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2022-03-31-accounts

Annual report and accounts 2021/2022

Over 10,500 people supported by us this year

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TRUSTEES’ REPORT AND CONSOLIDATED ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

Charity Registration No. 1114435 Company Registration No. 05706441 (England and Wales)

POSSABILITY PEOPLE LIMITED ((limited by guarantee)

Known as Possability People

Legal and administrative information

Registered office & Principal address

Montague House Somerset Street Brighton East Sussex BN2 1JE

Management Committee & Trustees

Maddy Hamp Kathy Goddon Samantha Oakley Sophie Reilly Mark Green Linda Elisha Claire Arielle Leon Danielle Evans Gerry Zarb

Patron

Vacant

Chief Officer Geraldine DesMoulins

Auditors

Kreston Reeves LLP Plus X Innovation Hub Lewes Road Brighton East Sussex BN2 4GL

Bankers

CAF Bank Limited Kings Hill 25 Kings Hill Avenue West Malling Kent ME19 4JQ

Contact information

Telephone: 01273 894040 Textphone: 07718 424214 Email: hello@possabilitypeople.org.uk www.possabilitypeople.org.uk

If you need this publication in an alternative format and/or language, please contact us to discuss your needs.

This publication is available to download at www.possabilitypeople.org.uk

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Contents

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Foreword by Maddy Hamp, Chair of Trustees

This time last year, I described how proud I was to be involved with an organisation which dealt so courageously and creatively with the impact of the pandemic.

As the pandemic surged, so did my admiration for our staff and volunteers.

Disabled people, myself included, continue to be affected by COVID-19 threefold: not only is there a greater chance the disease will affect us more adversely than non disabled people, our routine health care services have become far more difficult to access as well.

Furthermore, the restrictions placed on us to try and halt the spread of the pandemic have left many without the vital social support and interaction necessary for mental, emotional and physical wellbeing.

Our staff have gone over and above the call of duty to cover absences and gaps in provisioning once again.

Our virtual services have enabled us to keep working with people and, in some cases, even allowed us to reach more people than before. The reality of a second year of pandemic is an increase in disabled people who need our support.

Our Advice Centre has had a record number of enquiries, even before the cost of living crisis. Our Hospital Discharge team’s work meant people could come out of hospital more quickly, freeing up the extra beds so desperately needed during the crisis.

Our achievements are only possible because of the support of our funders and donors. Our larger funders have understood our need to pivot quickly, while our friends and supporters have continued to raise awareness of our work through sponsored events, or by sharing our Just Giving campaigns.

All of them are part of the last year’s tapestry and all of them are thanked enormously.

Maddy.

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This year, we have supported 10,521 people

“To promote social inclusion of disabled people in the South East (1) by facilitating their involvement and participation in the planning and decision making structure of their communities, so that they can have equal rights and a voice and control over issues affecting their lives, and (2) by providing services including advice and guidance on welfare rights, health, housing and employment”. From our memorandum of association.

How our activities deliver public benefit

The trustees confirm they have complied with their duty to have due regard to public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission. The main activities undertaken to further the charity’s purposes for the public benefit are detailed in the section Our aims and objectives on page nine.

Possability People’s underlying principle is the Social Model of Disability. The organisation believes disabled people are disabled not by limitations of their bodies and minds but by the societal barriers of unequal access, prejudice, discrimination, and social exclusion.

Possability People is a membership organisation. Currently our membership comprises of 29 organisations and zero individuals.

We are the leading organisation in Brighton and Hove which supports people with a wide range of disabilities (pan impairment).

The trustees are pleased to present their annual group report together with the financial statements of the charity for the year ending 31 March 2022 which are also prepared to meet the requirements for a group directors’ report and accounts for Companies Act purposes.

The financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Companies Act 2006, the Memorandum and Articles of Association, and 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).

Structure, governance and management

The organisation is a charitable company limited by guarantee (05706441), incorporated on 13 of February 2006 and registered as a charity (1114435) on 31 May 2006 and originally registered 27 January 1981 (281731). The company was established under a Memorandum of Association which established the objects and powers of the charitable company and is governed under its Articles of Association.

In 2011 we developed a new brand confirming our working name as: The Fed – Centre for Independent Living (The Fed) which is the name by which we were more commonly known. In June 2016 we rebranded the organisation and our registered name The Brighton & Hove Federation of Disabled People was changed to Possability People.

Possability People is a user led specialist infrastructure organisation whose membership is drawn from individuals or organisations with a personal or professional experience of disability services and rights.

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Our membership elect a Board of Trustees made up of volunteer representatives (78% of whom are disabled people). Possability People can demonstrate that it meets the exacting criteria of the Department of Health regarding its user led status, which requires 75% user representation.

The Trustees are also the directors for the purpose of company law. Trustees serving during the period were:

Maddy Hamp Kathy Goddon Sophie Reilly Re-Elected 21/10/2021 Linda Elisha Samantha Oakley Mark Green Re-Elected 21/10/2021 Claire Arielle Leon Re-Elected 21/10/2021 Danielle Evans Elected 21/10/2021 Gerry Zarb Elected 21/10/2021

None of the trustees has any beneficial interest in the company. All of the trustees are members of the company and guarantee to contribute £1 in the event of a winding up. All trustees give their time voluntarily and received no benefits from the charity. Any expenses reclaimed from the charity are set out in note 7 to the accounts.

Group Structure and Relationships

The charity has a wholly owned non-charitable subsidiary, Possability People Trading Limited, whose purpose is to provide support services to disabled people. Its trading performance and further information is detailed on page 67 of the financial statements.

Recruitment and Appointment of the Board of Trustees

Trustee recruitment process

The trustee board identifies the skills and experience needed by a board member to lead the charity.

The role description is advertised, widely on appropriate lists and on our website. As a user led organisation, we actively encourage applications from people with a lived experience of being disabled.

Potential candidates are sent a trustee recruitment pack with information about the organisation and

the essential requirements for trustees including a role description and person specification.

Applications are reviewed and shortlisted by the board. A panel is then chosen of two trustees supported by the Chief Officer. The panel sends its recommendation to the board.

Our Memorandum and Articles states that successful candidates can be co-opted on to the board prior to being voted on by the membership at the next AGM.

Appointees are given a thorough induction which includes a presentation of the activities of the charity, confirmation of an understanding of the charity’s policies and procedures, meetings with senior team members. A DBS check will be carried out and also at the time of induction any identified training needs will be addressed.

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The recruitment process is reviewed and evaluated.

Under the requirements of the Memorandum and Articles of Association, one third (or the number nearest one third) of the Trustees must retire at each AGM, those longest in office retiring first and the choice between any of equal service being made by drawing lots. A Trustee retiring under this Article may stand for re-election.

Possability People’s Board of Trustees must consist of at least 3 and not more than 15 individual members who meet quarterly and are responsible for the strategic direction and policy of the charity.

Day to Day Responsibility

Possability People have a Senior Leadership Team supported by an Offices & Resources Volunteer Manager. The Senior Leadership Team consists of:

Chief Officer Strategy and Business Development.

Finance Officer Central Finance, Payroll and Supported Bank Accounts.

Operations & Development Manager Project and service delivery and development, income generation, monitoring and evaluation.

Business Development & Services Manager Service provision and development of new services.

Communications Manager Communications strategy.

Offices & Resources Volunteer Manager HR, central services, and project delivery.

Pay policy for senior staff

The Chief Officer and Senior Leadership Team are in charge of directing and controlling, running and operating the charity on a day to day basis. The trustees provide oversight, governance and strategic direction to the charity. Details of trustee’s expenses and related party transactions are disclosed in note 7 to the accounts. The pay of the senior staff is reviewed annually and normally increased in accordance with changes to National Joint Council (NJC) pay-scales.

Risk Management

The management committee discusses risk on an ongoing basis. Possability People holds a risk

register.

The biggest risk to the charity is the pressure on budgets in the public sector which remains a significant source of our income. We have seen cuts to contracted budgets and also discontinued activities. There is further risk as some contracts are now payment by results and in arrears which could potentially put the organisation’s cash under pressure.

Although public sector funding is under pressure statutory bodies value and recognise our contribution and we continue to receive commissions and contracts from them.

To mitigate this risk, we continually look for other opportunities to diversify our offer. This includes successfully increasing our social enterprise activities and looking at strengthening our fundraising activities including bids to trusts and foundations.

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We do not anticipate going concern issues in the foreseeable period ahead.

COVID-19

The community and voluntary sector recognise the significant risks it faces, and has faced, since the COVID-19 health emergency.

We were successful in applying for grants from various emergency funds in the first year of the COVID-19 disruption that mitigated lost income streams. During 2021-22, our activities started to return to normal and there is now no specific threat arising from COVID-19 that is foreseeable.

The charity’s objectives are contained in the company’s memorandum of association

Our Vision

A society where anything is possible regardless of ability

Our Mission

Ensuring disabled people can live independently, with dignity and without prejudice

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----- Start of picture text -----
Aim Outcome Objective
----- End of picture text -----

Aim Outcome Objective
To improve
accessible
services		 Access
People can access
life, society and
the personalised
services they need		 •
To co-design services
•
To make use of digital technology
•
To make our services available in other
locations and across communities
•
To provide quality training and
consultancy for other providers to
improve their offer to disabled people
•
To give strength to the voice of our
benefciaries in their communities
To ensure
people have
good quality
accessible
information		 Information
People have the
information they
need to make
decisions and plan
their lives		 •
To communicate and offer realistic
options
•
To produce user friendly material
•
To provide innovative platforms to share
the information disabled people need
•
To give people expert advice to solve
theproblems theyface
To enable
people to
live more
independently		 Support
People are enjoying
improved health &
well-being, able to
move forward in
their lives		 •
To help join up services across all sectors
•
To help and encourage people to take
part in community life and work
•
To offer and champion a range of
accessible volunteering opportunities
•
To provide modern, bespoke care and
support to disabled people
•
To give people the tools and support to
tackle injustice and discrimination
To increase
the range of
options people
have		 Choices
People have access
to a wide range
of options to meet
their needs		 •
To expand and develop services
•
To raise awareness of what’s out there
•
To facilitate partnership working
•
To identify gaps in the market and bring
the right people together to fll them
To have
well trained
knowledgeable
staff and
volunteer teams		 Ability
People are
supported by a
passionate and
committed staff &
volunteer team		 •
To work to Possability People’s vision and
mission
•
To listen and respond to the voice of our
benefciaries and their experiences in all
we do
•
To commit to learning and developing in
their own work
•
To be self-aware and regularly refect on
own work
•
To achieve and maintain appropriate
quality marks for our work

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Strategic Aim: To improve accessible services

1. To co-design services

Possability People is a user-led charity whose services are co-designed. The trustees and senior leadership team ensure every project and service offered is designed and delivered according to our beneficiaries’ feedback and stated needs.

Of our nine trustees, 78% identify as disabled people.

Their ages reflect the age range of our beneficiaries: 18-25 = 11% 26-35 = 11% 36-45 = 22%, 46-55 = 11% 56-65=22% 65+=11%

The Advice Centre team has an impressive track record of supporting service users to become volunteers, who often move into paid work in the service when opportunities arise.

Community Employment Service projects are co-designed. All project staff and volunteers have lived experiences of our beneficiaries’ barriers; many have come through the project as beneficiaries themselves. Drop-in sessions are designed and developed with course participants to meet their needs and aspirations. Encouraging and developing peer support in all activities further underpins this approach. Our work with employers is driven by listening to the experience of disabled people in various workplace settings.

Our Get Involved Group (GIG) leads our engagement and inclusion activities. The Disabled Car User Forum is designed and developed in partnership with community members joining the group. The project team has lived experience of the barriers our beneficiaries face. Engagement activities, wherever possible, are workshopped and co-designed to ensure any surveys and mechanisms used for engagement are accessible for disabled people. Our new Mental Health Lived Experience Advisory Group exemplifies co-production principles in practice.

Our social enterprise activities support our charitable aims and objectives. Possability People: At Home and our Payroll and Supported Bank Accounts Service (SBA) support the articulated needs of our beneficiaries. At Home was developed in response to feedback from disabled people who found a gap in the market between self-directed care and support and care agencies. The responsibility and administration of employing their care staff was a barrier to opting for the benefits of self-directed care. Wherever possible, PAs who match the client’s cultural, ethnic or other community of interest characteristics are employed.

Our Payroll and Supported Bank Account Service supports people who opt to direct their care and employ a PA. Many disabled people told us managing the legal and administrative requirements alongside their daily challenges was overwhelming. Our service removes all these stresses so people can concentrate on ensuring that their staff deliver the personalised support they need.

As a user-led disabled people’s organisation, our volunteering programme must listen to and meet the needs of people who wish to engage with it. Currently 70 per cent of our volunteers identify as disabled either at recruitment or in our annual volunteer survey; many of them access our other services. We take all possible steps to ensure our volunteering opportunities are accessible and match the volunteers’ skills, qualities, and aspirations.

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We continually develop new opportunities within our organisation. We also keep up to date with volunteer opportunities outside of Possability People, so potential volunteers have more options. By making the most of every development opportunity, volunteers have a better experience, improving our impact and the socioeconomic return on investment in all our work.

2. To make use of digital technology

Possability People have explored opportunities to use new digital technology to improve accessibility, which has been vital since the start of the COVID-19 health emergency. It ensures we continue to deliver practical and accessible support to our beneficiaries.

Online meeting options such as Zoom and MS Teams have been vital alongside telephone communication. Online collaboration tools such as Slack and Padlet have effectively shared ideas and resources. We have supported people to access our offers online or have referred people to specialist community organisations such as Digital Brighton & Hove or Ability Net for further support.

Our Advice Centre deploys various digital tools, including online form filling support and benefit calculators, to determine their beneficiary’s entitlement.

At Home uses digital technology to improve compliance and service delivery. Near Field Communication (NFC) tags and online rotas provide real-time updates that benefit the client, and the PA and enhance the operation of the service. Care plans are updated and operate in real-time via a digital system.

Our regional Get Set projects actively build the digital skills of our participants. We run courses in digital basics and digital employability. Participants learn the digital skills they need to search and apply for work in today’s labour market. All participants have access to a shared Dropbox folder enabling the team to share documents and work collaboratively. We can deliver course sessions online if face-to-face sessions are not possible due to the restrictions of the pandemic. A free-phone telephone access option was provided to ensure people without suitable equipment or connection were not left out and could still engage with group support.

