2024-03-31-accounts

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Report of the Trustees and Financial Statements

2024

M E D I C A L D E T E C T I O N D O G S

Report of the Trustees and Financial Statements 2024

	Page
Message from the Chairman and the Chief Executive	3
Report of the Trustees	5 to 17
Report of the Independent Auditors	18 to 21
Statement of Financial Activities	22
Balance Sheet	23
Cash Flow Statement	25
Notes to the Cash Flow Statement	26
Notes to the Financial Statements	27 to 44

M E D I C A L D E T E C T I O N D O G S

Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31st March 2024

Message from the Chairman, Clive Everest and the Chief Executive and Chief Scientific Officer, Dr Claire Guest OBE

As we reflect on the accomplishments of the Charity over the past year, we are privileged to share highlights that exemplify commitment to our mission and the impactful partnerships that drive our success.

One of our key strategic goals for the last year has been to increase our Medical Alert Assistance Dog (MAAD) placements, focusing on bringing the number of placements back to the record levels we achieved pre-Covid. We’re pleased to have made a real step change this year, having achieved 20 partnership placements during the year – a 54% increase on 2022/23. We plan for this growth to continue as we expand our regional presence, and adapt our delivery model to accommodate more applicant owned dogs alongside dogs procured by MDD.

The other key focus has been investing in our fundraising activities and cutting costs to enable us to move back towards a breakeven position, following a challenging fundraising year in 2022/23. We’ve been faced with difficult decisions about our structure, making sure we are operating within our means, and continuing to support existing partnerships. Maximising our charitable impact continues to drive our decision making in financial terms, and we were pleased to both meet our goal of increased MAAD placements as well as record an outturn for 2023/24 ahead of budget. Whilst there is still work to be done to reach financial balance, our investment in fundraising activities and focus on cost control have put us in a favourable position, with a more positive outlook in 2024/25 and an aim to break even in 2025/26.

Our Bio Detection Research department continues to build on the concept of moving our research achievements in the past into real-world benefits. During the year we piloted our Community Medical Detection Dogs (CMDD) programme, aimed at detecting conditions on a one-dog-to-many-people basis. The first condition we have been focusing on is Urinary Tract Infections (UTI’s), where we plan for our teams to attend cares homes and community settings to scan several individuals in attendance in a matter of minutes, with positive detections leading to those individuals seeking medical intervention following a confirmed diagnosis.

The NHS and UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) have been raising awareness of UTI’s, as data shows they have led to more than 800,000 admissions to hospitals across the country over the past five years. Our CMDD teams are looking to help prevent hospital admissions with early detection and intervention before admission to hospital is required. Our pilot is progressing steadily, and we hope to be able to work on a wider roll out with partner community settings soon. We plan to carry out clinical trials to assess diagnostic reliability to inform medics and care givers of the value of this service.

It was a proud day for our Charity in February as our Patron, Her Majesty The Queen, hosted a reception for us at Clarence House to celebrate our 15th anniversary. Her Majesty met clients with Medical Alert Assistance Dogs, our supporters and trustees and watched one of the first public demonstrations of our dogs detecting the odour of UTI’s, as part of the new project. Her Majesty also met some of our young puppies in training and received a special gift from trainee assistance dog, Maggie, who made a very enthusiastic delivery of a limited edition pin badge. Medical Alert Assistance Dog, Spring, alerted our client, Michelle, several times to a possible impending Addison’s crises before Her Majesty entered the event, meaning that she could meet our Patron. His colleague, Bear, alerted client Demi to an oncoming Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS) collapse shortly before Her Majesty’s arrival meaning that she too felt confident to greet The Queen. The Queen then watched a demonstration by Bio Detection Dogs, Plum and Storm. Plum detected the odour of UTI’s from samples on stands in The Hall, unfazed by the distractions and crowds. Storm then demonstrated how dogs are taking this research to reality by detecting the odour of UTI planted on a member of the team through passive searching (directly sniffing). Before departing the event, Her Majesty said: “I’ve been Patron for ten years and the first time I went to visit Claire Guest in Milton Keynes it was almost a tiny little shed with just Claire and one or two others. Back then there was a lot of scepticism but as you’ve seen today, seeing is believing.”

