of Advanced Life Support Group (ALSG) for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Report of the Trustees (incorporating Directors’ Report) and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice), including Financial Reporting Standard 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland".
Preparation of financial statements
Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charity for that period. In preparing those financial statements, the trustees are required to:
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select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
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observe the methods and principles in the Charity SORP;
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make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
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prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in business.
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Accounting records
The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. In so far as the trustees are aware:
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There is no relevant audit information of which the charity’s auditors are unaware; and
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The trustees have taken all steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the auditors are aware of that information.
The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charity’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom covering the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.
Related parties
There have been no related party transactions in the reporting period that require disclosure.
Auditors
The auditors, Beever and Struthers will be proposed for reappointment at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting.
This report has been prepared in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.
Approved by order of the Board of Trustees on 1[st] July 2021 and signed on behalf by:
Kevin Mackway-Jones, Chair of Trustees
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Independent auditor’s report to the members of Advanced Life Support Group
Opinion
We have audited the financial statements of Advanced Life Support Group (the “charitable company”) for the year ended 31 December 2020 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities (incorporating an income and expenditure account), the Balance Sheet, the Cash Flow Statement and the notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies in note 2. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including FRS 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland” (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
In our opinion, the financial statements:
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give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company’s affairs as at 31 December 2020 and of its incoming resources and application of resources for the year then ended;
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have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and
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have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.
Basis for opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charitable company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
Conclusions relating to going concern
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.
Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.
Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.
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Other information
The other information comprises the information included in the annual report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the other information. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.
In connection with our audit of the financial statements our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether there is a material misstatement in the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact. We have nothing to report in this regard.
Opinions on other matters prescribed by the companies act 2006
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:
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the information given in the trustees’ report which includes the directors’ report prepared for the purposes of company law, for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and
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the directors’ report included within the trustees’ report has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.
Matters on which we are required to report by
exception
In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the charitable company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the directors’ report included within the trustees’ report.
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:
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adequate accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or
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the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
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certain disclosures of trustees’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or
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we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or
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the trustees were not entitled to prepare the financial statements in accordance with the small companies’ regime and take advantage of the small companies exemptions in preparing the trustees’ report and from the requirement to prepare a strategic report.
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Responsibilities of directors
As explained more fully in the Trustees’ Responsibilities Statement for the financial statements set out on pages 18-19, the trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.
Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
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 specific procedures for this engagement and the extent to which these are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud are detailed below:
Extent to which the audit was considered capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud
Our approach to identifying and assessing the risks of material misstatement in respect of irregularities, including fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations, was as follows:
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the engagement partner ensured that the engagement team collectively had the appropriate competence, capabilities and skills to identify or recognise non-compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
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we identified the laws and regulations applicable to the charitable company through discussions with trustees and other management, and from our knowledge and experience of the charity sector.
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we focused on specific laws and regulations which we considered may have a direct material effect on the financial statements or the operations of the charitable company, including the Companies Act 2006, the Charities Act 2011, taxation legislation, data protection, anti-bribery, employment, environmental and health and safety legislation.
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we assessed the extent of compliance with the laws and regulations identified above through making enquiries of management and inspecting legal correspondence.
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- identified laws and regulations were communicated within the audit team regularly and the team remained alert to instances of non-compliance throughout the audit.
We assessed the susceptibility of the charitable company’s financial statements to material misstatement, including obtaining an understanding of how fraud might occur, by:
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making enquiries of management as to where they considered there was susceptibility to fraud, their knowledge of actual, suspected and alleged fraud.
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considering the internal controls in place to mitigate risks of fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations.
To address the risk of fraud through management bias and override of controls, we:
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performed analytical procedures on income and salaries to identify any unusual or unexpected relationships.
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tested journal entries to identify unusual transactions.
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assessed whether judgements and assumptions made in determining the accounting estimates set out in note 2 were indicative of potential bias.
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investigated the rationale behind significant or unusual transactions.
There are inherent limitations in our audit procedures described above. The more removed that laws and regulations are from financial transactions, the less likely it is that we would become aware of non-compliance. Auditing standards also limit the audit procedures required to identify non-compliance with laws and regulations to enquiry of the trustees and other management and the inspection of regulatory and legal correspondence, if any.
