2024-12-31-accounts - Somerset Unit For Radiotherapy Equipment

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

Somerset Unit for Radiotherapy Equipment.

Charity Registration No. 1102299. surecharity.org.uk 44 Calder Crescent, Taunton, Somerset, TA1 2NH

ANNUAL REPORT & FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

YEAR ENDED 31[ST] DECEMBER 2024

Sections

Charity Information
Report of the Executive Committee
Internal Financial Controls policy
Financial Reserves policy
Report of the Independant Examiner

9[th] June 2025

SURE Annual Report 2024 final 1 of 15

Section 1. S.U.R.E. CHARITY INFORMATION For Year Ending 31st December 2024

TRUSTEES

Paul Alway Roy Hole Vanessa Marchmont Barrie Palmer

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE P W Alway (Chair) B Palmer (Founder) V.H.R.Hole (Vice Chair & Hon.Financial Director) V Marchmont. (Secretary) C Summerfield (Treasurer) G Wills (Fundraiser) REGISTERED OFFICE 44 Calder Crescent Taunton, Somerset, TA1 2NH BANKERS CAF Bank Ltd 25 Kings Hill Avenue Kings Hill, West Malling Kent, ME19 4JQ Lloyds/TSB 31 Fore St, Taunton, TA1 1HN Bath Building Society 15 Queen Square Bath BA1 2HN

Scottish Widows 67 Morrison Street Edinburgh, EH3 8YJ

Shawbrook Lutea House The Drive, Great Warley Brentwood, CM13 3BE

Skipton Building Society 1 Cheapside Taunton, TA1 3LG

INDEPENDANT EXAMINER

TaxAssist Accountants 24 Bridge Street Taunton TA1 1UB

9[th] June 2025

SURE Annual Report 2024 final

2 of 15

Section 2. Report of the Executive Committee

The members of the Executive Committee, including all Trustees, present their Annual Report, Financial Statement of the Charity, and Independant Examiners Report for the year ended 31[st] December 2024.

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT

S.U.R.E. is a fund raising charity and was founded in the year 2000. It became a Registered Charity in 2004 and the registered number is 1102299. S.U.R.E. is constituted under a model Declaration of Trust deed dated 6[th] February 2004, Registered 25[th] February 2004.

The charities Management Committee consists of the 4 current Trustees plus Treasurer and 1 volunteer fundraiser. New trustees are appointed by the existing trustees and serve for 3 years after which they can put themselves forward for reappointment. The Trust Deed, as amended by Supplementary Trust Deed at a Special Committee Meeting held on 5[th] September 2013, provides for at least 3 Trustees.

The Management Committee aim to meet at least 4 times a year, at which they review and agree the broad strategy for the charity and areas of activity for the coming months, including considering any significant funding applications exceeding £10,000. Smaller funding requests, under £10,000 are generally considered by email outside of the main Management Committee meetings and need approval by all members of the Management Committee to go ahead. The Management Committee also review monitoring of performance of approved projects, outstanding invoices, committed funds, overall current financial position and funds available for future projects. The Management Committee also meet 4 times a year with the Beacon Centre Radiotherapy Department management and finance team to review performance of current projects, outstanding invoices, review the Vision & Roadmap and to discuss potential future projects for SURE funding.

SURE is registered with the Fundraising Regulator (fundraisingregulator.org.uk) and follows its Code of Fundraising Practice.

PRINCIPAL ACTIVITY

The principal activity of the charity is to raise funds for radiotherapy equipment used in the treatment of cancer patients at the Beacon Centre, Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton (Somerset NHS Foundation Trust). Alongside this the charity considers funding requests for equipment associated with cancer diagnosis, treatment planning, treatment delivery and patient care which will benefit cancer patients across Somerset.

REVIEW OF THE YEAR

During 2024 SURE committed funding of £278,872 to the Radiotherapy Department at the Beacon Centre at Musgrove Park Hospital to further improve patient diagnosis, treatment and outcomes.

In 2024 SURE fundraisers and supporters continued to give their generous support to the charity. Supporters leaving SURE a Gift in their will as a legacy has become significant in recent years in enabling the charity to fund major innovations in radiotherapy treatment that would not have been possible without them, 2024 was no exception.

Total donations received in 2024 was £244,408 made up of: Donations £73,329 ; Legacies £130,147 ; Just Giving £11,344 ; Gift Aid £572 ; Interest Received £29,016; and Bank Adjustment £0.

2024 saw us able to continue the delivery of projects within the Radiotherapy Department as outlined in the current version of the SURE Vision 2020 and Beyond roadmap, including completion of the Surface Guided Radiotherapy Treatment (SGRT) project, and the rearrangement of several areas of the radiotherapy department to improve the facilities and environment for both patients and staff.