We’ve had some excellent media coverage in the last year, and it is always great to see our dogs and clients in the news. Some of our human team fulfilled a lifelong dream of obtaining a Blue Peter badge when the programme came to our Centre in February but of course it was the dogs that stole the show. Viewers got to see a puppy class, Bio Detection dogs at work and client, Demi, talk about how her Medical Alert Assistance Dog, Bear, saves and enhances her life by alerting to her PoTS. At the end of the show, Bear received the most exclusive badge there is – the coveted gold Blue Peter badge, usually only received by royalty and celebrities. Not to be outdone, Medical

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Alert Assistance Dog, Henry, took his client Lizzie to the famous ITV This Morning studio to be part of a Super Dogs feature. He sat next to Lizzie as she was interviewed by Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary as they discussed how he alerts her to oncoming PoTS episodes. Just a few days later, we appeared on the BBC Breakfast sofa to talk about the latest stage of our project to investigate whether our dogs can detect Parkinson’s disease early. This level of coverage is a huge achievement for a charity our size, and not only spotlights the profound impact of our initiatives but also underscores the dedication of our team and the continued support of our community.

We were absolutely delighted that, on the eve of our 15th anniversary, our CEO and Co Founder, Claire Guest, learned she had received an OBE for services to Medical Knowledge, Public Health and Wellbeing. The awards list, announced on the official birthday of King Charles, is for people making a big impact in their line of work. Claire started our charity to train dogs to save the lives of vulnerable clients and prove the impact that Bio Detection Dogs could have on the early diagnosis of many diseases, and we are so proud of her. Claire says: “To receive the news that I was being awarded an OBE was incredible and a brilliant way to celebrate 15 life-saving years. The potential for dogs to contribute to fast, accurate and non-invasive disease diagnosis is huge and this recognition is testament to the whole team – both two and four legged.”

As always, we thank our donors, staff, and volunteers for their continued support, remembering those individuals who have supported the Charity in the past and looking forward to updating all of our stakeholders on progress made in these exciting projects over the coming year.

Clive Everest Chairman of Trustees

Claire Guest OBE Chief Executive and Chief Scientific Officer

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OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

The Charity's objectives, as set out in its governing document, are:

i) To conduct research into the detection, recognition and diagnosis of diseases and medical conditions by the use of dogs and other animals trained in the recognition of relevant stimuli, and the publication of such research for the public benefit; and

ii) The relief of sickness and the protection of health for the public benefit, by the detection, recognition and diagnosis of diseases and medical conditions, by the use of dogs trained in the recognition of relevant stimuli. Our mission is to save and enhance lives using our specially trained dogs’ extraordinary sense of smell. We seek to do this in two main ways which we believe provide a benefit to the public,

i) by conducting research into the early diagnosis of cancer, neurological, bacterial and other human diseases, and ii) by training life-saving medical alert assistance dogs which help their human partners avoid the often-catastrophic effects of their conditions, saving and improving their lives on a daily basis.

During the year under review, we focussed on continuing our research into the ability and feasibility of dogs to be used in a ‘passive’ screening model i.e., dogs screening several people at a time. We have continued to progress our project to train dogs to work in community settings, where we aim initially to research the detection of urinary tract infections (UTI’s) caused by the bacteria E-coli. Our trained medical alert assistance dogs are continuing to have significant success in supporting individuals who suffer from a range of conditions, particularly Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS).

Background to our work

Throughout history, humans and dogs have shared a close bond, with dogs fulfilling diverse roles including hunting, herding, and guarding. In recent times, their roles have expanded to include medical support and disease detection. As their use in medicine grows, it is crucial to objectively evaluate their value, optimize their capabilities, and leverage their abilities to deepen our understanding of various diseases.

The aim of the Charity is to train specialist dogs to detect the odour of human diseases. Dogs, renowned for their sense of smell, have been recognized by doctors for centuries as potentially capable of detecting diseases' distinct odours. Cancer Detection Dogs, trained to identify volatile substances released by cancer cells, offer hope for an early screening system to enhance patient care through collaborative research efforts. Our work has since evolved into working on other conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, Malaria and Covid-19.