Our Brighton & Hove and Mid-Sussex database of low-cost and free activities is called ‘Its Local Actually’. Many micro activity providers do not have their own website, so this is the online presence they maintain. We continue to develop the Support at Home section of the database, connecting people to home visiting providers of a range of services such as opticians, nail cutting, gardening and hairdressers.

Shopmobility bookings are now fully online, with telephone support for people who need it. A completely contactless booking, collection and return service has been implemented.

PA Noticeboard is a valuable resource for Direct Payment users in Brighton, Hove and East Sussex looking to employ their care and support staff. It allows potential PAs and potential employers to post adverts and communicate with each other safely and effectively, removing many of the barriers to PA recruitment disabled people have experienced in the past. This platform provides a valuable tool in workforce development. It has been purchased by Portsmouth and Isle of Wight local authorities and interest is shown from other authorities. We are in the early stages of discussion with other areas.

3. To make our services available in other locations and across communities

Possability People explores and expands services beyond our historical base of Brighton & Hove.

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Our Community Employment Service continues to deliver in Brighton & Hove and across East Sussex.

As well as clients in Brighton and Hove, At Home has provided care and support to East and West Sussex beneficiaries. A campaign to launch and develop the service across East Sussex is underway.

Possability People supports local disabled peoples’ groups in towns within the region, such as Eastbourne. We support Eastbourne Access Group and Disability Involvement Group to improve accessibility and inclusivity in the town. Regular columns in local publications (such as Eastbourne Voice and The Best of Eastbourne) allow us to showcase various issues important to disabled people to a broad audience.

We developed our West Sussex engagement and inclusion work with a COVID-19 response project called Safe At Home. It became Safe Together and encouraged people to build trust and confidence getting out and about as COVID-19 restrictions eased.

Our Advice Centre works in partnership with the MS Society, supporting people in Brighton & Hove and surrounding towns in East and West Sussex. It runs the East Sussex Information & Advice line, which offers general advice about day-to-day life as a disabled person. It also signposts specialist support in East Sussex for in-depth queries. Funding this year enabled benefits advice to be provided to East Sussex residents.

Right Track in Brighton & Hove and Mid Sussex delivers Sussex MSK (Musculoskeletal) Partnership’s new social prescribing service, where we offer self-management support. After providing the service remotely, we returned to face to face sessions with our partners in MSK clinics across Brighton & Hove, Crawley, Horsham and Haywards Heath.

  1. To train and consult with other providers, improving their offer to disabled people

This year we have delivered extensive training to organisations, including:

Possability People regularly seek feedback to improve and develop our services. Where we find gaps in our provision, we act on them.

The Get Involved Group engaged in access audits and continued the development of the Disabled Car User Advisory Group, enabling blue badge holders and other disabled drivers to talk to Brighton & Hove City Council staff regularly.

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As well as specific engagement and inclusion work, Possability People represent the voice of disabled people on a range of local, regional and national panels and forums. This includes, but is not limited to:

We continue to engage with the DWP Regional Stakeholder Network to represent the views and experiences of disabled people to the Office of Disability Issues. We continue striving to understand better the needs and experiences of disabled people at government level. DWP policymakers and officials recognise Possability People as experts in our field. Our track record is cited in delivering personalised, holistic support to disabled people looking to return to or remain at work. We regularly consult on approaches to influence change and improve opportunities for disabled people. Our positive relationships with local DWP teams allow us to feedback directly to staff working with disabled people in local job centres. We deliver training where appropriate to improve disabled people’s experiences. We share best practice and understanding and quickly resolve potential issues so disabled people do not experience unnecessary distress or delays when making their claims.

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The GIG actively engages with disabled people and their representatives on matters of concern or interest. It regularly convenes focus groups for statutory partners wishing to understand these views and experiences. Staff and volunteers use their own lived experiences to foster trust. They have meaningful, open, honest conversations with statutory service providers and businesses. Disabled people are encouraged to take a solution focussed approach to issues. Their views are constructive and effective.

Disabled people who face challenges in getting out and about have told us the Shopmobility service is essential for their ongoing independence. It is the leading service for many people who do not own or cannot store their equipment. It provides safe and effective temporary equipment when scooters or wheelchairs require maintenance or servicing or are otherwise unavailable. As Brighton and Hove is a tourist destination, Shopmobility also provides a valuable service to disabled people visiting the city. Partnerships with local hotels enable us to promote the service and reach holidaymakers.

With our user-led focus, Possability People ensures disabled people are represented in local, regional or national discussions. Disability is a cross-cutting theme. Acting without prejudice should be an essential consideration for anybody working with people in the community.

Strategic Aim: To ensure people have good quality accessible information

1. To communicate and offer realistic options

Possability People enable and support people to understand their situation and take control. Offering realistic and solution focussed options are an essential element of this; we take care to communicate the reality of any given situation and do all we can to support people to move forward and achieve their goals.

The Advice Centre team’s skills and expertise are crucial for disabled people, enabling them to understand their options and how best to access the support they are entitled to. It would be unrealistic, unethical, and inappropriate for the team to raise false expectations, so exploring each situation in-depth and giving timely, accurate information is essential. The success rate of the benefit applications they support and decisions they help people to challenge speaks to the effectiveness of this approach, with an 89% success rate for form filling and appeals.

Our Community Employment Service is unique because it doesn’t offer time-limited support. The support given is needs led and tailored to each beneficiary, who’s needs are explored in-depth, and their dreams, aspirations, and goals for the short-medium and long term are understood. Building action plans is a thorough and detailed process, giving people space and time to consider all opportunities, including pros and cons. The team takes time to discuss all options with people and plot each journey step. We explore what needs to be done and find the tools and techniques required. Setting goals, breaking them down into manageable steps and gradually overcoming barriers step by step are fundamental to our bespoke service.

The Hospital Discharge Support service begins with an in-depth conversation to understand someone’s needs when returning home from the hospital. It explores connections to friends, family and community which may have been lost and looks at additional support an individual would need to remain independent and thrive.

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Hospital Discharge Grants ensure people can access the funding they need for a safe home suitable for their recuperation. Action plans are created to offer people activities and services which meet their needs, and they are supported to access them as required. Hospital Discharge Support will not just sign post; it may make referrals on a beneficiary’s behalf to overcome initial barriers to engagement. Clients may act independently, knowing they have the correct information for their choice.

Right Track supports people with MSK conditions who have been directed to the service by a clinician. It provides advice, support, and information on lifestyle changes to give people options to manage their condition alongside medical support. The Right Track team listens carefully to people’s needs, aspirations, and the changes they want to make in their lives. They then gather and share information and provide packs of information for their beneficiaries. The team ensure appropriate options are available to the individual and conversations supporting their choice happen as and when needed. We have found this approach provides the best outcomes.

Possability People carefully manage the expectations of potential volunteers, including the availability of volunteering opportunities. For example, our Payroll and Supported Bank Accounts service offers a clear pathway to employment. It is so popular we must often operate a volunteer waiting list. We do this so staff can provide volunteers with meaningful support and progression opportunities. Suppose the role the volunteer applies for is not vacant. In that case, the Volunteer Manager will try and match potential volunteers with other roles in the interim. Volunteers who temporarily joined our reception, Shopmobility, GIG and Community Employment Service often stay with the new project even if it wasn’t their first choice - sometimes in addition to the other role.

All Possability People’s social enterprise activities must communicate realistically about people’s options. At Home ensures the beneficiary is at the heart of their care and support planning, making choices about the care and support they want to receive. Clients discuss their needs with the team who create a bespoke and personalised service for each person, rather than slotting people into a one size fits all service. We ensure people feel involved and are in complete agreement with any decisions about their care, and they have every opportunity to have the support they need to live independently. They also have opportunities to be involved in the choice and recruitment of their support staff.

  1. To provide user friendly and accessible materials

Possability People strives to ensure everything we produce to communicate about our projects and services meets the needs of the communities we want to reach. From website and social media to print and email communications, we try to share engaging information tailored to the needs and interests of our audiences.

Information sent or shared to beneficiaries considers their access needs and communication preferences. Reminder systems are in place across projects for appointments, meetings, calls or sessions, used in line with beneficiary choices.

An appointment letter will be enough for some people, while for others, texts or calls nearer the time ensure people can access a service appropriately and with confidence. If a Community Employment Service beneficiary is feeling apprehensive about attending a group session for the first time, we will make a series of calls and texts to them in the lead up to the day, and a named person will meet them outside the venue so they feel comfortable and settled to come inside.

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Action plans, session handouts and resources are shared, explained and co-designed to meet the beneficiary’s needs. Their style and content are continually reviewed. Materials are produced in various formats on demand, including large print, specific coloured paper, or to meet other access needs.

The films on our YouTube channel are subtitled and include British Sign Language translations. We employ interpreters for clients who require them and have produced a set of Advice Centre leaflets in 13 community languages.

  1. To provide innovative platforms to share the information disabled people need

Providing clear, concise, accessible information remained vital with changing COVID-19 rules and restrictions. Our role in filtering, simplifying and disseminating an unprecedented amount of information to different audiences has been crucial.

Services continued to adapt and deliver flexibly. Teams worked hard to ensure beneficiaries remained safe while not reducing the volume or quality of support available. This has been particularly challenging because remote service delivery is often more time intensive. At the same time, people’s needs have increased with the impact of the pandemic on their health and wellbeing.

Steady and Strong, our gentle exercise programme, continued to run remotely with technical support offered initially for anyone who needed it. We expanded the range of exercise tutorials so people could safely build strength and balance in their homes via our YouTube channel.

Our flagship database, Its Local Actually, enabled people across Brighton & Hove and West Sussex to search for over 1500 free or low-cost community activities. Home visiting services are listed on Support at Home, helping older and disabled people stay independent, safe and well.

Our website is one of many people’s main routes into the organisation. It is often the first place people learn about our projects, services, and support. This year, after analysing feedback, we invested in a full redesign of the site to make it more accessible and easier to navigate. The site had nearly 85,000 visits during the year, with a 10% increase in users, up to almost 25,000.

Our social media accounts continued to grow and remain an important method for engaging our supporters, telling our stories, and promoting events and fundraising drives. Our communications assistant was furloughed but we still maintained a strong presence and grew our networks.

Our Facebook page has more than 1,400 fans; we posted to it 528 times, reaching 15,510 people.

Our Twitter account has 4,000 followers. We tweeted over 900 times with 9,300 clicks on the links they contained. There were 1,200 engagements with our posts.

Our Instagram posts reached 2,000 people, and we have 591 followers. We posted 631 times.

We have added a range of new films to our YouTube channel, including two produced by a student we supported: Introducing the GIG and Introducing At Home. We have continued to build our Steady and Strong exercise library.

We produced information about our Advice Centre in 14 community languages.

This year, work began on a new film designed to attract people to work for At Home as PAs.

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We have begun to include QR Codes on our information and publicity materials so that people can quickly scan to a webpage. This has worked well at events and for Shopmobility, where people who are out and about with only a smartphone can quickly scan and find opening times, for example.

With appropriate consent, our Payroll Service shares information and updates via regular communications with direct payment users. They use email signatures, payroll messages or mailouts. Our service users trust us, so this is an effective way to disseminate information from other services that can support their ongoing independence, wellbeing and dignity.

  1. To give people expert advice to solve the problems they face

Possability People ensures all volunteers and staff receive appropriate training and can provide the best advice to our beneficiaries. We are recognised locally, regionally and nationally as experts in our field.

We are committed to giving effective and accurate advice to others. This is borne out through input into policy decisions and service designs that affect disabled people in all aspects of their lives.

Many of the Advice Centre’s beneficiaries would experience great difficulty navigating the complex benefits system without our support. People often tell us they are entirely overwhelmed; they don’t know where to start, have tight deadlines and feel so distressed they can’t even face opening the letters they are receiving.

As a trusted, local provider, we have the confidence of our community. We provide personalised support. Many of our staff and volunteers have experienced difficulties navigating the system and can offer understanding and empathy. As there are fewer and fewer lifetime benefit awards, people know when the benefit form lands again, there is someone there to provide a helping hand at what can be a distressing and overwhelming time.

Hospital Discharge Support and Right Track’s expertise and understanding of the local market are essential so people accessing their services can navigate the full range of options available. Knowing what’s out there, including capacity and potential waiting lists, presents the best options. For a good outcome, people are connected to appropriate support promptly. Both ensure they provide the support services needed to prevent people from experiencing unnecessary readmission to hospital. It provides the tools people need to improve their chances of successfully self-managing a long-term health condition.

The Shopmobility team makes skilled and valuable equipment recommendations based on everyone’s situation and the built environment. They liaise and form relationships with local hotels, other venues and transport providers to ensure people are not disadvantaged and can enjoy the many facilities the city offers in the same way as non-disabled people.

The Community Employment Service shares expertise in condition management, coping strategies, employability skills and digital skills with beneficiaries. It shares recruitment, retention and workplace wellbeing expertise with employers to create accessible, inclusive workplaces where people can thrive. It advises disabled people on their rights in the workplace to reasonable adjustments. It gives people the confidence to talk to employers about any support or flexible workplace solutions they may need. It advises employers on innovative ways to support their employees’ health, wellbeing, and resilience, ultimately boosting their own business and staff retention.

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Our Payroll and Supported Bank Accounts services explain complex financial information to disabled people who have a wide range of access needs. They describe how problems can be resolved, provide advice to resolve conflicts and handle conversations that can be very challenging.

Strategic Aim: To enable people to live more independently

  1. To help join up services across all sectors

Possability People work with all sectors – health and social care, local authority, community and voluntary, private and independent - in a ‘whole person’ way, enabling our beneficiaries to access all the support they need to live independently. Joint working has made our services more successful during the pandemic. Ensuring services wrap around vulnerable people is at the heart of our approach.

At Home brings together staff from the NHS, Clinical Commissioning Group, Sussex NHS Partnership Trust, GPs, pharmacies, Adult Social Care and organisations from within the community and voluntary sector to benefit its clients.

Shopmobility makes it easier for disabled people to use private-sector hotels and tourist attractions. It also builds relationships between sheltered housing schemes and the voluntary sector. We have supported disabled people to store their mobility equipment and scooters safely. Our dedicated team of volunteers has built productive relationships across the city, making it more accessible for residents and visitors.

Right Track develops relationships across sectors. It signposts and refers to a broad range of groups and services, from health advice and advocacy to local groups in church halls, from counselling and employment workshops to peer support groups, from large programmes of council-led activity to sessions aimed at specific groups such as older people, women, BME and LGBTQ communities.