Material misstatements that arise due to fraud can be harder to detect than those that arise from error as they may involve deliberate concealment or collusion.
A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s web-site at www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.
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 undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company’s members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company’s members as a body for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
15 July 2021 Sue Hutchinson FCCA (Senior Statutory Auditor) Dated For and on behalf of BEEVER AND STRUTHERS Statutory Auditor St George’s House, 215/219 Chester Road, Manchester M15 4JE
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ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT GROUP
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES (INCORPORATING AN INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[st] December 2020
| Notes INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM Donations and legacies 3 Charitable activities 6 Run, develop and quality assure courses Investment 4 Other 5 Total income and endowments EXPENDITURE ON Charitable activities 7 Run, develop and quality assure courses Total expenditure NET (EXPENDITURE)/INCOME RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS Total funds brought forward TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD |
31.12.20 Unrestricted Total Funds £ - 1,133,033 2,969 210,916 1,346,918 1,498,111 1,498,111 (151,193) 1,101,046 949,853 |
31.12.19 Unrestricted Total Funds £ 10 1,991,879 3,432 7,325 |
|---|---|---|
| 2,002,646 1,886,533 |
||
| 1,886,533 116,113 984,933 |
||
| 1,101,046 |
CONTINUING OPERATIONS
All income and expenditure has arisen from continuing activities
The notes on pages 27 to 39 form part of these financial statements
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ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT GROUP
BALANCE SHEET
AS AT 31[st] December 2020
| Notes FIXED ASSETS Tangible assets 14 CURRENT ASSETS Stocks 15 Debtors 16 Cash at bank and in hand CREDITORS Amounts falling due within one year 17 NET CURRENT ASSETS TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES NET ASSETS FUNDS OF THE CHARITY 20 Unrestricted funds TOTAL CHARITY FUNDS |
31.12.20 Unrestricted Total Funds £ 410,457 7,433 130,744 872,872 1,011,049 (471,653) 539,396 949,853 949,853 949,853 949,853 |
31.12.19 Unrestricted Total Funds £ 410,903 11,264 344,696 796,502 |
|---|---|---|
| 1,152,462 (462,319) |
||
| 690,143 1,101,046 |
||
| 1,101,046 | ||
| 1,101,046 | ||
| 1,101,046 |
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies and with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019).
The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees and authorised for issue on 1[st] July 2021 and were signed on its behalf by:
Kevin Mackway-Jones – Chair of Trustees Company number 04580873
The notes on pages 27 to 39 form part of these financial statements
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ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT GROUP
CASH FLOW STATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[st] December 2020
| Notes Cash flow from operating activities: Cash generated from operations 23 Net cash provided by operating activities Cash flows from investing activities: Proceeds on sale of fixed assets Purchase of tangible fixed assets Interest received Net cash used in investing activities Change in cash and cash equivalents in the reporting period Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the reporting period Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the reporting period |
31.12.20 £ 78,319 78,319 - (4,918) 2,969 (1,949) 76,370 796,502 872,872 |
31.12.19 £ 133,123 |
|---|---|---|
| 133,123 | ||
| 31 (7,286) 3,432 |
||
| (3,823) | ||
| 129,300 667,202 |
||
| 796,502 |
The notes on pages 27 to 39 form part of these financial statements
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ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT GROUP
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[st] December 2020
Advanced Life Support Group is a private charitable company limited by guarantee, which was incorporated in England. In the event of the charity being wound up, members are required to contribute an amount not exceeding £10. The registered office is:-
29-31 Ellesmere Street
Swinton Manchester M27 0LA
Basis of preparing the financial statements
The financial statements of the charity, which is a public benefit entity under FRS 102, have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) 'Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019)', Financial Reporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland' and the Companies Act 2006. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, as modified by the revaluation of certain assets.
The financial statements are presented in sterling and rounded to the nearest pound.
Preparation of the accounts on a going concern basis
The Trustees have prepared the accounts on a going concern basis, as although there are uncertainties in and around COVID-19 and the impact on the Charity, they believe that they are mitigating the risks as far as possible and have adequate reserves and funds to deal with fluctuations in income due to further regional and national lockdowns.