The Charity operates its own premises and employs its own staff. Medical Detection Dogs (MDD) also collaborates with professionals in various healthcare and scientific fields, such as cancer specialists, medical statisticians and general practitioners, who provide voluntary advice and services. The Charity utilizes its funds to train dogs, pioneering medical assistance and disease detection.

The Medical Alert Assistance Dogs (MAAD) division of the Charity utilises olfactory alerting ability for day-to-day support for individuals living with chronic conditions. Historically, most partnerships involved alert dogs living with individuals suffering from aggressive Type 1 Diabetes. With technological advancements in diabetes detection, recent partnerships have expanded to include other chronic conditions such as Addison’s disease and PoTS.

Our Bio Detection Research focuses on harnessing dogs' remarkable ability to detect human diseases through scent, aiming to revolutionise early diagnosis methods. Through rigorous training and testing, we've demonstrated dogs' potential to detect diseases like cancer and bacterial infections by recognising specific volatile compounds. We first proved this in a pioneering study initiated over 15 years ago, where researchers conducted a double-blind trial using bladder cancer as a model. After extensive training and testing, the results, published in the British Medical Journal in 2004, marked a significant milestone in utilizing olfactory detection for cancer diagnosis for the charity. Our ongoing research holds promise for developing faster and more cost-effective disease detection methods, ultimately saving lives.

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MEDICAL ALERT ASSISTANCE DOGS

An Explanation Of Our Medical Alert Assistance Work

Our assistance dogs help individuals living with complex and life-threatening health conditions to lead more independent lives with reduced reliance on medical interventions and hospitalizations. We initially trained dogs to detect changes in blood glucose levels in individuals with aggressive diabetes or poor awareness of dangerously low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). These dogs are highly sensitive to glucose levels, alerting the client when levels deviate from the normal range and can detect changes within one or two millimoles of blood sugar. Typically, the dogs are trained to alert to blood sugar levels below 4.5 but above 3 (millimoles per liter) and to high blood sugars at the level chosen by the client (usually above 10 to 12 millimoles per liter).

Historically, clients with diabetes comprised the majority of our assistance dog partnerships. However, due to advancements in technology for blood sugar monitoring, the future of close diabetes management lies in emergent technology. Most individuals can now use self-scan libre devices and continuous glucose monitoring to manage their blood sugars without the need for a dog. Therefore, medical alert detection dogs are no longer required by as many individuals.

Our previous work in expanding the range of conditions that we train dogs to assist with, including Addison’s disease, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS), Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, narcolepsy, pain seizures, and idiopathic pancreatitis, has provided us with clear direction and scope to focus our attention on individuals for whom we believe our dogs can have the greatest impact.

Currently, we are placing the majority of our dogs with clients who have severe PoTS and associated conditions. PoTS is a condition for which there is currently no available warning system for an impending collapse, resulting in frequent and debilitating injuries such as dislocated shoulders, hips, and knees, particularly for clients with associated Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, which weakens their joints.

Financial Year 2016/17 2017/18	Number of MAAD Placements 24 24
2018/19	13
2019/20 2020/21 2021/22	14 6 12
2022/23 2023/24	13 20

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

Medical Alert Assistance Dogs

We currently support 86 partnerships, including those in training pending accreditation, and those that are fully accredited.

MDD has also trained dogs to alert to minute airborne levels of nut allergens, which can trigger life-threatening anaphylactic episodes in nut-allergic clients.

During the year under review, the charity piloted an applicant owned dog model, which represents a departure from our traditional approach of procuring and training young dogs before placing them with clients in need of a MAAD. This new model allows prospective clients to source and acquire a dog themselves (with guidance from MDD if needed) and undertake initial training with MDD providing support to ensure high-quality outcomes. The pilot has been successful, and we plan to expand this model in the coming years. The

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benefits include increasing our capacity to assist more individuals in need of MAADs more swiftly, achieving cost savings for the Charity and also assists with our increasing problem of the lack of volunteer dog fosterers.