9[th] June 2025

SURE Annual Report 2024 final

3 of 15

S.U.R.E. has been able to pass to the Beacon Centre and Musgrove Park Hospital the sum of £278,872 in 2024 to fund the purchase of equipment and services in the year, whilst expenses have been kept to £1,006 for the year. General expenses included Liability Insurance, postage, licenses, professional fees and bank charges.

Total SURE expenditure was £279,878 resulting in net income for the year of -£35,470.

The projects funded by SURE in 2024 are as listed in the following pages of this section titled ‘SUREEquipment Provided during 2024', which also includes a look at the way ahead in 2025, to ensure the Beacon Centre is able to make best use of the advanced treatment capabilities to the benefit of patients.

The 2024 AGM and Annual Supporters meeting was held at the Beacon Centre in October 2024 when supporters were given a tour of all areas of the radiotherapy department to see where all their donations have been used to the benefit of patients, including Surface Guided Radiotherapy Treatment (SGRT) being demonstrated by the radiotherapy team.

The Annual Report is highlighted on the SURE website including the extract from the Annual Report detailing the Equipment Provided each year.

All SURE Committee and Trustees meetings were able to take place face to face, with Zoom available for those not able to attend. Meetings with the Beacon Centre management were also in person at the Beacon Centre, with Microsoft Teams available for those not able to make the meeting in person.

This whole report was compiled by Chair Paul Alway, with a major contribution from Treasurer Carole Summerfield.

– SURE Equipment Provided during 2024

During 2024 SURE committed funding of £ 278,872 to the Radiotherapy Department at the Beacon Centre at Musgrove Park Hospital to further improve patient diagnosis, treatment and outcomes.

Projects Funded by SURE in 2024:

SGRT Equipment - final invoice . In 2024 SURE funded the final invoice for the purchase and installation of the SGRT equipment across all 3 Linacs and the SURE provided CT Scanner/ Simulator at a cost to SURE of £65,060, bringing the total SURE funding of the SGRT equipment to £650,600.
SGRT year 2 Service & Maintenance . When SURE approved fully funding the SGRT project across the radiotherapy department we agreed to fund the cost of the service & maintenance contract for years 2 and 3. In 2024 SURE funded year2 at a cost of £52,415.
Elekta licences for SGRT project. Following on from the SURE funding approved for the purchase of the SGRT equipment the need to upgrade the hardware infrastructure was agreed with Elekta, the radiotherapy treatment machine (Linac) provider, however the upgrade required an additional licence for each of the 3 Linacs in order to interact and integrate clinically with SGRT. This was funded by SURE at a cost of £56,449
Air Conditioning & Heating System. As part of the space conversion project SURE approved funding for the introduction of air conditioning into the former radiotherapy planning room, an enclosed space without natural light or airflow. The works enabled the other building conversion works. At a cost to SURE of £15,712

9[th] June 2025

SURE Annual Report 2024 final

4 of 15

Radiotherapy space conversion project. In 2023 SURE approved funding for a feasibility study with the PFI provider into room alterations which would improve the radiotherapy department for staff and patients. This was the first time since opening in 2009 that the layout and operation of the radiotherapy department had been reviewed and with the increase in patient numbers the need for a better patient flow and use of space throughout the department had been identified. Following on from the feasibility study SURE approved funding for the main conversion project to improve the working environment, bring teams together for improved collaborative working, and benefits to patient flow in the department. SURE funded all the building works at a cost to SURE of £77,229
Radiotherapy space conversion flooring. The final element in the space conversion project required some of the flooring to be replaced, where walls and doors were being removed and relocated in the radiotherapy department. SURE funded this at a cost to SURE of £2,005
Contribution to Robotic Surgery operating table . The League of Friends Musgrove Park Hospital had purchased a robotic surgery unit for the hospital, however to take full advantage of its benefits a robotic surgery operating table was required. The League of Friends approached SURE to contribute towards the cost of the operating table. As the robot is used for many cancer related operations SURE approved a donation of £10,000 .

The Way Ahead for 2025

SURE is committed to ensuring cancer services at Musgrove Park Hospital, the Beacon Centre, and the Radiotherapy Department in particular, continues to offer high quality cancer care to internationally recognised standards, as SURE continues to provide equipment and support not otherwise available within the NHS budget that is assessed to be of real benefit to patients, including enabling participation in national cancer treatment trials, leading to more patients being able to be treated locally at the Beacon Centre.

In November 2020 the SURE management committee and Trustees agreed with the Radiotherapy management team a new Vision and Roadmap for the future development of advanced radiotherapy services over the next 5 years, outlining where SURE support and funding might best be used to the benefit of patients. The Vision & Roadmap is a living document setting out an agreed pathway for key areas of development and will continue to evolve as new projects move forward. A full strategic review of the Vision and Roadmap will be undertaken in 2025, looking ahead for the following 5 years, including the replacement programme for the 3 radiotherapy treatment machines (Linacs) due in 2029, the replacement of the SURE provided CT Scanner/Simulator in 2028, the potential benefit of introducing AI in radiotherapy planning, along with other smaller projects which would benefit patients and staff.