Key estimates and judgements
Income
All income is recognised once the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the items(s) of income have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably. The following specific policies apply to categories of income:-
Income from grants, whether "capital" or "revenue" grants, is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the grants have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably and is not deferred.
Training Course Fees are included on a receivable basis. Course fees from some courses are invoiced in advance and, therefore, deferred and included in income in the relevant financial year when the course is held.
Royalties are included in income when notification of entitlement is received from the publisher. The Royalties received are shown net of amounts payable to overseas partners, which are due as a contribution for translating the publications.
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ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT GROUP
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[st] December 2020 - continued
Venue Hire is included in other income when an invoice is raised following the use of the venue. Investment income relates to interest received from bank deposits and is included in income when receivable.
Expenditure
Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to that expenditure, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis, inclusive of VAT which cannot be recovered, and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to the category.
Charitable activities
This includes costs of the charity incurred in the delivery of its activities and services.
Governance costs
The costs include external audit, legal advice for trustees and costs associated with constitutional and statutory requirements including the cost of trustee meetings and preparing statutory accounts. They also include the costs associated with the strategic management of the charity including employee attendance at meetings and administrative support to the trustees.
Allocation and apportionment of costs
Support costs are those functions that assist the work of the charity but do not directly undertake charitable activities. Support costs include finance, IT, HR, Health & Safety and Building, Marketing and governance costs which support the Charity’s activities. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to support costs on a basis consistent with the use of resources (i.e. staff time spent, floor space etc).
Tangible fixed assets
Assets costing £100 or more, and with an expected useful life of more than one year, are capitalised at cost.
Depreciation is provided at the following annual rates in order to write off the cost less estimated residual value of each asset over its estimated useful life.
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Long leasehold property - over 50 years straight line
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Course equipment - over 3 years straight line
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Office equipment - over 5 years straight line
-
Computer Equipment - over 3 years straight line
The Trustees have reviewed the residual value of the leasehold property as at 31 December 2020 and have the view that it is at least the “deemed cost” of £400,000, and therefore the depreciable amount is zero. In accordance with the Companies Act 2006 all tangible assets are to be depreciated. The Trustees do regular impairment reviews.
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ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT GROUP
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[st] December 2020 - continued
Stocks
Stocks are valued at the lower of cost or net realisable value, after making due allowance for obsolete items. Cost is determined using the First In, First Out (FIFO) methodology.
Taxation
The charity is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities.
Fund accounting
Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees.
Hire purchase and leasing commitments
Rentals paid under operating leases are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities on a straight line basis over the period of the lease.
Pension costs
The charity contributes to a group Personal Pension Plan, which is a defined contribution scheme, operated by Foster De Novo for all eligible employees. Contributions to the scheme are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities as and when they become payable.
Donated services
The Trustees have reviewed the guidance in Charities SORP (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019) in relation to volunteers. The guidance states that donated services must be recognised as income when the following criteria are met: there is entitlement to the donation, it is probable that the economic benefits from the donation will flow to the charity, and the measurement of the donation can be measured reliably.
The trustees have agreed that although the first two criteria are met, the fair value or value to the charity could not be measured reliably: that the cost to the charity of producing a value would be prohibitive and that the users of the accounts would not benefit by a better understanding if the valuation was included.
Debtors
Debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due.
Prepayments
Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid.
Cash
Cash comprises bank deposits. For some accounts a notice period is required for funds withdrawn.
Creditors
Creditors are recognised where the charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably.
Financial instruments
The charity only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value.
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ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT GROUP
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[st ] December 2020 - continued
| 31.12.20 | 31.12.19 | |
|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |
| Donations | - | 10 |
ALSG is indebted to the dedicated volunteers who engage as expert working group members and guide the development and quality assurance of the courses. The charity also acknowledges the significant amount of time, which is donated by thousands of volunteer instructors throughout the UK and overseas when teaching on courses. It is impossible to reflect the financial value of this in the accounts, but it is important to acknowledge that they are at the core of what we do and we could not exist without them.