We are pleased to have substantially increased the number of assistance dog placements during the year and are working towards continued growth in the coming years. This will enable us to assist more individuals affected by conditions for which our dogs can provide life changing assistance. The condition for which we have placed the most dogs this year is PoTS, and we expect it to remain in high demand for 2024/25 as well.

Our research has shown that before receiving a medical alert assistance dog, PoTS clients experienced significant injuries during episodes once every six times on average. However, after the placement of a medical alert assistance dog, who can provide a few minutes’ warning to allow the client to sit or lie down before collapsing and losing consciousness, they experienced significant injuries once every 151 episodes. This represents an 87% reduction in significant injuries, not only benefiting the individuals and their families but also reducing costs to the NHS.

The People’s Postcode Lottery has continued to generously support our work, helping us demonstrate robustly that our dogs are not only beneficial to patients but also provide significant advantages for healthcare funding systems and the workforce. Healthcare consultancy firm, Mtech Access, conducted an independent economic analysis of the benefits of Medical Alert Assistance Dogs (MAADs).

We aimed to examine the impact of our MAADs on supporting individuals with PoTS to gain further insight into the anecdotal and subjective measurements we had collected. When applying for an assistance dog, clients are asked to keep a diary of episodes over a four-week period, enabling us to assess the impact of their condition on their daily life. Once partnered with a MAAD, we routinely request data over a four-week period annually to ensure that the partnership is still effective and meeting the required Assistance Dog International standards for performance and welfare. Thus, we have conducted a longitudinal within-subject comparison, continuously measuring individuals over prolonged periods of time, of pre- and post-dog data, utilizing the partnership’s latest record of episodes. We examined the total number of syncope episodes (where individuals faint or pass out) and the number of injury-related episodes.

For this review, we compared data from five clients pre- and post-partnership with their assistance dogs. All subjects were female with a mean age of 31.6 years and had been partnered with their MAADs for 2.2 years (mean - range 1 to 4 years). The total number of syncope episodes over a four-week period before receiving a MAAD was 149 episodes, resulting in 24 reported injuries, equating to one injury every 6 syncope episodes. Following the placement of a MAAD, the total number of reported episodes across a four-week period in five patients was 452, resulting in only 3 episodes with injury, equating to one injury in every 151 syncope episodes. This represents an 87% reduction in the frequency of injury-related episodes when compared with the expected occurrence of injury projected for this number of syncope events.

A significant benefit from the deployment of our MAAD dogs is of course to the quality of life of our clients, and that of their families and friends. There is however a tangible financial benefit to the NHS from our work. Using this data and other published material, a health economics analysis performed by Mtech Access indicated that, with the reduction in injuries, ambulance callouts, and other associated healthcare use, placement of a MAAD can save the NHS £33,213 over the working lifetime of a dog (approximately 9 years). If quality of life measures are included, an estimated increase of 0.92 QALYs (Quality-Adjusted Life Years) per person will result in a net monetary benefit of £51,984.

Fig.1 – injury related episodes

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MAAD Accreditation

We are pleased to have maintained our accreditation from Assistance Dogs International, reaffirming our commitment to excellence in assistance dog training and services. Undergoing a comprehensive inspection every five years, our organisation undergoes thorough assessment by highly skilled professionals who evaluate all aspects of our work, from dog welfare standards to documentation. Our most recent inspection in 2022/23 concluded with a positive assessment, affirming our adherence to professional standards and our dedication to providing high-quality assistance dog services.

Our MAAD Applicants

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BIO DETECTION RESEARCH

Before 2023/24, we made strategic decisions regarding our Bio Detection projects, pausing several and closing others permanently to focus our resources where they can have the most significant impact. Our attention is now directed towards a select number of bio-detection projects that we believe can offer direct and tangible benefits, prioritising practical applications over proof of concept research.