Right Track and Hospital Discharge Support are members of the Social Prescribing Network. They keep up to date with the local picture, share best practice, and build relationships with other referral organisations.

As part of a Sussex and Surrey wide group focusing on disability and health, Right Track taps into a large pool of knowledge and experience, making referrals to services faster and with minimal waiting times for beneficiaries.

They have also built relationships with Sussex MSK Partnership clinicians across Brighton & Hove and West Sussex. This year they have taken on new projects within the service, including the flagship “Revalidation” pilot, which involves working with people on a waiting list for a clinician. This may be rolled out nationally if successful.

Hospital Discharge Support works with providers from health, social care, the voluntary and community sector, social enterprises and the private sector. This year, the service has expanded to offer new grant funding, including Personal Health Budgets and Handyperson Grants, leading to more robust and broader partnerships with statutory colleagues. Effective communication and partnership work promotes better understanding and trust between organisations for future collaboration. We have improved our service by working in partnership with hospital departments to make effective, appropriate referrals from across the hospital for anyone who needs our support.

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New and effective relationships with a broad range of local tradespeople are essential to how effectively our Hospital Discharge Grants can facilitate a timely discharge from hospital. We have strengthened links with various Brighton & Hove City Council teams, including social workers and housing adaptations. Effective working relationships with hospital Responsive Service colleagues in the Health and Social Care sectors have been made.

The Get Involved Group has built and sustained effective partnerships with Brighton & Hove City Council’s parking and transport teams. It has overcome complex relationships to develop genuine partnership working, ensuring disabled voices are heard, understood and included in service design and delivery.

Because Community Employment Service beneficiaries identify their own employment goals and aspirations, the team builds positive relationships with professionals in all sectors to broker suitable, sustainable employment opportunities where needed. With many beneficiaries facing a crisis this year, our long-term support and holistic approach were essential to their coping ability.

Because our participants trusted us, they talked honestly about their situations. We found out if they had reliable food supplies, medication, money, and shopping and whether or not their mental health was affected. As the support needs of people have increased over the year due to the ongoing impact of the epidemic, it has taken the expert advice and guidance of the staff and volunteer team to enable them to develop resilience and find a way to move forward.

Connections to local support services, knowledge, and up to date resources (including capacity and waiting times for services) mean we connect people to the best support at the right time. We stayed in touch with employers, so we knew who was recruiting despite the lockdown. Many disabled people gained employment despite restrictions, which shows our approach works.

  1. To help and encourage people to take part in community life and work

Possability People enable people to develop the tools, skills and confidence they need to implement their own solutions instead of us trying to fix things for them.

This could be working together to remove practical barriers (incorrect benefit entitlements, unsafe housing situations, or how to start exercising safely), to long term coaching to make lifestyle changes or move towards employment. We aim not to create dependence on our services. We build on the assets and resources of our beneficiaries, enabling them to achieve more, feel part of their communities and live independently, with dignity and without prejudice.

Financial hardship or insecure housing are significant crises many of our beneficiaries face. Without support, people can spiral into poorer mental health, social isolation, economic insecurity and so on. This can also affect their physical health by escalating existing conditions or self-neglect. We support people through the current crisis and then consider what else they may need to be able to move on. This is becoming increasingly important as we look towards next year with the growing cost of living affecting disabled people disproportionately. We know our work will be more needed than ever before.

Our approach makes jobs sustainable with people better equipped to deal with life’s challenges and find additional support if needed. Our knowledge of someone’s personal life and health and its effect on daily activities helps us understand the impact at work and deal with potential barriers to employment. Community Employment participants create Wellness Action Plans, which consider the impact of their health on their whole life. Considering support and activities to remain well and enjoy time with family and friends is as essential as remaining well for work. It enables people to live life their way and engage with their community as much as they choose.

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When planning support, the Hospital Discharge Support and Right Track teams explore an individual’s needs and aspirations. Many are socially isolated, but with achievable goals, reconnection to communities is possible. This might be through befriending services, and lunch activity groups around their interests, such as choirs or art sessions.

Overcoming mobility barriers is essential for many people to get out and on with their days. Shopmobility achieves this. Providing a satellite service across the city with flexible delivery and collection removes mobility barriers.

Volunteering with Possability People is rewarding and increases skills, confidence and knowledge of other services. Volunteering can be a stepping stone to employment. Volunteers learn new skills or refresh old ones, test out condition management techniques and have up to date experience for CVs and job applications. We can provide a professional reference after six months.

At Home provides personalised care and support, giving people more freedom and flexibility. PAs can accompany clients to community activities they would otherwise be unable to attend. Support with health or medical needs at the right time of day means clients can work or go out in a way that might otherwise be impossible.

At Home clients determine the support that best suits their lifestyle. Having care provided consistently with PAs they know and for the right length of time means people can attend work and other appointments without waiting for a call from a traditional care agency.

  1. To offer and champion a range of accessible volunteering opportunities

Possability People hold the Investing in Volunteers Quality Mark, which has assessed and acknowledged good practice in our volunteering programme.

As a respected local organisation, our training and consultancy programme shares best practice in volunteering for disabled people. We ensure organisations understand the difference between supported and accessible volunteering and work with them to remove many barriers to participation disabled people have told us they have faced. For example, because of our training session with Brighton & Hove Food Partnership this year, they considered potential barriers to volunteering with their organisation to identify positive steps to overcome them.

This year has continued to be challenging for many of our volunteers. Not all have been able to engage remotely with their projects. However, at the end of the year, we have 52 volunteers registered (and interested in returning when possible, if not currently active). As we emerge from two years of restrictions, we already see increased interest in volunteering. We are optimistic about more people joining our volunteer team in the coming months.

We began to start a phased return to our offices from August 2021, the point at which many volunteers returned. Until then, two committed and dedicated volunteers kept Shopmobility running efficiently. Volunteers who were able to offer remote support to our Advice, Payroll and Community Employment Teams. Wherever possible, our adapted roles and volunteers supported us to be involved as much as they chose

For some roles and people, remote volunteering wasn’t viable. Maintaining contact with those unable to actively volunteer was essential through email, telephone and video calls. For many volunteers, the social aspect of being part of a team and working with others is crucial. Therefore, finding all possible ways to maintain communication for them was essential and has resulted in many returning as soon as possible.

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We are proud of the contribution our volunteers make as essential team members. Based on the Brighton & Hove living wage, their contribution for the six months to March (when they were able to volunteer) is equivalent to £59,460, and 6.6 full time equivalent employees.

Over 1,000 volunteer hours every month.

These figures do not include our nine trustees, who also give their time voluntarily.

  1. To provide modern, bespoke care and support to disabled people.

Our Care Quality Commission registered At Home service was created because disabled people told us traditional care agencies didn’t meet their needs. People experienced many different, unhappy situations, including not knowing who would be arriving to give care, short 15 minute visits and few options for socialising.

At Home is different because it matches people with their PAs, often recruited directly in partnership with the disabled person.

Clients build meaningful, professional, trusting relationships with their care staff, who understand the subtle preferences and nuances needed to provide bespoke support. The flexible service means people can move their hours of support to suit their needs, such as receiving care early enough to get to work or late enough not to go to bed too early. Clients have the flexibility to increase or decrease support hours as they choose, making travel or days out viable. It means they can get on with life in ways many of us take for granted.

  1. To give people the tools and support to tackle injustice and discrimination.

Our person-centred, enabling approach means people are informed, understand their rights and entitlements and have the skills and confidence to challenge injustice or discrimination.

We are members of Brighton & Hove Upstanders Network, which brings together organisations supporting people who may experience hate incidents. It supports a city-wide approach to inclusion and reducing hate crime. We will also be a Hate Crime Reporting Centre early next.

We are members of Sussex Police Disability External Reference Group, which ensures statutory services understand the needs of disabled people and how they may be affected by police and others’ actions. We delivered a training session to Sussex Police senior leadership team about being a disabled person, including best practice approaches to inclusion.

Our Community Employment Service is an expert in the Equality Act 2010 and its relation to disabled people at work. It trains disabled people and employers about what may or may not be discrimination. Hence, people feel more empowered to talk openly, honestly and professionally about their health condition or impairment and know where to go for more support should they encounter any difficulties.

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Strategic Aim: To increase the range of options people have

1. To expand and develop services

Constantly finding and developing new ways for disabled people to achieve their potential and improve their lives helps Possability People make our existing services successful and sustainable.

This year Possability People received funding from Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group to develop and deliver the new Mental Health Lived Experience Advisory Group. A three-year programme will develop and enhance mental health services across Sussex. This group has been commissioned to bring together people with lived experience of using mental health services to feed into the plans. Co-production is at the core of the activity. During the year, the group have developed and taken on additional roles, representing themselves and the group at various strategic meetings. The voices of people with experience using the service are vital to developing the programme if it is going to meet the community’s needs.

This year, our engagement and inclusion activity has continued in West Sussex. We worked according to changing restrictions, initially supporting disabled people to stay safe at home and gradually rebuilding their trust and confidence in safely getting out and about again.

This year, our Community Employment Service has expanded and delivered programmes in Brighton & Hove, Hastings, Bexhill and Eastbourne.

Our advice service has launched benefits advice in East Sussex.

Volunteers add invaluable capacity to Possability People. This year, we have a volunteer in Surrey while the Advice Centre has provided peer support and buddying activities. Steady and Strong uses a volunteer ‘spotter’ and GIG volunteers user-test and review accessibility.

Hospital Discharge Support’s unique combination of fast-track access to grants and ongoing postdischarge support continues to develop creative and practical solutions to barriers people face being discharged from the hospital. We have organised deep cleaning, decluttering, building work, new appliances, and pet support. We have arranged alternative accommodation with access to hot food for short periods. When people do return home, they have the range of support services they need. The work of this team has been increasingly challenging throughout the year with the ongoing pressure to free-up hospital beds and the challenges around getting care packages in place due to the limited availability of care staff. Therefore, creative and innovative solutions from our dedicated team have been vital for our beneficiaries and the hospital and healthcare teams we work alongside.

2. To raise awareness of what’s out there.

We connect disabled people to services, activities and resources in their local communities, which has been vital this year to help people through ever-changing restrictions and the ongoing COVID-19 related crises.

Our Community Employment Service staff and volunteers have a wide range of up-to-date local information to meet the needs of beneficiaries. From knowing about digital support through job clubs; 1:1 discussion; support with making phone enquiries or buddying people to appointments. As well as essential crisis-support services, the team share information on the broadest possible range of support services and options for people to access.

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The GIG cascades information through its networks. A monthly newsletter, regular email updates, meetings, and informal social events are shared with disabled people. This was replicated in West Sussex with the Safe At Home and Safe Together projects.

Hospital Discharge Support and Right Track research new or existing knowledge to plan support for their beneficiaries. Keeping up to date information during the pandemic has been challenging, just as it has for the Community Employment Service. Information is made accessible, so beneficiaries (and their friends, family and other support networks) understand the resources available in their communities. When they become more confident, they are more likely to look for opportunities to increase their resilience and connection to the community

3. To facilitate partnership working.

Possability People are keen to work with and, where appropriate, lead positive partnerships to achieve more for our beneficiaries.

The Advice Centre works closely with other local advice agencies to pool expertise and resources and maximise reach. We provide a fast track support service for the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society and members of Money Works partnership. We are members of the Advice Services Network and Advice Partnership. Most recently and in response to the pandemic, the Advice Centre has joined The East Sussex Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) to work in partnership to provide more support for East Sussex residents.

Hospital Discharge Support has built trusted partnerships with hospital staff supporting the Home First Pathway. The provision of Hospital Discharge Grants has strengthened these relationships and built relationships with Brighton & Hove City Council teams, including the Hospital Discharge Grant service and Adult Social Care services.

The Community Employment Service works with Job Centre Plus in Brighton & Hove, Eastbourne, Hastings, Bexhill and Surrey. It also works in partnership with various colleges, training and other support providers to provide effective referrals that meet beneficiary’s needs without duplication. It understands employers’ and businesses’ recruitment and retention needs and involves them in service delivery wherever possible.

At Home works with social work teams within local authorities to promote the benefits of personalised care and with CCGs to promote the use of personal health budgets.

The Payroll and SBA work with BHCC Children’s Direct Payment Teams to ensure direct payments are delivered in a way that gives Direct Payment users a choice and control when directing their own care.

4. To identify gaps in the market and bring the right people together to fill them.

Possability People improve local service provision to deliver what our beneficiaries need to promote their independence. We monitor local services and activities and look for ways of filling gaps identified by our beneficiaries. Our COVID-19 response projects, Safe At Home and Safe Together, are an example of this, as is the Mental Health Lived Experience Advisory Group formed this year.

Disabled people tell us that while they need personalised care, they don’t want the responsibility of becoming an employer. With no other options that suited or understood their needs, At Home was developed to fill this market gap.

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Right Track identified a gap in the market for exercise classes for people with long term pain or restricted mobility which allowed for progression and development. We have continued to research and develop our popular Steady and Strong offer, through both hosted classes and with classes posted to our You Tube channel.

We developed participants’ digital skills so they could take part in an online class. We have a series of Steady and Strong films on our YouTube channel to share the classes more widely so more people can take or repeat classes.

Strategic Aim: To have well trained and knowledgeable staff and volunteer teams

  1. To work to Possability People’s vision and mission

Our aims and objectives are derived from our vision and mission statement. Our fundraising strategy seeks funding from trusts, foundations, companies and individuals, enabling us to deliver our objectives. When we feedback to our funders, we describe how we meet their key performance indicators (KPIs), demonstrating our success in meeting our aims and objectives.

The Senior Leadership Team and project leads are responsible for delivering services as planned. Performance is fed back through team meetings, staff supervision and appraisal, planning days and volunteer support sessions.

  1. To listen and respond to our beneficiaries’ voice and their experiences in all we do

Possability People are proud to be a user-led disabled people’s organisation. We embrace lived experience at every level, from our trustees, senior management, the entire staff team, and volunteers. Coupled with beneficiary engagement, we have a unique insight into the experiences of disabled people in our communities and the things that enable them to thrive.

Our projects and services ensure disabled peoples’ experiences are reflected in service design and development. Every voice is heard, from volunteer input to improve Shopmobility to a Right Track participant updating us on a new group or activity. All have the opportunity to contribute.

Our engagement and inclusion work keeps up to date with the needs of disabled people, understanding their experiences in various settings.

Teams actively seek evidence of beneficiary experience. We use our feedback and consultation mechanisms - GIG membership and Mental Health Lived Experience Advisory Group – to reflect the experiences of disabled people both within and from outside the organisation.