| 31.12.20 £ Deposit account interest 2,969 31.12.20 £ Venue hire 200 Government grants received 210,716 210,916 31.12.20 Activity £ Course fees and course materials Run, develop & quality assure courses 979,934 Royalties Run, develop & quality assure courses 153,099 1,133,033 |
31.12.19 £ 3,432 31.12.19 £ 7,325 - 7,325 31.12.19 £ 1,777,308 214,571 |
|
|---|---|---|
| 1,991,879 |
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ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT GROUP
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[st] December 2020 - continued
| Run, develop & quality assure courses | Direct costs (see note 8) £ 1,376,833 |
Support costs (see note 9) £ 121,278 |
Totals £ 1,498,111 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Staff costs Other operating leases Rates and water Insurance Light and heat Telephone Postage and stationery Bad debts Course related costs including materials CAI CD costs Marketing and professional fees Grant expenditure Professional IT costs and support Repairs and renewals Staff training, travel and expenses Depreciation Profit on sale of fixed assets Interest payable and similar charges |
31.12.20 £ 895,274 5,974 6,847 8,477 8,579 2,090 8,198 12,186 288,684 43,832 32,296 5,000 31,458 13,496 2,182 4,918 - 7,342 1,376,833 |
31.12.19 £ 980,719 11,484 6,688 7,979 10,320 2,543 18,488 7,081 537,149 89,049 23,911 - 27,815 11,125 12,410 5,147 (31) 11,048 |
|---|---|---|
| 1,762,925 |
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ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT GROUP
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[st] December 2020 - continued
| Finance Information technology HR, Health & Safety & Building Marketing Governance costs |
31.12.20 £ 10,898 10,898 10,898 21,796 66,788 121,278 |
31.12.19 £ 9,881 12,678 9,881 21,166 70,002 |
|---|---|---|
| 123,608 |
Where costs cannot be directly attributed to each support cost they have been apportioned, based on staff time spent and floor space used, as appropriate.
10. NET (EXPENDITURE)/INCOME
| 31.12.20 | 31.12.19 | |
|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |
| Depreciation - owned assets | 5,122 | 5,337 |
| Other operating leases | 5,127 | 4,517 |
11. TRUSTEES' REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS
None of the Trustees received remuneration or other benefits for the year ended 31 December 2020, nor for the year ended 31 December 2019.
Trustees' expenses
During the year no Trustees were reimbursed travelling expenses for attendance at Trustee meetings and this totalled £nil (2019, four Trustees were reimbursed £512).
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ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT GROUP
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[st] December 2020 - continued
| 31.12.20 | 31.12.19 | |
|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |
| Wages and salaries (including child care costs) | 813,984 | 892,920 |
| Redundancy costs | 8,941 | - |
| Social security costs | 73,112 | 79,137 |
| Other pension costs | 98,711 | 111,850 |
| 994,748 | 1,083,907 | |
| Allocated to: | ||
| 31.12.20 | 31.12.19 | |
| £ | £ | |
| Charitable activities | 895,274 | 980,666 |
| Governance | 49,737 | 53,770 |
| Support | 49,737 | 49,471 |
| Wages and salaries have been reduced by way of salary sacrifices as requested by a number of employees | ||
| and alternative payment made as follows: | ||
| Childcare costs | 743 | 6,005 |
| Additional pension contribution | 35,149 | 43,340 |
| The average number of total employees (headcount) during the year was as follows: | ||
| 31.12.20 | 31.12.19 | |
| Charitable Activities | 31 | 31 |
| Governance | 2 | 2 |
| Support | 2 | 1 |
| 35 | 34 |
The full time equivalent number of employees was 28 (2019 - 27).
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ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT GROUP
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[st] December 2020 - continued
The number of employees whose employee benefits (excluding employer pension costs) exceeded £60,000
| £70,000 - £79,999 £80,000 - £89,999 |
31.12.20 1 1 2 |
31.12.19 1 1 |
|---|---|---|
| 2 |
Key management personnel of the charity comprise the Trustees and Senior Leadership Team. Total key management personnel remuneration was £328,491 (2019 £263,310).
The higher paid member of staff also received pension contributions of £26,294 of which £13,420 is from salary sacrifice.
The audit fees (excluding VAT) charged during the year were £10,000 (2019 - £9,250).
Fees charged (excluding VAT) for other services during the year were £250 (2019 - £250).