Medical Detection Dogs is currently working on three NHS-approved clinical trials. Our urological cancer study with Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and Parkinson’s disease work with Oxford University Hospitals are both nearing completion. Our colorectal cancer study in partnership with Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust is investigating the potential of dogs to accurately detect colorectal cancer from urine samples. Colorectal cancer is the fourth most common form of cancer in the UK, and due to the invasive nature of the current screening process, only just over half of those offered will take it up. A non-invasive method that can detect cancer early could increase screening uptake and improve health outcomes. The table below demonstrates why we are undertaking this work.

Bio Detecton Research Project	Collaborator	Expected completon date	Diagnostc Benefts
Prostate cancer	Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundaton Trust and The University of Texas El Paso	Oct-24	Targetng early diagnosis and informing Artfcial Intelligence technology through dog decision and use of interactve stands used in testng.
Parkinson's disease	Oxford University Hospitals	Nov-24	Targetng early diagnosis. Research to understand how early in the disease process our dogs can detect Parkinson’s disease odour.
Colorectal cancer	Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust	Nov-25	A non-invasive method that can detect cancer early in urine samples (rather than faecal samples). To screen recurrence in post operatve colorectal cancer patents and could increase screening uptake and improve populaton health outcomes.

We are on track to complete our research on prostate cancer and Parkinson's disease by the end of 2024, with ongoing investigations throughout the 2024-25 period into bowel cancer (enabling non-invasive diagnosis) and Canine Sensory Interfaces in collaboration with the Open University which includes development of interactive stands into our testing, sector leading technology which enables us to understand even more about how our dogs are detecting the odours they are alerting on.

We continue to work with collaborators to publish research in areas of canine detection and performance.

The future of our Bio Detection Research

The focus of our Bio Detection Research is now on investigating the use of dogs in community settings. Our ‘passive people search’ work is a fast, accurate, and non-invasive identifier of those individuals who should then go on to take diagnostic confirmatory tests.

A focus for the future is the Community Medical Detection Dogs project, initially targeting UTI infections primarily caused by E.coli. In the UK in 2013/14, the NHS spent £434 million on treating 184,000 patients with unplanned admissions associated with a urinary tract infection (UTI). A retrospective observational study using linked health

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records from almost one million patients above 65 years old in England found that older adults (21%) had at least one clinically diagnosed UTI over the 10-year study period. Early diagnosis is difficult to achieve and the present need for urine culture results cause further delays, taking up to 48 hours for laboratory tests to be completed.

UTIs can be complicated and life-threatening if left untreated, especially for vulnerable groups such as the elderly and individuals with neurological conditions and those such as spinal cord injuries, who are at a greater risk of developing complications. For these individuals, UTIs may progress rapidly and are the leading cause of hospitalisation.

Our newest project is to train dogs to detect the odour of UTIs. The dogs will be trained to distinguish between the odour of samples from patients with a UTI and samples taken from healthy volunteers. The implementation of this work will be in the community, using passive search techniques learnt from our COVID-19 work, enabling us to use one dog team to detect odours on many vulnerable people in a matter of minutes.

This project holds promise for significant impact, as it aims to reduce hospital admissions for vulnerable groups in community settings by rapidly detecting UTI’s caused by E.coli before symptoms manifest. Our goal is to prevent primary care admissions, thereby contributing to the prevention of further infections or harm among vulnerable individuals.

We expect early detection to lead to fewer hospital admissions from community settings, such as care homes, and prevent further infection or harm to vulnerable individuals.

Our community-based detection model helps us reach a far greater number of people to deliver real-time medical information to our service users. While our current work in this area is focused on UTI detection, we expect to expand our community offering to other conditions in the future.

We were thrilled to showcase this project at an event hosted by our patron, Her Majesty the Queen, at Clarence House this year. Additionally, we've attended various community events to pilot and optimize the effectiveness of this project in assisting our local community.

Our pilot is progressing steadily, and we hope to be able to work on a wider roll out with partner community settings soon, with the aim of expanding this initiative to encompass a broader geographic area in the future.

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REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

The reference and administrative details of the Charity can be found on page 45 of the report and accounts.

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

The charitable company was incorporated on 15th October 2007 and commenced charitable activities immediately. It obtained registration with the Charity Commission on 17 June 2008.