  1. To commit to learning and developing in their own work.

Possability People ensure its staff and volunteer teams are recognised as experts in their field. All staff and volunteers can and are encouraged to access specialist training related to their roles.

We provide regular in-house training and briefings for our teams, so they have up to date and accurate knowledge. We use external trainers to enhance our skills. All At Home PAs receive full training to meet the requirements of the Care Certificate.

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This year, staff and volunteers have accessed training in a range of fields including, but not limited to:

4. To be self-aware and regularly reflect on own work

Six weekly supervisions for staff and three-monthly supervisions for volunteers, as well as probationary review and appraisal processes, ensure staff have the opportunity to reflect on their working practices. This provides an opportunity for goal and target setting and to review training and development needs.

Reflective Practice sessions have also been introduced for staff across different teams to access space for peer support and share tips and best practices.

Staff and their managers discuss how projects and services are meeting the needs of our beneficiaries and how they might be developed or improved.

Staff Meetings, Project Lead Meetings and Senior Leadership Team meetings provide a formal structure of sessions for people to come together to discuss organisational goals and objectives.

5. To achieve and maintain appropriate quality marks for our work

We hold the Investing in Volunteers quality mark. Investing in Volunteers (IiV) is the UK quality standard for good practise in volunteer management.

We have achieved the Advice Quality in debt; employment; health and community care; housing, welfare benefits and disability. This was renewed successfully this year.

We are a Disability Confident Leader (level 3). We are a champion within our local and business community, supply chain, and networks. This shows disabled people we are serious about leading the way and helping other businesses become Disability Confident. We have been externally verified by SPECTRUM.

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As a Disability Confident Leader, we carefully monitor our employment practices to ensure we are genuinely supporting disabled people.

90% of our staff identified as disabled people during their recruitment process or in our staff survey (not including At Home’s PAs).

Disabled people are represented at every level of our staff structure, including the senior management team.

Additionally, around 70% of our volunteers and 78% of our trustees identify as disabled people.

We are a Mindful Employer. Possability People has signed the Charter for Employers who are Positive about Mental Health. To further our commitment and support in this area, we performed our first baseline staff wellbeing survey, which is informing a new plan of action to improve staff wellbeing support in the coming year.

This year we have invested in training an additional staff member to qualify as Mental Health First Aiders and subscribed to the Mindful Employer Plus helpline to provide 24/7 telephone support for all staff and volunteers. We have also signed up to the Mental Health At Work Commitment Standards.

Steps to Environmental Management (STEM) is a step-by-step guide to implementing an environmental management system. Possability People has achieved Blue status: a business with top management support for their environmental programme and has completed a baseline assessment of their current situation.

Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme. CHAS assesses applicants on their health and safety policy statement, their organisation, how it deals with health and safety, and their specific health and safety arrangements. This means everyone will work to an acceptable standard. All members of the CHAS scheme are stored on a database which is accessible by members only.

We are CQC registered. The CQC are England’s independent regulator of health and adult social care. They make sure health and social care services provide people with safe, effective, compassionate, high-quality care, and we encourage care services to improve.

We have been awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.

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Our impact

*The names of people featured in the case studies have been changed to protect their identity. In all photographs except for Jackie and Bartholomew, they have been posed by models.

The Advice Centre

The team worked remotely providing telephone, email and Zoom support from the start of the year. As COVID-19 restrictions began to relax, a hybrid model was introduced with staff and volunteers in the office for part of the week and some face-to-face appointments resuming. This hybrid model will continue in the coming year.

The Advice Centre dealt with 7,218 enquiries

The Advice Centre dealt with 7,218 enquiries during the year, just under 5,000 of these by phone, either answered or directed to voicemail.

The MoneyWorks Partnership and MS Society projects continued throughout and new funding for East Sussex benefits advice was secured. Ernest Kleinwort trust provided funding for core advice services including HomeMove applications and housing enquiries, Blue Badge or concessionary Bus Pass applications alongside core services such as Welfare Benefits Support.

Volunteering within the Advice Centre was impacted through remote working with most volunteers only able to participate when the team returned to the office.

The Advice Centre team led a coordinated response to the Sussex & Kent Tribunal Users Group, providing expert insight into the issues beneficiaries face when attending tribunals either by phone or video link.

Peer support focussed on supporting people to prepare for Medical Assessment; a new offer based on beneficiary need. It will continue in the coming year. We have also provided expert support in preparing to attend welfare benefits tribunals.

200 people were supported with form filling in East Sussex

In East Sussex, just under 200 people were supported with form filling, preparing for medical assessments, lodging Mandatory Reconsiderations and lodging appeals; with a total of 82 appointments provided.

In Brighton, 491 appointments were provided for a broad range of issues, from form filling through to appeal support.

The increased cost of living, as well as ongoing changes to the benefits system mean that as we face the coming year, the Advice Centre anticipates being busier than ever, building on existing success and developing new offers such as the Hate Crime Third Party reporting centre.

89% success rate for form filling and appeals

Advice Centre success rate for form filling and appeals is currently maintained at 89% This sits against a national average of 42%.

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We are aware of the increase in income received by 90 clients, a total of £413,253.00 per year. This money is vital to enable them to counteract the increased costs of living as a disabled person, and to fund any care or support they may wish to use.

75 clients completed a survey at the end of their support. 99% were more confident about dealing with their benefits situation and were happy that the advice centre understood and supported them.

Jack’s story

Jack lives with chronic fatigue syndrome. They contacted us as they were unable to focus on forms for a long time (due to brain fog). They wanted support with an online HomeMove application - the process is all online, which was challenging because their IT skills were limited.

We spoke to Jack over the telephone. They were in the middle of a flare-up of their condition, and at the same time, there were technical problems with the system used for HomeMove.

With Jack’s consent, we contacted Brighton and Hove City Council (BHCC) for them. We were advised that because J was temporarily staying with a friend, they were no longer considered homeless, but adequately housed.

At the next appointment with Jack we discussed the application in full and submitted it on their behalf.

We also advised Jack to get written confirmation from their friend to explain why they were only able to stay temporarily. Even staying temporarily was putting their friend’s council tenancy at risk. Once we obtained the letter, we were able to add it to Jack’s HomeMove account. We also pointed out that Jack’s homelessness was a direct result of their redundancy several years ago.

A combination of poor health and limited finances meant that Jack had been forced to sofa surf with friends. To make matters worse, one of their close friends had died, meaning fewer people to stay, adding to the pressure on their current place.

We also supported Jack to gather additional medical evidence which was included with the application.

BHCC made an offer of supported, sheltered housing at this point. Jack felt empowered and independent enough to decline this offer in preference for a one bedroomed property in a sheltered accommodation block.

Jack called to thank our advisor for the support, stating they “absolutely loved” the accommodation, had accepted it and were due to move in very soon. We provided additional support to Jack to help with moving costs through BHCC discretionary Housing payment. Jack now describes their life as settled and enjoyable, and they are finally able to relax.

Photo: Jose Maria Carballo/Shutterstock

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Client feedback

“Really grateful – someone was able to help as I can’t articulate myself well. I can’t express how helpful this service is. I was frightened and overwhelmed for well over a year in advance of my PIP renewal process because my previous application was rejected, but overturned thanks to tribunal. It’s because of the excellent support and help from those at Possability People that I was able to correctly approach I t myself successfully. Thanks to Possability People my PIP was renewed for 1 year”.

The peer support service trialled through a Henry Smith grant proved unsuitable for most people’s needs. Therefore, this year, with agreement from the funder, the team offered support for medical assessments, another beneficiary-identified need.

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) questions were the most common enquiries, followed by questions on appeals, then benefit entitlement checks. Universal Credit enquiries have increased steadily throughout the year. We anticipate a further increase as furlough comes to an end and more people find themselves unemployed and reliant upon welfare benefits.

Support for Mandatory Reconsideration of benefit decisions has increased steadily since December 2020 and the team has re-prioritised time to meet anticipated rises now the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is processing them again.

The team coordinated and led a response to the Sussex & Kent Tribunal Users Group ensuring the voice of disabled people is heard effectively within the tribunal process.

Peer support ‘buddies’ supported clients remotely, 16 clients on the pre-tribunal process and 9 with advice and preparation for medical assessments.

Of the 89 cases we know the outcome of, there were 41 successful applications, 27 successful appeals and eight successful tribunals. Only 13 were unsuccessful. We can only report on beneficiaries who have provided this data.

Still, for the 76 people who reported an increase in income as a result of our support, this amounts to £481,959 per annum (£9,268 per week).

We rely upon clients reporting this information to us. However, it is worth noting that the DWP still has a considerable backlog, meaning we may not know the outcome until many months after we supported someone.

100% of people completing a questionnaire after receiving Advice Centre support report that they feel:

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The Community Employment Service

Our Community Employment service ran several projects this year: Get Set Opening Doors in Brighton until January 2021. Get Set Opening Doors ran in Eastbourne from January 2021 until the end of the reporting year. Get Set Get Connected ran in Bexhill, Hastings, and Eastbourne for the whole year from April 2021 to March 2022. The service provides long-term, personalised support to move towards work.

Our Get Set projects are recognised as exemplars of best practice, offering a unique blend of 1:1 support, stabilising existing or emerging crisis points, peer support and facilitated group sessions. We support people every step of the way with confidence building, support to increase self-esteem and resilience, overcoming negative thinking, action planning and goal setting, digital skills, employability skills and tools to manage the impact of their health both in work and in their lives in general.

Beneficiaries create Wellness Action Plans, which help them identify how to manage their health at work and understand how to update these should their health or other circumstances change.

Unlike other providers, we are not simply focused on getting someone in to work, but in supporting them in all aspects of their lives to ensure that work will be sustainable in the long term and once they start, they can thrive and build a meaningful career.

This year, The Community Employment Service supported 372 people.

The service supported 372 people, 190 through Get Set Opening Doors and 182 through Get Set Get Connected. The unique factor in Get Set Get Connected, a provision targeted at disabled people aged 18-24, is the opportunity to reconnect with their communities to overcome social isolation and the sense of youth disconnect, with opportunities to design and complete a community project of their choosing.

The effects of the pandemic on our beneficiaries have been significant, with people presenting to the service with far more complex needs. Before Covid-19, the average time we would need to work with someone 1:1 before they could engage in group settings was 2 weeks. This has now increased to 2 months or more. Complexity and severity of need have primarily been exacerbated by a lack of access to medical, mental health and community-based services. Additionally, many of our beneficiaries are also experiencing further complications due to debt, housing and additional issues. Building a solid foundation through stabilising the impact of these external factors has been challenging, complex and resource-intensive. Still, it is essential as, without this 1:1 support to build a strong foundation, people will not be able to move forward.

Finding work has been more challenging than ever for the people we work with. The ongoing impact of Covid-19 on the labour market means that there is fierce competition for every vacancy, and without the right tools and support, disabled people can often feel they are at the back of the queue. We are delighted to report the following outcomes achieved by our beneficiaries this year: 15 people moved into further education, 22 began volunteering, and 78 moved into sustainable paid employment.

As well as tracking those hard outcomes, a broad range of soft outcomes are monitored throughout the life of the project, and we are proud to report the following increases this year:

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----- Start of picture text -----
Participants
Question recording Uplift
ostive chan e
p g
100% 145%
How confident do you feel about finding & starting work?
----- End of picture text -----

Question Participants
recording
postive change		 Uplift
How confdent do you feel about fnding & starting work? 100% 145%
Do you feel you are ready and have the skills you need to start
and sustain work?		 100% 166%
How high or low are your self-confdence and self-belief? 100% 178%
Do you feel connected to your community? 100% 137%
How Isolated do you feel?
(percentage decrease in
feeling isoloated)		 100% -67%
How confdent do you feel about managing your health in
work?		 100% 166%
Do you feel you have the right skills to manage your health in
work?		 100% 179%
Do you know the difference between mental health and mental
wellbeing?		 100% 282%
Do you feel that you have good mental wellbeing? 100% 179%
How confdent do you feel about applying for and getting a
job?		 100% 207%
How confdent are you that you have the right employability
skills to get a job?		 100% 113%
How confdent are you that your CV and cover letter are
strong and refect you, your skills and qualities?		 100% 173%
How confdent do you feel that you know what to do in an
interview?		 100% 112%
How confdent do you feel about your digital employability
skills?		 100% 108%
Do you have the right digital and IT skills to fnd employment? 100% 134%
Do you feel you have the right documents to fnd employment? 100% 144%
How confdent do you feel managing your Universal Credit
account online?		 100% 107%

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Aamaal’s story

Aamaal was referred to us by the Brighton Women’s Centre. She was a survivor of domestic abuse and had a long-term mental health impairment. We did an initial call with her and learnt that Aamaal was a qualified architect who had worked in several highprofile roles in Pakistan.

She was then married - an arranged marriage - and her husband got a job in London. When they moved to London, the physical and emotional abuse began, worsening over the next 3 years. Because she was in a foreign

country, Aamaal didn’t know where to turn or what to do. The abuse continued for 3 years. At this point, she could go to a GP appointment alone, tell her GP what was happening, and receive support. She moved to a refuge in Brighton.

When she first started engaging with us, we referred her for mental health support and therapies and worked with her in our workshops and 1:1 on self-confidence and self-esteem. With the situation she had come from, this was very low and impacted her ability to manage her mental health.

As Aamaal’s self-esteem rose and the therapy gave her the tools to start managing her mental health, we focused on her CV and looking toward her career goals. She was worried that as her qualifications and experience were in Pakistan, this would not be transferrable to this country.

We discussed with Aamaal types of roles that she had done before, and she had worked within firms on both architecture and interior design on expensive and exclusive buildings.

We then got volunteers to research companies that fit this brief by gathering contact details. The service manager then sent a speculative cover letter to all of these companies explaining all of the experience and skills that she had to offer in this role and asking them to contact us if they would be interested in discussing this further. Several companies came back to us wanting further details and to meet with Aamaal.

During this time, we worked on Aamaal’s Wellness Action Plan so there was a clear understanding for her and any potential employer of what reasonable adjustments may be required. Aamaal had also requested that we accompany her to any meetings, which we did, asking that we disclose her health impairment. From her first interview, Aamaal was offered the perfect role, which she accepted. She has now been in this role for 12 months and was promoted 3 months into the role.

We stayed in touch with Aamaal to ensure reasonable adjustments were working for her and that work was sustainable, which it was, and she is now focused on a career path and looking forward to living her new life.