SURE has committed to funding SGRT service and maintenance costs for year 3 (due July 2025) with £60,000 held ring-fenced awaiting invoice.
Couch extensions for Linac treatment machines. In September 2024 SURE approved funding of £8,075 for the purchase of 2 couch extensions for 2 of the Linacs, expected to be delivered and invoiced in 2025.
Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy treatment (SABR) – In August 2024, following an extensive product evaluation process by the Radiotherapy Physics Department, SURE approved funding of £143,375 for the replacement of ArcCheck and MapCheck QA Equipment, expected to be delivered and invoiced to SURE in 2025.

9[th] June 2025

SURE Annual Report 2024 final

5 of 15

Whilst the delivery timescales of individual projects cannot be guaranteed, the overall Vision Roadmap remains our joint view of how SURE funding will continue to help deliver world class treatment for patients. The Vision Roadmap is continually under review at each joint SURE/SFT meeting, held 4 times a year, to ensure the proposed projects for the next 2-3 years will deliver the best outcomes for patients.

Section 3. Internal Financial Controls Policy

The charities trustees are responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. To that end the trustees have reviewed the internal financial controls policy which is set out below.

Management of the charities bank accounts

No payments are authorised for payment without an accompanying invoice or receipt.
Where the charity holds more than one account with the same bank, the Treasurer is authorised to move funds electronically between those accounts but cannot authorise payments out of the accounts in that way.
All payments made by the charity are made by cheque requiring two signatures, those of the Treasurer,the Vice Chair/Hon.Finance Director or Chair.
For all online donation activity, eg. Just Giving, the charity uses a bank account into which you can deposit funds but not make outgoing payments.
All payments and receipts are logged manually.
A receipt is issued for all cash donations received from donors by any member of the charities management committee.

Working with the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust.

All requests to SURE for consideration for funding must be accompanied by a paper outlining the needs and patient benefits together with final quotes for all equipment required.
All projects approved by the SURE Management Committee and Trustees are given a unique SURE project number when authorised and a ceiling funding amount which cannot be exceeded without seeking further authority from the SURE management committee.
Invoices are received electronically from the Trust. No invoice will be accepted for payment unless it includes the correct SURE project number.
Approved invoices are then paid within 5 working days.

Donations for SURE made at the Beacon Centre Musgrove Park Hospital

The agreed procedure for donations for SURE at the hospital is:

No donations can be left at the Beacon Centre reception
All donors are directed to the hospital's Main Office where the donation will be counted and a receipt issued to the donor.
All cash received is paid by the Trust into the nominated SURE bank account via BACS.
All cheques and accompanying letter or other information received along with any donations is held by the Main Office until collected by the SURE Treasurer, as soon as possible after being notified, within the next 7 days.
All donations received by the Main Office are recorded in a spreadsheet and passed to the charities Treasurer monthly.
A new poster at the Beacon Centre reception includes the charities registered phone number if the donor would prefer us to arrange collection from them.

9[th] June 2025

SURE Annual Report 2024 final

6 of 15

Section 4. Financial Reserves Policy

The S.U.R.E. Financial Reserves Policy is based upon a number of factors, and reviewed annually:

Forecast and historic annual income levels from fundraising activities, excluding legacy donations.
Historic underlying funding expenditures on equipment and services to maintain the treatment capabilities of the Radiotherapy Department at the Beacon Centre, Musgrove Park Hospital, excluding major funding undertakings such as replacing the S.U.R.E. funded CT Scanner/Simulator.
S.U.R.E. Does not commit to funding equipment unless the funds are readily available in S.U.R.E.'s bank accounts, the exception being for major undertakings such as replacing the S.U.R.E. CT Scanner where given the high cost an individual fundraising campaign is run.
The need to hold reserves against committed expenditure forecasts for future years, such as the ongoing maintenance of equipment funded by S.U.R.E. where a commitment has been made to fund multiple years maintenance costs, such as where S.U.R.E. committed to pay the first 3 years maintenance costs for the S.U.R.E. CT scanner.
S.U.R.E.'s Reserves Policy is to maintain reserves of a minimum of £100,000 in the charities bank accounts
S.U.R.E. will not commit expenditure of any portion of the £100,000 financial reserve without the unanimous agreement of the Management Committee and the authority of ALL Trustees confirmed in writing to the Secretary.
This will enable S.U.R.E. to fund the provision of equipment urgently required by the Radiotherapy Department to ensure patient treatment is maintained at current levels of excellence.

9[th] June 2025

SURE Annual Report 2024 final

7 of 15

Section 5. Report of the Independant Examiner

S.U.R.E. Somerset Unit for Radiotherapy Equipment 110229 Report and Accounts for the Year ended 31st December 2024