Governing Document

The Charity is controlled by its governing document, the amended Memorandum and Articles of Association dated 11 October 2013. It is a company limited by guarantee as defined by the Companies Act 2006.

Related Parties

The Charity has two wholly owned subsidiaries:

MDD Enterprises Limited

08709010 (England and Wales) incorporated 27 September 2013 (Dormant during the years ended 31/03/2024 and 31/03/2023)

Canine Diagnostic Innovations Limited 12646135 (England and Wales) incorporated 4th June 2020 (Dormant for the year ended 31/03/2022, but active in the years following)

The Charity has commissioned its Bio Detection Disease Research services via Canine Diagnostic Innovations Limited (“CDI Ltd”) during the year ended 31/03/2024. No liabilities external to the group exist in CDI Ltd, and the entity is not ever expected to be loss making.

The Charity also has significant control (75%) in:

Millfield Greenway Business Park Management Limited 06312801 (England and Wales) incorporated 13 July 2007

The Charity owns and manages certain common areas of the Millfield Greenway Business Park site, including the maintenance of the onsite septic tank. The company does not operate its own banking accounts and expenditure on its behalf is handled by Medical Detection Dogs, with the proportion of net costs not attributable to the Charity recharged to the minority shareholder. Any potential liabilities of Millfield Greenway Business Park Management Ltd are covered by appropriate insurance.

The accounts report on the Charitable group containing wholly owned subsidiaries only and therefore do not consolidate Millfield Greenway Business Park Management Limited on the basis of immateriality.

Structure and Management

The Charity is divided into two arms:

1) Bio Detection Disease Research and 2) Medical Alert Assistance Dogs.

Details of the work done by these two arms are given in the objectives and activities section. The other three areas of charitable activity; dog training, education & awareness raising, and volunteer liaison, are all carried out in support of, and to enable the delivery of the activities of, those two arms.

All policy and strategic decisions are taken by the Trustees and day-to-day management decisions are taken by the Chief Executive, supported by the Senior Leadership Team. Sometimes ad hoc panels of Trustees are appointed to take specific decisions.

Governance

As part of our strategic approach, the Trustees consistently aim to enhance and refine the governance of the Charity in response to the challenges arising from growth and organisational maturity. The establishment and development of our Senior Leadership management group has been important in

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achieving this goal during the 2023/24 period, empowering them to take on greater rersponsibility in support of the Chief Executive.

Remuneration Policy for Senior Staff

Remuneration for the Chief Executive and senior staff is reviewed by the Trustees. The review takes into account any general pay increase to staff, benchmarking of similar roles in similar charity organisations and pre-agreed performance criteria. Trustees do not receive any remuneration and give their time freely.

Risk Management

The Charity’s Trustees are responsible for identifying and assessing risks and opportunities for the organisation and deciding how best to deal with them. This includes assessing whether they are manageable and worth taking, or where exposure is too great to justify commencing or continuing the activity.

They are supported in this by the Senior Leadership Team, principally the Chief Executive, who manage these risks on a day-to-day basis. The Charity operates a risk register, prepared in line with Charity Commission guidance, which it considers, reviews and updates at least annually at the Board.

The Board supplements the formal quarterly Board meetings with further Interim Board meetings per year as required. Interim Board meetings are held via video conference, and generally include a deep dive discussion on a single topic.

Principal risks and uncertainties

The following are the principal risks and uncertainties that were considered to be present at the end of 2023/24 and at the time of this Trustees’ Report, along with the key actions we plan to take or are taking to address these:

Risk	Actons
Insufcient income to operate sustainably, leading to a sustained reducton in free reserves	High infaton and contnual increasing costs of living creates a challenging fundraising environment for all charites. This is antcipated to contnue for some tme. The Charity has established reserves which will support it in the immediate future, but we are aware that generatng income will be challenging and that there are a number of areas where we need to invest to positon the Charity to meet the next phase of its growth. As a result we are forecastng to contnue the need to draw on these reserves for the next year, before aiming to return to a breakeven positon in 2025/26. We have increased and diversifed our income streams by investng in our fundraising team and actvites. Cost reducton measures have also been put in place through 2022/23 which were sustained into 2023/24 and beyond.