Photo: Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock

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Participant feedback

“I have been on many courses, but none like this – on the others, they treat you as a number on a list. Never has anyone addressed my health, listened to my fears and barriers, never mind addressed them, but that is what happened here, and that made all of the difference. Because of this, I am now in a place where I can and am looking for work and know exactly what I CAN do.

“This project is a must for people struggling with health issues, anxiety, or low confidence. It has equality at its core and a ‘can do attitude that has proved itself over and over. Thank you so much for believing”!

Partner feedback

“I cannot thank you enough for how quickly and positively you’ve taken on all my referrals today/ yesterday. It does mean the world to me to see these kids and young adults getting some much needed support and making these big steps in the right direction. [anon] is one that I am chuffed to bits about being referred to you guys as she’s had more than her fair share to deal with and is long overdue some positivity”.

“As always I can’t stress my gratitude enough for all the work you guys continue to do”.

The Get Involved Group

The Get Involved Group provides opportunities for disabled people to join strategic conversations about services they need to access and ensures their voice is heard when changes to services are planned.

One of the project’s core activities this year has been the Disabled Car User’s Forum, facilitated in partnership with Brighton & Hove City Council (BHCC). The forum ensures Blue Badge holders and other disabled car users in the city have a direct link to parking services and other council teams.

The current Disabled Car User Forum’s membership is 30 people/representatives, and it continues to grow.

This has given community groups and individuals a legitimate platform for the issues they face relating to parking and car use and take part in design, implementation, and decisions at the early stages. Previously, people and groups often had to challenge decisions retrospectively, feeling like they were “on the outside, shouting about problems.” In contrast, they now describe genuinely feeling heard, part of the conversation, and work progresses more effectively from the start to consider the needs of disabled people.

Through the work of this group and increasingly strong relationships with BHCC parking services, we are discussing Disability Confident training for parking enforcement officers and other parking staff.

This work has enabled us to form a partnership with Disabled Motoring UK to work on an exciting pilot designing and developing blue badge bays with electric vehicle charging facilities – the first of its kind in the country. We have enabled disabled people to be involved in discussions about the design, implementation and decisions from the outset. We are proud to be involved with the live “demonstrator bay” and expect more bays of this nature to come into the city next year.

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Feedback from member

“The Disabled Car Users Advisory Group is a beneficial touch point between disabled Blue Badge holders and officers who implement local policy around vehicle use and access in our city.

“It enables a more proactive and effective delivery of the city’s transport policy and the Blue Badge parking scheme, which needs to ensure it holds the lived experience of disabled car users at the forefront. BADGE appreciates the ‘can-do’ attitude demonstrated by the Blue Badge and Parking Design and Implementation Team officers who attend these meetings. We will continue to support Possability People with attendance and encourage our BADGE members to stay involved” (Pippa Hodge – BADGE co-founder).

We continued to provide access audits throughout the year, ensuring the lived experience of disabled people using spaces and buildings was heard and considered. Following the access audit of Valley Gardens (a local regeneration project), a proposal for a new accessible toilet and twice the number of Blue Badge accessible parking bays in the area has been made. This will significantly improve access for disabled people and tourists using a key attraction in the city.

We have worked with BHCC to ensure communications for public consultations are as accessible as possible, resulting in more disabled people participating in public consultation activities.

Throughout the year, engagement activities, including access audits and focus groups, have had a wide-ranging impact and reach. Notably, the King Alfred Centre, Old Shoreham Road and Western Road have been explored and examined through the lens of accessibility.

We have also been involved in ensuring the accessibility of the plans for low traffic neighbourhood developments in Hanover. Our work with the King Alfred Leisure Centre means that for the first time in over 40 years, a disabled access route to the car park and leisure centre is now in development.

We were delighted this year to be commissioned by Brighton & Hove Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to begin a Mental Health Lived Experience Advisory Group (LEAG) to support the Community Transformation Delivery Project. The group meets monthly and comprises a variety of people who have accessed different mental health services in Brighton and Hove. There are many opportunities for people to feed their views into discussions even if they do not want to join a regular meeting.

The LEAG has fed back on a variety of topics to the CCG, including:

LEAG meetings include presentations, questions and feedback discussions with representatives of services and the Clinical Commissioning Group. Members also raise important issues or concerns which we have the opportunity to support them in pursuing.

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Meetings were initially online due to ongoing pandemic restrictions, but as these have relaxed, a hybrid model is in place, allowing people to attend in the way which works best for them. Regular socials are held outside the group meetings for members to get to know one another and aid in overcoming social isolation. 1:1 meetings also regularly occur with the group facilitator to ensure that everyone can engage in discussions as much as possible and provide support as required.

An expert by experience, in their own words

I am an Expert By Experience that sits within the Mental Health Lived Experience Advisroy Group; we are a community of people who want to use our experiences to make an active change and make a difference in the community that we live in. Over the last several months, we have made recommendations to Brighton & Hove’s Mental Health Transformation Plan and worked collaboratively with CCG partners to give them a real understanding of what living with a mental health condition or diagnosis is like. Through the power of Co-Production, we play a vital part in creating, developing and delivering change within our mental health services.

Hospital Discharge Support (formerly Link Back and Early Response)

This year, the service was renamed and restructured. This makes it easier for beneficiaries to understand who we are and what we offer and makes it simpler for our NHS colleagues to refer people to us.

The Pandemic required hospital discharge to change dramatically to cope with the demand for beds and prevent cross-infection. The pressure to free up beds and discharge patients home rapidly resulted in many older and frail patients finding themselves back home without the support they needed to continue their recovery, in some cases, without a package of care.

This situation is more difficult because of challenges (which are nationwide) in recruiting and retaining staff. This has led to an increasing shortage of care provision. Therefore, even as things have started to return to normal on a global and national scale, the service must continue to be vigilant and flexible in its response.

As we come out of the Pandemic, staff teams continue to deliver the service on a hybrid home/ office basis. The most significant change in working practice for the service is an increase in homebased visits (in line with Covid guidelines) alongside contractors. These visits enable the Hospital Discharge Grant Coordinator to do a fuller assessment to identify essential works and associated risks, thus ensuring the best outcomes.

Hospital Discharge Support provides a unique model of hospital discharge support combining access to hospital discharge funding to facilitate safer patient discharge with ongoing personcentred link work to enhance independence and wellbeing.

Working with University Hospital (UHS) colleagues, community responsive services, community health teams and the community and voluntary sector, we ensure vulnerable patients get the support they need to optimise their recovery and reduce avoidable readmission rates. This eases pressure on already stretched hospital and intermediate care services.

A total of 463 people were referred to the service following a hospital admission.

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Based on a conservative estimate of 2 hospital bed days saved per beneficiary, 256 bed days were saved over the year, an NHS cost saving of £102,400*

The service aims to provide a seamless pathway between all our support services to ensure the best possible recovery and recuperation following a hospital stay.

Hospital Discharge Grants and Handy Person’s Grants (part of Brighton & Hove City Council’s Disabled Facilities Grants) provide financial assistance and support through the urgent provision of repairs, adaptations, equipment, property deep cleans and so on.

This work enables people to return home to a suitable environment swiftly, prevents unnecessary readmission, and promotes independence by ensuring the home environment is appropriate. Beneficiaries can then access the ongoing post-discharge support from our team of link workers. This improves the connection between acute-based health and social care settings and the Community & Voluntary Sector. It provides clear referral pathways for vulnerable people coming out of hospital to the service best able to support them.

The eligibility criteria for Hospital Discharge Funding is any patient over the age of 65 or any age if they are a disabled person. The eligibility criteria for the post-discharge support remain for anyone age 55+. This inequality of access remains a challenge that we seek to address and regularly communicate with our funders to resolve. There are also inequalities within the grant support related to accommodation type, which we are mindful of and seek to overcome. Younger people referred to us for grant support seem to have a broader range of acute mental and physical health concerns. The work to provide their interventions is often labour-intensive but with positive outcomes.

We have an “urgent” flagging system within our referral process, enabling the team to triage the referrals we receive effectively and prioritise work based on need. We hope to improve this further in the coming year, with a new team structure already in place and new support services coming online.

Traditionally when a person was referred to our service, they had just been discharged or would be within 24-48 hours. Due to the challenge of getting care packages in place, we are not seeing discharge being delayed, despite people being referred to our service. This has meant the team now needs to track patients referred in for between 2-8 weeks, often trying to keep tabs on them as they are transferred between wards and to intermediate care beds.

Not only is this an administrative challenge, but we are also aware of the impact an increased stay in hospital has on people, with their confidence, mobility and independence potentially reduced. Therefore, more of these people require post-discharge support to help rebuild their confidence and skills after hospital.

*based on the £400 per day rate our hospital colleagues have provided for reference

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This has also highlighted the lack of reablement support in the community as a critical need Possability People would love to address. Other vital gaps in service to refer our beneficiaries to include low cost counselling or mental health support (for those who do not meet the threshold of statutory interventions), befriending and welling services for people who experience complex mental health and those with substance misuse issues.

The range of support and services provided has continued to diversify this year and includes:

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Seeking service feedback and evaluation can be challenging for the HDS; their beneficiaries can have memory issues and confusion over what service was provided and from where. We have plans to improve the collection and reporting of this data in the coming year.

However, this year, we can report that based on 452 people supported, 52% reported better access to local services, 31% reported being able to live more independently, and 10% reported being more socially supported and engaged.

Of the 81 people who directly responded to our satisfaction survey and received a service directly from us, 17% reported that they were satisfied, 81% reported feeling very satisfied, and 99% felt that their needs were addressed by the service.

Client feedback

“Thank you, it’s been helpful. I’m especially surprised at how much I look forward to the befriending visit. It’s been good to have a listening ear and reassuring to know I can call if I need to”.

“Really appreciated the support and kind follow up. My daughter now has all the information and will get in touch if more support is needed”.

“Thank you for all your help. I’m not sure how I would have managed with my daughter in France and my neighbours leading busy lives. It’s good to know there is someone I can call”.

Partner feedback

“What can I say about Possability People? Always supporting our clients with the utmost professionalism and a strong sense of social justice. Very clear about their roles and limitations, including funding available. Knowledgeable (they know so many resources that can help our community and us). Communication is clear, swift and to the point. Person-centred and antioppressive approaches underpin their professional practices (willing to go the extra mile to ensure our clients get what they need – within their remit, of course).

“Willing to give us feedback and create a strong partnership among services, agencies and stakeholders. The referral process is straightforward. Strong sense of safeguarding, aware of how to report abuse (and protect their own contractors) and, if need be, monitor risky situations (allowing us social workers to continue to protect our clients against abuse). Communication here is critical. Without Possability People, our clients would struggle to acquire the necessary resources to have at least essential life items to continue living at home.

“It goes without saying that Possability People provide much more than essential life items. This is fundamentally important in any society and country. Possability people provide us, social workers, a vital service that allows us to continue to bring a sense of normality into people’s lives (lives that are already in crisis)”.

Eduardo Dias, Social Worker. Hospital Responsive Service Social Work Team.

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Milly’s story

Milly, who is 92, was referred to us by a physiotherapist at Royal Sussex County Hospital after falling and fracturing her foot. The fracture meant she couldn’t put weight on it and needed practical support.

Milly required assistance emptying their commode, taking out the rubbish, shopping, and attending hospital and GP appointments. Milly has family, but they live abroad, so nobody local she could rely upon. She occasionally asked their neighbours for help with tasks such as taking the rubbish out but felt uncomfortable asking them to do more.

We discussed transport options and linked Milly up with Bluebird Hospital Transport, so a volunteer driver could attend hospital appointments with her. We discovered Milly was finding it hard getting in and out of the bath and was interested in a walk-in shower. We discussed potential grant funding for this and made a referral to the Occupational Therapist to support the application. The Occupational Therapist was happy to support to the claim but requested our team support Milly with the paperwork and forms.

Milly was provided information about the Easy Link Shopping Bus, which helped her shop independently. However, Milly was not confident walking with just a stick so we discussed different options, and Milly used a local mobility shop to buy a walker.

The neighbours continued to provide ad-hoc support. Milly was a member of the University of the Third Age and felt had all the social interaction she needed.

As Milly’s family lived abroad, she commented that having someone “local” to talk to about services, who they could call when needed, was great peace of mind.

We supported Milly to apply for a Disabled Facilities Grant and supported her at each stage, meaning the Occupational Therapist didn’t have to input very much. Arranging support in advance for a hospital appointment in Lewes reduced Milly’s anxiety, knowing she would get there safely and on time.

The information on local services was the icing on the cake, with Milly able to get out and about safely with the new walker and access the Easy Link bus. This made her mobile and feel more independent.

Milly says, “thank you for all your help. I’m not sure how I would have managed with my family in France and my neighbours leading busy lives. It’s good to know there’s someone I can call.”

Photo: sasirin pamai/Shutterstock

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“I always like to feedback as you guys are such a God send in the hospital, and I honestly don’t know what we would do without your team. I am a social worker at RSCH, and I make regular referrals to PP HDS to support patients to get home from the hospital. They, in my eyes, are essential to getting patients home, and I feel the service is incredibly powerful and efficient in what they do. They understand the hospital’s time pressures and work incredibly person-centred ways to ensure patients and their loved ones are kept in the loop and happy with what’s being done. I have not once heard anything but praise for the service from a patient or a patient’s loved ones. They have brought patients’ specialist wheelchairs in (to the hospital) to support safe discharge. They have organised deep cleans, essential white goods, mattresses, gas safety checks and fixing anything that needs fixing to ensure safety – and I’m sure there are many more things than what I’ve listed. Still, I can only go on the support I have received for patients I’ve worked with. I feel incredibly lucky to be able to refer. I’ve also definitely had issues where I have called up and been supported with problem solving to find solutions at home to reduce informal carer stress and other risks that home may present. On the whole, the service supported to mitigate any unnecessary delays or stay in interim beds – which helps reduce the risks around the patients deconditioning and losing their independence – helping patients to return hand remain in their own home – which is always our goal”.

Ashleigh Harper, social worker, hospital responsive services discharge team/social work office.

Right Track/MSK

We provide a social prescribing service to support clinicians at Sussex MSK Partnership. The service gives people time and space to talk about what matters to them and identify the changes they want to make in their lives. We support people by referring or signposting them to community services. We help them to meet the goals they set for themselves, make changes in their lives, and improve their health.

A total of 393 people were seen by the service this year. The service continued remotely, although, in the final month, we have begun to return to clinic based services in Crawley, Haywards Heath, Horsham and Brighton. In the coming year, social prescribers will continue on-site delivery, and beneficiaries will be offered a choice of face-to-face or telephone appointments. We can also provide video-call appointments, although there has been no interest from beneficiaries in this to date.