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ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT GROUP
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[st] December 2020 - continued
| COST At 1 January 2020 Additions Disposals At 31 December 2020 DEPRECIATION At 1 January 2020 Charge for year Estimated on disposal At 31 December 2020 NET BOOK VALUE At 31 December 2020 At 31 December 2019 |
Leasehold Land and Buildings £ 400,000 - - 400,000 - - - - 400,000 400,000 |
Course Equipment £ 124,225 - - 124,225 118,479 2,518 - 120,997 3,228 5,746 |
Office Equipment £ 38,172 174 (255) 38,091 34,721 1,161 (13) 35,869 2,222 3,451 |
Computer Equipment £ 69,874 4,744 - 74,618 68,168 1,443 - 69,611 5,007 1,706 |
Totals £ 632,271 4,918 (255) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 636,934 | |||||
| 221,368 5,122 (13) |
|||||
| 226,477 | |||||
| 410,457 | |||||
| 410,903 |
The Original cost of the Leasehold land and buildings was £572,112. The Leasehold Property was valued at £400,000 on an open market basis in August 2012 by Robert Pinkus & Co, Chartered Surveyors, and at that stage the property was revalued downward to £400,000, and the impairment went to the SOFA. On transition to FRS102 this value was adopted by the Trustees as the “deemed cost”.
| 31.12.20 | 31.12.19 | |
|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |
| Stock of course materials | 7,433 | 11,264 |
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ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT GROUP
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[st] December 2020 - continued
| Trade debtors Prepayments and accrued income Trade creditors Accruals and deferred income Taxation and social security Other creditors |
31.12.20 £ 26,283 104,461 130,744 31.12.20 £ 37,723 406,338 19,470 8,122 471,653 |
31.12.19 £ 47,758 296,938 |
|---|---|---|
| 344,696 | ||
| 31.12.19 £ 51,379 380,807 20,877 9,256 |
||
| 462,319 |
Deferred income comprises course fees invoiced in advance and special project fees received in advance
| Balance as at 1 January 2020 Amount released to Income from Charitable activities Amount deferred in year Balance as at 31 December 2020 |
£ 269,841 (250,358) 287,530 |
|---|---|
| 307,013 |
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ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT GROUP
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[st] December 2020 - continued
Operating lease commitments
At 31st December 2020 the charity had total future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases as set out below:
| 31.12.20 | 31.12.19 | |
|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |
| Not later than one year | 3,385 | 3,206 |
| At 1.1.2020 £ Unrestricted funds General fund 1,101,046 TOTAL FUNDS 1,101,046 Net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows: Incoming resources £ Unrestricted funds General fund 1,346,918 TOTAL FUNDS 1,346,918 |
Net movement in funds £ (151,193) (151,193) Resources expended £ 1,498,111 1,498,111 |
At 31.12.2020 £ 949,853 |
|---|---|---|
| 949,853 | ||
| Movement in funds £ (151,193) |
||
| (151,193) |
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ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT GROUP
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[st] December 2020 - continued
The group Personal Pension Plan is a defined contribution scheme, and is open to all employees. Employee contributions are not compulsory. The employer contribution is either 7% or 7.5%. Some employees have accepted a salary sacrifice in exchange for additional pension contribution.
The pension cost to the charity for the year was £98,711 including Term Assurance of £3,572 (2019 £111,850 including Term Assurance of £4,689).
At the year-end there were outstanding contributions payable to the scheme of £8,022 (2019 £9,599).
There were no related party transactions for the year ended 31 December 2020.
| Net (expenditure)/income for the reporting period (as per the statement of financial activities) Adjustments for: Depreciation charges Interest received Loss/(profit) on sale of fixed assets Decrease/(increase) in stocks Decrease/(increase) in debtors Increase in creditors Net cash provided by operating activities |
31.12.20 £ (151,193) 5,122 (2,969) 242 3,831 213,952 9,334 78,319 |
31.12.19 £ 116,113 5,337 (3,432) (31) (6,337) (112,652) 134,125 |
|---|---|---|
| 133,123 |
Saving lives and improving patient outcomes
ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT GROUP
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[st] December 2020 - continued
| Cash Cash equivalents TOTAL |
At start of year £ 537,420 259,082 796,502 |
Cashflows £ 74,943 1,427 76,370 |
At year end 612,363 260,509 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 872,872 |
Saving lives and improving patient outcomes