After much promotion of the service within Sussex MSK Partnership, we have fully booked clinics and are implementing a waiting list. We will continue to monitor this to ensure it remains within acceptable levels. However, the service is clear that it is not an “urgent” or “emergency” provision; therefore, a short delay in accessing will not cause any beneficiaries any harm.

Social Prescribers have been present in physio and multi-disciplinary team meetings to promote the service and work with clinicians to improve referral pathways.

Additional projects we have been involved with include a 4:1 supervision model (4 trainee advanced practitioner specialists are overseen by one senior practitioner with group supervision. We were provided with the opportunity to observe clinical practice, join the supervision process and feedback on any opportunities where person-centred approaches could be improved). Feedback for our involvement in this has been consistently positive, with clinicians noting the need to remain person-centred in their choice of language.

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We have also been involved in the Clinical Validation Project (Waiting Well Programme – a pilot with the potential for national roll out). This project targets the most socially disadvantaged people on surgical waiting lists. It explores what information they need about their options and what could support them while waiting. These projects have increased awareness of and driven referrals to our Social Prescribing Services.

We look forward to other partnership opportunities with SMSKP in the coming year.

Social Prescribers have worked with beneficiaries presenting with a broad range of needs and interests including, but not limited to:

Feedback suggests many people would like longer appointments and/or more opportunities for follow up conversations. This is currently outside the contract specification, but we continue monitoring these demands to discuss with SMSKP.

We also identified that some people coming to the service were unclear about the social prescribing service and its aims. To resolve this issue and support clinicians to refer appropriately, we have created a detailed explanation of the social prescriber role, which is presented at relevant team meetings. We have also produced new digital leaflets and information that offer clinicians prompting questions to help determine who is best suited for a referral. We have provided clinicians with appropriate services to direct people to if/when they are in crisis – the Social Prescriber service is not urgent or emergency support; therefore, it is essential that people in need of this type of support can be directed to it effectively and efficiently.

Feedback

“I have started making small changes, such as not drinking coffee. My first conversation my social prescriber helped me appreciate the importance of micro-changes and build confidence in my ability to achieve them”.

Clinician feedback

“A great conversation about how to better present patient treatment options so that the patient has a better opportunity to understand them”

“I became more aware of the language I used to communicate with patients and how some of this could be changed”.

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Mel’s story

Mel, who is 41, is diagnosed with EhlersDanlos Syndrome, chronic pain, and osteopenia. They were referred to the social prescribers to explore ways to become more active. They had investigated some local exercise options but found several barriers to participating. Local yoga and Pilates classes were too expensive, and other classes were beyond their fitness level and ability.

Mel used to be very active, going to the gym and various classes. Still, as their condition progressed, they were unable to continue this. They experienced a disconnect between their

brain and their body, often pushing past physical limits and then having energy crashes. Mel also disclosed Autism and told us they thought this related to the rigid thinking patterns around what they can or cannot do. Mel used to enjoy swimming but no longer had anyone to go with and didn’t enjoy going alone. They had lost the motivation to keep going.

We supported Mel in identifying what mattered most to them. They wanted to find a form of exercise they could stick to, with support to do it in a managed way and avoid crashing. Mel was aware of a keep fit class in the local park but didn’t have the confidence to attend. The following plan was agreed:

Mel would observe a class to see what they do, noting the exercises and the environment. This would help to reduce anxiety around going the first time.

Mel would get the contact details for the instructor, speak to the instructor about their concerns, and let them know about the anxieties related to attending. This would help to reassure Mel that the instructor would be welcoming.

Mel to discuss with their partner what support could be put in place. Partner could use prompts such as “have you checked your energy levels today?” or “what is the most important thing to get done today?”. This would support M in developing healthy coping strategies to manage their energy levels.

3 weeks later, Mel returned for a follow up appointment. Mel had observed the keep fit class and noticed that lots of people did modified versions of the exercises, which gave Mel more confidence about joining in. Mel spoke to the instructor after class and found them helpful, kind and friendly. The instructor suggested Mel join for half a class and the build-up, which Mel plans to do for the first time next week. Mel shared a video on “Spoon Theory” with their partner. They both found it to be a valuable tool for understanding energy levels. Their partner now regularly asks about Mel’s “Spoons” as a way to check in and support condition management.

Overall, Mel reported feeling good, with improved confidence in their ability to start exercising again and managing their health condition effectively.

Photo: MarSanta/Shutterstock

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Steady and strong

In response to feedback from beneficiaries, we have continued to develop and adapt the provision of our gentle exercise classes.

Throughout the year, we reduced the course length. We produced content to allow different exercises each session, rather than repetition and build-up. Two 10-week classes, two 6-week classes and a one-off Christmas class have been run this year.

A total of 144 tickets have been purchased. We have added two more videos to the YouTube channel to complement the class, bringing the total to eight.

These videos have been viewed 1,1670 times

Link to our You Tube Channel.

Feedback from Steady and Strong participants

“Thank you so much for providing this class. The exercises are accessible with a range of options clearly explained and demonstrated so you can do what is right for you. Cat is a brilliant trained, giving us lots of encouragement and support and changing exercises from class to class. It keeps us (quite literally) on our toes. Undertaking exercises and physio alone can be challenging, so having a regular, welcoming and supportive environment to exercise and learn with others is amazing, so please keep providing the class”.

“My strength and balance have improved. I do some of the exercises at home while I’m making tea or when I’m standing on the bus”.

“It takes into account people’s differing abilities. It offers harder or easier things, letting people choose what works for them”.

“The zoom classes can be done from home, so we don’t have to leave the house”.

“Steady & Strong classes are a “window of opportunity” that has improved my health and mental wellbeing over the last year. I look forward to the classes as part of my routine; they’ve helped my confidence”.

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Social enterprises

At Home

As the pandemic guidelines changed throughout the year, the team implemented effective systems to provide and monitor Covid-19 testing, PPE delivery and distribution and, more recently, vaccinations. Two PPE storage systems have been set up, with regular deliveries arriving via the NHS portal each week. Department of Health and Social Care Capacity Tracker questionnaires are completed daily based on cases, capacity, vaccinations and testing. Staff are testing via lateral flow test daily, and we are in discussions with local authorities to maintain that level of testing rather than reduce it to twice weekly. Additional Brighton & Hove City Council funding for workplace retention and infection control has supported the purchase of lateral flow test kits and associated infrastructure.

The business has continued a slow but steady growth throughout the year, with the highest number of billable hours and highest income generated within this period. Overnight care packages have been taken on, and over the past year, around 20,000 hours of care were provided.

The main reason for people leaving the service continues to be an increase in care needs to the point of requiring live-in, residential or hospital care.

Our client satisfaction survey this year, again, reaped overwhelmingly positive results.

When asked what difference their care makes to their lives, comments include “I am active and go out more”, “I wouldn’t manage without it”, “independence”, and “I like having company.”

We did not change our ratings for consistency, but based on the previous year, this slipped from 100% to 75%. Part of this is likely due to the Pandemic. 17 members of staff have had COVID-19 at some point during the year, making it essential we do all we can to reduce the impact on the service.

We are actively working to mitigate this impact and build more flexibility into the team. Where clients only have one PA, we are working to build resilience in the service and introduce them to other staff members so we can provide known substitutes when holiday or sickness impact availability.

We are also working on various recruitment measures, including a film to be released next year

and a PR campaign.

We conducted a survey of our PAs this year, which generally demonstrated high levels of staff satisfaction:

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(It is worth noting that for almost all measures less than 100% positive, this reflects people skipping the question rather than providing a negative response).

PA feedback

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Jason and Bartholomew’s story

“Possibility People have been nothing but supportive. We have had excellent carers in here everyday Mon to Fri. Not only do they provide a break for me and some certainty that I can be out of the house, they have supported Bartholomew in his rehab”.

Jason and Bartholomew, for example, have attended joint meetings with the Speech and Language therapist about how to support Bartholomew’s language recovery.

“Bartholomew is able to plan independent activities of his choice which may include

a simple coffee, a short trip to see the bluebells (our first date), or shopping in Sainsburys. Jason and Bartholomew took time to plan a birthday celebration for me, something of which Bartholomew was incredibly proud.

“In many ways the carers have given him his life and choices back again”.

As a strategy we have focused on enabling Bartholomew achieve his goals as opposed to simply sitting with him or cleaning. Although if he is having a “bad” day there can be an element of that.

Bartholomew’s condition is highly unpredictable. As a team we divided the days into Green/ Amber/Red. Green days are when he is full of energy/determination and will want to take on the world. Amber days are when he wants to engage and can achieve small tasks – normally in the house. Red days are when, because of seizures of stroke exhaustion he is unable to complete any task and will often be asleep. Days can move from green to red quickly.

Chris is the newest carer. Having a male carer allows Bartholomew to go swimming. The council pay for a warm swimming pool and Bartholomew is able to relax his muscles. Chris has also bought a new interest into the house. His passion for snooker has been transferred to Bartholomew. Snooker is a non-verbal game with many disabled one-handed players. In fact, there is a one-handed snooker league. Chris brings a different energy to the house and Bartholomew enjoys his company.

Payroll and Supported Bank Accounts

Payroll and Supported Bank Account services remain vital to disabled people who manage their own care and support. They alleviate the administrative burden of running a payroll service for PAs, are generating payslips and reporting to HMRC.

The service can also provide a secure, separate bank account for its clients so that care and support payments can be easily managed.

Photo courtesy of Jason & Bartholomew

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Over the last year, many of the team’s volunteers could not provide support remotely, so the staff have picked up this additional work. As restrictions eased, the team adopted a hybrid model of working, allowing its previous volunteers, as well as many new ones, to come back to the office.

As well as providing the payroll service, the team continued to be a trusted source of information and advice about the changing COVID-19 requirements and regulations. Direct payment users were not specified in public information guidelines on care homes or domiciliary care, so the team researched and shared up to date, appropriate information in an accessible way.

The service supported 785 people throughout the year.

Possability Place

Our accessible venue was available for hire for support groups of up to 15 people throughout the Pandemic in line with government guidance. Once these restrictions were lifted, we worked within the guidance to open to community groups and charities in the local area.

Hirers steadily increased from September onwards. We’ve seen the return of our previous regular hirers, but also attracted new ones. This is often because other venues were not confident enough to open during lockdowns, so new groups tried us and decided to stay.

We are pleased to be able to support fellow charities by providing a welcoming and COVID-19 secure venue for them to provide their own services. Activities range from support groups, social clubs, training, meetings, art therapy, parenting groups and dance workshops for those with visual impairments.

We were operated as an accessible polling station in May.

6 regular bookers use the venue for 2.5 days plus 2 evenings per week. We also have a range of people booking the space for one-off events or short bursts such as a 6-week course.

Our revenue from these bookings has increased 12.5 times that of the previous year.

Shopmobility

Shopmobility opening hours gradually increased throughout the year, in line with reducing restrictions. A contactless service initially opened in mid April (alongside non-essential retail) for 2 days per week and only for pre-booked hires.

From the beginning of June, we began to offer a 5 day a week service again, still contactless and for pre-booked hires only. It wasn’t until the 19 July that we could provide a drop-in service.

Even on days when we were technically closed, we ensured disabled people knew they could contact us if they needed to hire equipment, and we were able to provide equipment hires on days we were closed.

Robust cleaning and contactless procedures were put in place to protect visitors, staff and volunteers. This also helped to ensure customer confidence in using the service, as many of our customer groups are vulnerable to COVID-19 due to existing health conditions or impairments.

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Our bookings this year were lower than pre-pandemic figures, but a significant improvement on the year before with a hope to return to normal service levels in the coming year.

Interestingly, with a total of 360 hires, there was an increase in the length of average hire – with people tending to visit hotels for extended periods.

We also noticed an unusual peak in demand between September and January, which we believe is primarily due to the impact of the Pandemic on tourism in general, with a pent-up demand to get away but too many barriers to travelling out of the country.

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Financial review

The most significant event during the reporting period was the COVID-19 health emergency. The charity withstood the financial pressures arising from the Coronavirus pandemic, utilising the balance of COVID emergency support funding from received in the previous reporting year. There was benefit too from a significant reduction in non-payroll expenses, in particular venue hires and travel costs arising as a consequence of social distancing.

The other major and ongoing uncertainty arises from the continuing squeeze on budgets in the public sector. This has the potential to reduce or cease funding for some of our core projects. We continue to provide funds for these through surpluses generated by social enterprise activities, our Payroll and Accounts Service and At Home care agency. Also, we have established a successful fundraising function primarily through bids to trusts and foundations.

The principal sources of our income are shown in notes 3 to 5 to the financial statements. Incoming resources during the year increased to £1,555,285 (2021 - £1,493,625).

Our results for the year show an overall surplus of £467; £50,142 from unrestricted funds offsetting a deficit of £(49,675) from unrestricted funds; (2021 - total surplus of £102,645 of which £27,314 from unrestricted funds and £75,331 from restricted funds).

A net transfer from restricted funds of £60,086 arose (2021, a £7,018 transfer to restricted funds was required). The final result was an overall surplus of £50,142 (2021 – surplus of £20,296) to unrestricted funds.

Going Concern

At the time of publication, there is no reason to conclude that our current funds flow will fail to cover the cost of our activities over the 18-24 months from the balance sheet date of 31 March 2022. Consequently, we have no Going Concern issues to report.

Reserves policy

Unrestricted funds held at the year-end were £219,691 (2021 - £169,549). Tangible fixed assets have been written down to £nil, (2021 - £nil). Therefore, the free reserves as defined by the Charity Commission were £219,691, (2021 - £169,549).

The Management Committee has examined the charity’s requirements for reserves considering the main risks to the organisation. It has a long established target for unrestricted funds held by the charity to be 3 months of expected expenditure. Monthly budgeted expenditure for 2022/23 exceeds £120,000 and therefore the target is £360,000 in general funds. However, the present level of free reserves available to the charity falls short of this target level. The Management Committee is comfortable with the cover of expenditure, 1.7 months. The Management Committee remains prepared to curtail existing activities and expenditure should the cover provided by reserves fall below 1.4 months.

Restricted funds held at the year-end were £65,316 (2021 - £114,991). These funds can only be used for specific purposes as defined by the funders.

The Advice Centre was funded by The Henry Smith Charity, The Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust, East Sussex County Council & Brighton & Hove City Council, to provide an advice service for disabled people. At the year-end a reserve of £42,363 (2021 - £20,330) was carried forward.

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Get Involved Group was funded by Brighton & Hove City Council via The Trust for Developing Communities, the National Lottery Community Fund and Brighton & Hove Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). The Group provides a platform for people with a lived experience of disability, longterm health condition, impairment or mental health condition, and their carers, to have their voices heard on issues that directly affect them. Safe At Home was launched in direct response to the pandemic and connected with isolated, vulnerable disabled people. Overall, a deficit of £(11,045) (2021 - £(2,556)) was incurred on this activity requiring a transfer from unrestricted funds.

COVID-19 Community Relief was funded by Barclays Charities Trust to cover PPE distribution to our client groups. The anticipated expenditure in the current year was a fraction of that expected. As a consequence, the Management Committee instructed a transfer of the remaining reserve of £77,408 to unrestricted reserves; (2021 - £77,408 was carried forward).

The Get Set Opening Doors service is funded by a successful bid to the National Lottery Community Fund. This will see the charity receive almost £400,000 for a four-year programme to support disabled people into work, volunteering or training in Brighton, Hove and across East Sussex. In the current year a deficit of £(6,277) (2021 - £(4,462)) was incurred on this activity requiring a transfer from unrestricted funds.

The Right Track project received additional funding from Sport England and Disability Rights UK for our MSK Social Prescribing service. At the year-end a reserve of £1,800 (2021 - £1,344) was carried forward.

Hospital Discharge Service (formerly Link Back) is funded by:

a) NHS Brighton & Hove Clinical Commissioning Group to provide a service that links people to the community, voluntary and private sector services that can enhance their independence and day to day lives on their return home from hospital admissions; and

b) Brighton and Hove City Council via their Hospital Discharge Disabled Facilities Grant.

At the year-end a reserve of £494 (2021 - £3,147) was carried forward.

Shopmobility is funded by Brighton & Hove City Council to provide hire of mobility scooters, powered and manual wheelchairs to visitors and residents of Brighton & Hove. At the year-end a reserve of £7,931 (2021 - £12,762) was carried forward.

50

Responsibilities of Board of Trustees

The trustees, who are also the directors of Possability People Limited for the purpose of company law, are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Report and the accounts 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 for the UK and Republic of Ireland’.

Company law requires the trustees to prepare accounts 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 charitable company for that year.

In preparing these accounts, the trustees are required to:

The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the accounts 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.

Disclosure of information to auditors

The Directors who held office at the date of approval of this Directors report confirm that, so far as they are each aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the Company’s auditors are unaware; and each Director has taken all the steps that he ought to have taken as a Director to make himself aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the Company’s auditors are aware of that information.

Mark Green On behalf of the board of trustees

Dated 9 August 2022

51

Independent auditors’ report to the members of Possability People limited

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of Possability People (the ‘parent charity’) and its subsidiary (the ‘group’) for the year ended 31 March 2022 which comprise the Statement of financial activities, the Balance sheet, the Statement of cash flows and the related notes, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 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:

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 Auditors’ 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 United Kingdom, including the Financial Reporting Council’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 group’s and parent 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.

52

Other information

The other information comprises the information included in the Annual report other than the financial statements and our Auditors’ report thereon. The Trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the Annual report. 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. 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 course of 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 this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. 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.

Opinion on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

53

Responsibilities of trustees

As explained more fully in the Trustees’ responsibilities statement, 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 Group’s and the parent 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 Group or parent charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditors’ 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 Auditors’ 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 extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:

Capability of the audit in detecting irregularities, including fraud

Based on our understanding of the group, parent charitable company and sector, and through discussion with the Trustees and management (as required by auditing standards), we identified the principal risks of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We considered the extent to which non-compliance might have a material effect on the financial statements. We also considered those laws and regulations that have a direct impact on the preparation of the financial statements such as the Companies Act 2006, Statement of Recommended Practice, taxation and pension legislation. We communicated identified laws and regulations throughout our team and remained alert to any indications of non-compliance throughout the audit. We evaluated management’s incentives and opportunities for fraudulent manipulation of the financial statements (including the risk of override of controls) and determined that the principal risks were related to posting inappropriate journal entries to increase income to reduce the deficit generated. Audit procedures performed by the engagement team included:

54

Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or non compliance with regulation. This risk increases the more that compliance with a law or regulation is removed from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, as we will be less likely to become aware of instances of non compliance.

As part of an audit in accordance with ISAs (UK), we exercise professional judgment and maintain professional scepticism throughout the audit. We also:

We communicate with those charged with governance regarding, among other matters, the planned scope and timing of the audit and significant audit findings, including any significant deficiencies in internal control that we identify during our audit.

55

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 Auditors’ 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 its members, as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Alison Jones FCA (Senior statutory auditor)

for and on behalf of

Kreston Reeves LLP

Chartered Accountants Statutory Auditor

Brighton

Date: 31 August 2022

56

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES (INCLUDING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT)

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

Unrestricted Restricted Total Total
funds funds 2022 2021
£ £ £ £
Income from: Notes
Donations 3 2,714 5,024 7,738 31,529
Activities for raising funds 4 26,069 - 26,069 4,864
Charitable activities – trading subsidiary 11 304,024 - 304,024 293,360
Charitable activities – parent charity
5		 685,133 532,321 1,217,454 1,163,872
──────── ──────── ──────── ────────
Total income 1,017,940 537,345 1,555,285 1,493,625
──────── ──────── ──────── ────────
Expenditure on:
Costs of raising funds
Marketing and advertising 6 2,699 - 2,699 2,728
──────── ──────── ──────── ────────
2,699 - 2,699 2,728
Charitable activities
Trading subsidiary 11 228,833 - 228,833 223,255
Parent charity 6 796,352 526,934 1,323,286 1,164,997
──────── ──────── ──────── ────────
1,025,185 526,934 1,552,119 1,388,252
──────── ──────── ──────── ────────
Total expenditure 1,027,884 526,934 1,554,818 1,390,980
──────── ──────── ──────── ────────
Net income for the year (9,944) 10,411 467 102,645
Gross transfers between funds 19 60,086 (60,086) - -
──────── ──────── ──────── ────────
Net movement in funds 50,142 (49,675) 467 102,645
Fund balances at 1 April 2021 169,549 114,991 284,540 181,895
──────── ──────── ──────── ────────
Fund balances at 31 March 2022 219,691 65,316 285,007 284,540
──────── ──────── ──────── ────────
2022 2021
£ £
(Deficit) / Surplus attributable to Possability People Limited (74,724) 32,540
──────── ────────

All activities are classed as continuing. There are no recognised gains or losses other than those reported on the Statement of Financial Activities.

The notes on pages 61 - 7 2 form part of these financial statements.

57

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET

AS AT 31 MARCH 2022

AS AT 31 MARCH 2022
2022 2021
Note £ £ £ £
Fixed assets
Tangible assets 13 - -
──────── ────────
- -
Current assets
Debtors 15 151,897 120,739
Cash at bank and in hand 234,170 287,800
──────── ────────
386,067 408,539
Creditors: amounts falling due within
one year		 16 (101,060) (123,999)
──────── ────────
Net current assets 285,007 284,540
──────── ────────
Total assets less current liabilities 285,007 284,540
──────── ────────
Income funds
Restricted funds 19 65,316 114,991
Unrestricted funds 19 219,691 169,549
──────── ────────
285,007 284,540
──────── ────────

The Charity's financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies’ regime.

The Trustees consider that the Charity is entitled to exemption from the requirement to have an audit under the provisions of section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 ("the Act") and members have not required the Charity to obtain an audit for the year in question in accordance with section 476 of the Act. However, an audit is required in accordance with section 151 of the Charities Act 2011.

The Trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and the preparation of financial statements.

The financial statements were approved and authorised for issue by the Trustees on ......................... and signed 9 August 2022 on their behalf, by:

..............................

Mark Green Trustee

Company Registration No. 05706441

The notes on pages 61 - 7 2 form part of these financial statements.

58

CHARITY BALANCE SHEET

AS AT 31 MARCH 2022

2022 2021
Note £ £ £ £
Fixed assets
Tangible assets 13 - -
Investments 14 2 2
──────── ────────
2 2
Current assets
Debtors 15 144,541 113,094
Cash at bank and in hand 142,053 201,312
──────── ────────
286,594 314,406
Creditors: amounts falling due within 16 (76,782) (99,975)
one year
──────── ────────
Net current assets 209,812 214,431
──────── ────────
Total assets less current liabilities 209,814 214,433
──────── ────────
Income funds
Restricted funds 19 65,316 114,991
Unrestricted funds 19 144,498 99,442
──────── ────────
209,814 214,433
──────── ────────

The Charity's financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies’ regime.

The Trustees consider that the Charity is entitled to exemption from the requirement to have an audit under the provisions of section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 ("the Act") and members have not required the Charity to obtain an audit for the year in question in accordance with section 476 of the Act. However, an audit is required in accordance with section 151 of the Charities Act 2011.

The Trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and the preparation of financial statements.

The financial statements were approved and authorised for issue by the Trustees on ......................... and signed 9 August 2022 on their behalf, by:

----- Start of picture text -----
..............................
----- End of picture text -----

Mark Green Trustee

Company Registration No. 05706441

The notes on pages 61 - 7 2 form part of these financial statements.

59

CONSOLIDATED CASH FLOW STATEMENT

AS AT 31 MARCH 2022

2022 2021
Notes £ £
Net cash (used by) / provided by operating activities 22 (53,630) 152,613
──────── ──────
(Decrease) / Increase in cash (53,630) 152,613
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year 287,800 135,187
──────── ──────
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year 234,170 287,800
──────── ──────

60

POSSABILITY PEOPLE LIMITED NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

1 Statutory information

Possability People Limited is a charitable private company, limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales. The charitable company’s registered number and registered office address and principal place of business can be found on the Legal and Administrative information page.

2 Accounting policies

2.1 Basis of preparation

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with 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) - (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006.

Possability People Limited meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy. Accounting policies have been consistently applied.

The Statement of Financial activities (SOFA) and Balance sheet consolidate the financial statements of the Charity and its subsidiary undertaking. The results of the subsidiary are consolidated on a line by line basis. No separate SOFA has been presented for the Charity alone as permitted by section 408 of the Companies Act 2006.

The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.

2.2 Group financial statements

These financial statements consolidate the results of the charity and its wholly owned subsidiary Possability People Trading Limited.

The charity has taken advantage of the exemption contained within section 408 of the Companies Act 2006 not to present it own Income and expenditure account.

2.3 Going concern

At the time of approving the financial statements, the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. This statement is made with full recognition of the actual and potential continued future financial impact arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus the Trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements and have no material uncertainty.

61

POSSABILITY PEOPLE LIMITED NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

2 Accounting policies (continued)

2.4 Income

All income is included in the Statement of Financial Activities when the charity is legally entitled to the income, the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy and receipt is probable. The subsidiary is VAT registered.

Grant income is recognised over the period for which it is granted.

Donations and gifts are recognised when receivable.

Subsidiary income is derived from services to clients with Direct Payments budgets and small employers’ payroll services. Additionally, there is licence fee income from use of proprietary software. All income is recognised when invoiced.

Investment income is recognised when receivable.

Other incoming resources are recognised when receivable.

2.5 Government Grants

Grants of a revenue nature are recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities in the same period as the related expenditure. During the year the company received assistance from the coronavirus job retention scheme.

2.6 Expenditure

Expenditure is analysed as follows:

Charitable expenditure comprises those costs incurred by the charity in the delivery of its activities. It includes both costs that can be allocated directly to such activities and those costs of an indirect nature necessary to support the activities of the charity.

Governance costs include those costs associated with meeting the constitutional and statutory requirements of the charity and include the audit fees and costs linked to the strategic management of the charity. They are included within the support costs of the charity.

All costs are allocated between expenditure categories of the Statement of Financial Activities on a basis designed to reflect the use of the resource. Costs relating to a particular activity are allocated directly, others are apportioned based on estimated usage as a proportion of directly attributable expenditure. Expenditure is provided for when a legal or constructive obligation exists and includes irrecoverable value added tax within the item of expense to which it relates.

62

POSSABILITY PEOPLE LIMITED NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

2 Accounting policies (continued)

2.7

Tangible fixed assets and depreciation

It is the policy of the charity to capitalise items exceeding £2,500 in cost. Expenditure below this level is taken to the Statement of Financial Activities as incurred.

Tangible fixed assets are stated at cost less depreciation. Depreciation is provided at rates calculated to write off the cost less estimated residual value of each asset over its expected useful life, as follows: Computer equipment 3 years straight line Fixtures, fittings & equipment 6 years straight line Specialist equipment 4 years straight line

2.8 Debtors

Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid.

2.9

Cash at bank and in hand

Cash at bank and in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments.

2.10 Creditors and provisions

Creditors and provisions 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.

2.11 Investments

Fixed asset investments are not stated at market value, due to the lack of market information. The trustees have elected to value the investment at cost.

2.12 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.

2.13 Pensions

The charity operates a defined contributions pension scheme. Contributions are charged in the accounts as they become payable in accordance with the rules of the scheme.

2.14 Accumulated funds

Unrestricted general funds comprise those amounts received for use at the discretion of the trustees in the furtherance of the general objectives of the charity.

Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions imposed by donors and includes monies raised for specific projects.

63

POSSABILITY PEOPLE LIMITED NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

3 Donations

3 Donations
Unrestricted Restricted Total
funds funds 2022
£ £ £
Donations 2,714 5,024 7,738
Government Grant - - -
──────── ──────── ───────
2,714 5,024 7,738
──────── ──────── ───────
Unrestricted Restricted Total
funds funds 2021
£ £ £
Donations 3,169 780 3,949
Government Grant 27,580 - 27,580
──────── ──────── ───────
30,749 780 31,529
──────── ──────── ───────
4 Income from activities for raising funds
Unrestricted Restricted Total
funds funds 2022
£ £ £
Shopmobility 6,806 - 6,806
Fund Generation 19,263 - 19,263
──────── ──────── ───────
26,069 - 26,069
──────── ──────── ───────
Unrestricted Restricted Total
funds funds 2021
£ £ £
Shopmobility 975 - 975
Fund Generation 3,889 - 3,889
──────── ──────── ───────
4,864 - 4,864
──────── ──────── ───────

64

POSSABILITY PEOPLE LIMITED NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

5 Income from charitable activities
Unrestricted
Restricted
Total
funds
funds
2022
£
£
£
Income received
685,133
532,321
1,217,454
────────
────────
───────
Unrestricted
Restricted
Total
funds
funds
2021
£
£
£
Income received
650,367
513,505
1,163,872
────────
────────
───────
Included within income received are the following:
2022
2021
£
£
Unrestricted funds
At Home
456,149
425,097
Here
75,000
75,000
DWP
134,368
58,623
Sussex Community Foundation
19,616
8,964
Edward Gostling Foundation
-
9,997
Zetetick Housing
-
5,000
CAF Resilience Fund
-
12,153
Garfield Weston
-
25,000
Surrey Community Foundation
-
5,000
BHCC
-
10,000
National Emergencies Trust
-
15,533
───────
───────
685,133
650,367
───────
───────
Restricted funds
Brighton & Hove City Council
67,681
25,561
Brighton & Hove CCG
21,391
10,000
Brighton & Hove City Council - Shopmobility
26,100
26,100
Ernest Kleinwort CharitableTrust
2,500
2,500
The Henry Smith Charity
40,700
40,000
Trust For Developing Communities
23,000
23,000
Moneyworks
16,573
9,573
Hospital Discharge Service (formerly Link back) project
156,787
137,088
National Lottery Community Fund
107,309
135,313
Disability Rights
2,410
-
Barclays Charities Trust
-
100,000
East Sussex County Council
65,000
1,500
Sport England
2,870
2,870
───────
───────
532,321
513,505
───────
───────

65

POSSABILITY PEOPLE LIMITED NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

6 Expenditure

Expenditure
Staff Depre- Other Total
costs ciation costs 2022
£ £ £ £
Costs of generating funds
Marketing and advertising - - 2,699 2,699
─────── ─────── ──────── ───────
Charitable activities
Parent charity activities undertaken directly 974,914 - 86,255 1,061,169
Parent charity support costs 170,487 - 94,775 265,262
Trading subsidiary activities undertaken directly 138,103 - 22,385 160,488
Trading subsidiary support costs 24,151 - 41,049 65,200
─────── ────── ─────── ───────
1,307,655 - 244,464 1,552,119
─────── ────── ─────── ───────
Total expenditure 1,307,655 - 247,163 1,554,818
─────── ────── ─────── ───────
Staff Depre- Other Total
costs ciation costs 2021
£ £ £ £
Costs of generating funds
Marketing and advertising - - 2,728 2,728
─────── ─────── ─────── ───────
Charitable activities
Parent charity activities undertaken directly 902,756 2,603 61,548 832,929
Parent charity support costs 128,149 - 72,838 250,459
Trading subsidiary activities undertaken directly 135,138 - 22,308 151,307
Trading subsidiary support costs 19,183 - 43,729 65,167
─────── ────── ─────── ───────
1,185,226 2,603 200,423 1,388,252
─────── ────── ─────── ───────
Total expenditure 1,185,226 2,603 203,151 1,390,980
──────── ─────── ──────── ───────
Analysis of support costs (including Governance costs) 2022
£
Wages and salaries 194,638
Legal and professional 29,069
General office and administration 93,142
Vehicle and travel 3,834
Governance costs:
Audit and accountancy fees 9,480
Other services provided by auditors 300
───────
330,462
───────
2021
£
Wages and salaries 147,332
Legal and professional 20,918
General office and administration 87,419
Vehicle and travel 1,620
Governance costs:
Audit and accountancy fees 6,360
Other services provided by auditors 250
───────
263,899
───────

66

POSSABILITY PEOPLE LIMITED NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

7 Trustees

None of the trustees (or any persons connected with them) received any remuneration during the year. The charity paid travel and training costs on behalf of 3 (2021 – nil) trustees totalling £1,052 (2021: £nil).

8 Employees

Employment costs 2022 2021
£ £
Wages and salaries 1,199,126 1,075,425
Social security costs 80,184 82,423
Other pension costs 28,345 27,378
─────── ───────
1,307,655 1,185,226
─────── ───────

The average number of persons employed by the charity during the year was 70 (2021: 62). One individual's emoluments were greater than £60,000, (2021: nil).

The key management personnel of the charity consists of the Chief Officer, with the total employee benefits being £64,903 (2021: £58,140). This figure includes employers’ national insurance and also employer’s pension contribution.

9 Taxation

The Charity is a registered charity and is exempt from taxation on income applied for charitable purposes under section 505(1) of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988.

10 Auditors’ remuneration

The auditors’ remuneration amounts to an audit fee of £6,780 (2021: £6,360).

11 Trading activities

Trading activities
Unrestricted Restricted Total Total
funds funds 2022 2021
£ £ £ £
Subsidiary trading income 304,024 - 304,024 293,360
Subsidiary trading expenses 228,834 - 228,834 223,255
─────── ─────── ─────── ───────
75,190 - 75,190 70,105
─────── ─────── ─────── ───────

In 2021, of the net income from trading activities £75,190 was to unrestricted funds and £nil was to restricted funds.

67

POSSABILITY PEOPLE LIMITED NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

12 Net income/(expenditure)
2022 2021
£ £
This is stated after charging:
Depreciation of tangible fixed assets owned by the charity - 2,603
─────── ───────
- 2,603
─────── ───────
13 Tangible fixed assets - Charity and Group
Computer Specialist Fixtures, Total
equipment equipment fittings &
equipment
£ £ £ £
Cost
At 1 April 2021 26,028 30,463 25,543 82,034
─────── ─────── ─────── ───────
At 31 March 2022 26,028 30,463 25,543 82,034
─────── ─────── ─────── ───────
Depreciation
At 1 April 2021 26,028 30,463 25,543 82,034
Charge for the year - - - -
─────── ─────── ─────── ───────
At 31 March 2022 26,028 30,463 25,543 82,034
─────── ─────── ─────── ───────
Net book value
At 31 March 2022 - - - -
─────── ─────── ─────── ───────
At 31 March 2021 - - - -
─────── ─────── ─────── ───────
14 Fixed asset investments - Charity
Shares in group
undertaking
£
Cost at 31 March 2021 and 31 March 2022 2
───────
Historical cost:
At 31 March 2021 2
───────
At 31 March 2022 2
───────

Subsidiary undertaking

The principal activity of the subsidiary company is that of providing support services to disabled people.

Name

Possability People Trading Limited (07961915)

Class of shares Holdings £1 Ordinary 100%

68

POSSABILITY PEOPLE LIMITED NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

15 Debtors

Debtors
Group Charity
2022 2021 2022 2021
£ £ £ £
Trade debtors 114,518 88,784 59,652 67,373
Other debtors 22,841 19,410 16,441 13,610
Amounts owed by group undertakings - - 56,036 21,692
Prepayments 14,538 12,545 12,412 10,419
─────── ─────── ─────── ───────
151,897 120,739 144,541 113,094
─────── ─────── ─────── ───────

16 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

Group Charity
2022 2021 2022 2021
£ £ £ £
Trade creditors 4,284 4,090 2,332 2,030
Taxes and social security costs 17,627 45,094 - 26,058
Other creditors 12,105 11,553 10,556 11,530
Accruals 67,044 63,262 63,894 60,357
─────── ─────── ─────── ───────
101,060 123,999 76,782 99,975
─────── ─────── ─────── ───────

17 Pension and other post-retirement benefit commitments

The Charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the charity in an independently administered fund.

Defined contribution

Defined contribution
2022 2021
£ £
Contributions payable by the company for the year 28,354 27,378
─────── ───────
Pension contribution commitments at the year-end amounted to £nil (2021: £4,640).

18 Share capital

The charity is a company limited by guarantee and therefore without a share capital. No one member has overall control of the charity.

Liability is limited to £1 per member.

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POSSABILITY PEOPLE LIMITED NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

19 Statement of funds

Statement of funds – current year

Balance Movement in funds Movement in funds Balance at
at 1 April 31 March
2021 Income Expenditure Transfers 2022
£ £ £ £ £
Unrestricted funds
General funds 99,442 713,916 (799,051) 130,191 144,498
PPTL Reserves 70,107 304,024 (228,833) (70,105) 75,193
─────── ────── ─────── ─────── ───────
169,549 1,017,940 (1,027,884) 60,086 219,691
────── ────── ─────── ─────── ───────

The income funds of the charity include restricted funds comprising the following unexpended balances of donations and grants held on trust for specific purposes:

Balance Balance at
at 1 April Movement in funds 31 March
2021 Income Expenditure Transfers 2022
£ £ £ £ £
Restricted funds – current year
Advice centre 20,330 162,435 (140,402) - 42,363
Get Involved - 59,272 (70,317) 11,045 -
COVID-19 Community Relief 77,408 - - (77,408) -
At Home - 31,562 (18,834) - 12,728
Get Set Opening Doors - 95,909 (102,186) 6,277 -
Right Track 1,344 5,280 (4,824) - 1,800
Hospital Discharge Service
(formerly Link Back)		 3,147 156,787 (159,400) - 494
Shopmobility 12,762 26,100 (30,931) - 7,931
─────── ────── ─────── ─────── ───────
114,991 537,345 (526,934) (60,086) 65,316
────── ─────── ─────── ─────── ───────

Details of each fund's activities:

Advice Centre provides an advice service for disabled people.

Get Involved Group provides a platform for people with a lived experience of disability, long-term health condition, impairment or mental health condition, and their carers, to have their voices heard on issues that directly affect them.

Get Set Opening Doors (Continuing Employment Service) supports disabled people and people with long term health conditions or impairments (including mental health conditions) to overcome the barriers they might face in getting a job.

COVID-19 Community Relief represents grants received to cover PPE distribution to any of our client groups requiring it.

Right Track supports people to find and engage in suitable exercise classes and health related activities, Right Track also refers to a variety of other areas, including, but not limited to: disability advice; carer support; money and debt management; housing and adaptations; nutrition; travel; mental health; social and peer support groups; hobbies and interests; advocacy; employment advice and support; volunteering; and specialist services such as domestic abuse or family mediation.

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POSSABILITY PEOPLE LIMITED NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

Hospital Discharge Service (formerly Link Back) is a service that links people to the community, voluntary and private sector services that can enhance their independence and day to day lives on their return home from hospital admissions.

Shopmobility is funded by Brighton & Hove City Council to provide hire of mobility scooters, powered and manual wheelchairs to visitors and residents of Brighton & Hove.

At Home is a care service which is run as a social enterprise. It enables disabled people to stay independent and safe at home.

Statement of funds – prior year

Statement of funds – prior year
Balance Balance at
at 1 April Movement in funds 31 March
2020 Income Expenditure Transfers 2021
£ £ £ £ £
Unrestricted funds
General funds 73,743 685,980 (728,771) 68,490 99,442
PPTL Reserves 75,510 293,360 (223,255) (75,508) 70,107
────── ────── ─────── ─────── ───────
149,253 979,340 (952,026) (7,018) 169,549
────── ────── ─────── ─────── ───────

The income funds of the charity include restricted funds comprising the following unexpended balances of donations and grants held on trust for specific purposes:

Balance Balance at
at 1 April Movement in funds 31 March
2020 Income Expenditure Transfers 2021
£ £ £ £ £
Restricted funds
Advice centre 22,598 73,414 (75,682) - 20,330
Get Involved - 53,326 (55,882) 2,556 -
COVID-19 Community Relief - 101,500 (24,092) - 77,408
Get Set Opening Doors - 119,987 (124,449) 4,462 -
Right Track 1,261 2,870 (2,787) - 1,344
Hospital Discharge Service
(formerly Link Back)		 - 137,088 (133,941) - 3,147
Shopmobility 8,783 26,100 (22,121) - 12,762
────── ────── ─────── ─────── ───────
32,642 412,785 (438,954) 7,018 114,991
────── ─────── ─────── ─────── ───────

71

POSSABILITY PEOPLE LIMITED NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

20 Analysis of net assets between funds
Unrestricted Restricted Total
funds funds
£ £ £
Fund balances at 31 March 2022 are represented by:
Tangible fixed assets - - -
Current assets 320,751 65,316 386,067
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year (101,060) - (101,060)
─────── ─────── ───────
219,691 65,316 285,007
─────── ─────── ───────
Fund balances at 31 March 2021 are represented by:
Tangible fixed assets - - -
Current assets 293,548 114,991 408,539
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year (123,999) - (123,999)
─────── ─────── ───────
169,549 114,991 284,540
─────── ─────── ───────
21 Commitments under operating leases
At 31 March 2022 the company had total commitments under non-cancellable operating leases payable
as follows:
Land and buildings Other
2022 2021 2022 2021
£ £ £ £
Within one year 3,572 3,572 4,372 5,830
Between two and five years - - - 4,372
─────── ─────── ─────── ───────
3,572 3,572 4,372 10,202
─────── ─────── ─────── ───────
22 Net cash (outflow)/inflow from operating activities
2022 2021
£ £
Net income/(expenditure) 467 102,645
Depreciation charge - 2,603
Increase in creditors (22,939) 1,275
Decrease in debtors (31,158) 46,090
─────── ───────
(53,630) 152,613
─────── ───────
23 Analysis of changes in net debt
At 1 April Cash At 31 March
2021 flows 2022
£ £ £
Cash at bank and in hand 287,800 (53,630) 234,170
─────── ─────── ───────

For the financial year ended 31 March 2022 the company had no disclosable related party transactions.

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Contact us

We would love to hear from you. Espcecially if you want advice or support.

Head office

Telephone: 01273 894040 Textphone: 07718 424214 Email: hello@possabilitypeople.org.uk

Advice Centre

Telephone: 01273 894050 Email advice@possabilitypeople.org.uk

If you are in East Sussex and would like advice, please contact our East Sussex team.

Telephone: 01424 234460 Email esussexadvice@possabilitypeople.org.uk

At Home

Telephone: 01273 894070 Email support@possabilitypeople.org.uk

Community Employment Service

Telephone: 07921 453183 or 01273 894044 Email work@possabilitypeople.org.uk

Get Involved Group

Email gig@possabilitypeople.org.uk

Payroll and Supported Bank Accounts

Telephone: 01273 894060

Email payroll@possabilitypeople.org.uk and sba@possabilitypeople.org.uk

Shopmobility

Telephone: 01273 323239 Email shopmo@possabilitypeople.org.uk

If you would like to make a donation to Possability People, . you can do so via our website at www.possabilitypeople.org.uk/donate

Your support makes a massive difference. Thank you.

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Contact us

Telephone: 01273 894040 Textphone: 07718 424214 Email: hello@possabilitypeople.org.uk

Charity Registration No. 1114435 Company Registration No. 05706441 (England and Wales)

www.possabilitypeople.org.uk

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