Risk

Actons

Insufcient income to operate sustainably, leading to
a sustained reducton in free reserves

High infaton and contnual increasing costs of living
creates a challenging fundraising environment for
all charites. This is antcipated to contnue for some
tme.
The Charity has established reserves which will
support it in the immediate future, but we are aware
that generatng income will be challenging and that
there are a number of areas where we need to invest
to positon the Charity to meet the next phase of its
growth. As a result we are forecastng to contnue
the need to draw on these reserves for the next year,
before aiming to return to a breakeven positon in
2025/26.
We have increased and diversifed our income
streams by investng in our fundraising team and
actvites. Cost reducton measures have also been
put in place through 2022/23 which were sustained
into 2023/24 and beyond.

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Risk	Actons
Insufcient senior or key staf due to loss of or inability to recruit or retain key personnel.	Recruitment and retenton is a major issue for all organisatons at the moment. Cost of living pressures and shortage of available skilled personnel is a risk both for controlling costs and for maintaining the workforce needed to deliver. The Charity always seeks to spend as much as possible of our funds on our charitable goals, and therefore does not have a large management team. Consequently, we rely on a small number of key people, most notably the CEO, to drive the Charity forwards and to manage day-to-day actvites. The implementaton of a Senior Leadership Team, made up of six key staf members plus the CEO moves the Charity away from having heavy or sole reliance on one or two individuals for the day to day running of operatons. We are looking at succession planning and implementng a development pipeline to safeguard against the risk of losing key people. Given the specialised nature and scale of the Charity this represents a partcular challenge in some departments, which we are beginning to actvely engage in to determine the best wayforwards.
Cyber security and loss of informaton risk	As technology contnues to evolve, the demand for an accelerated rate of progress to remain in step, as well as the potental risks linked to not embracing this change, become more pronounced. Cyber security atacks are becoming more regular across all organisatons and can have an enormous adverse impact. The Charity has invested in its IT infrastructure to bring us in line with similarly sized organisatons on both cyber security and data recovery and resilience, enabling our staf to work efciently and efectvely, whilst also future proofng the Charity for expected technology developments. In order to contnually move with these developments we employ a dedicated IT expert within the charity, and have moved many of our support systems to a dedicated IT supportpartner.

Risk

Actons

Insufcient senior or key staf due to loss of or
inability to recruit or retain key personnel.

Recruitment and retenton is a major issue for all
organisatons at the moment. Cost of living pressures
and shortage of available skilled personnel is a risk
both for controlling costs and for maintaining the
workforce needed to deliver.
The Charity always seeks to spend as much as
possible of our funds on our charitable goals, and
therefore does not have a large management team.
Consequently, we rely on a small number of key
people, most notably the CEO, to drive the Charity
forwards and to manage day-to-day actvites.
The implementaton of a Senior Leadership Team,
made up of six key staf members plus the CEO
moves the Charity away from having heavy or sole
reliance on one or two individuals for the day to day
running of operatons.
We are looking at succession planning and
implementng a development pipeline to safeguard
against the risk of losing key people. Given
the specialised nature and scale of the Charity
this represents a partcular challenge in some
departments, which we are beginning to actvely
engage in to determine the best wayforwards.

Cyber security and loss of informaton risk

As technology contnues to evolve, the demand for
an accelerated rate of progress to remain in step, as
well as the potental risks linked to not embracing
this change, become more pronounced. Cyber
security atacks are becoming more regular across
all organisatons and can have an enormous adverse
impact.
The Charity has invested in its IT infrastructure to
bring us in line with similarly sized organisatons on
both cyber security and data recovery and resilience,
enabling our staf to work efciently and efectvely,
whilst also future proofng the Charity for expected
technology developments.
In order to contnually move with these
developments we employ a dedicated IT expert
within the charity, and have moved many of our
support systems to a dedicated IT supportpartner.

Related Party Transactions

With regard to related party transactions, a register of Trustees’ interests is kept. Trustee meetings include a standing item for declaration of any interests which those attending may have in connection with a particular item to be discussed. In such cases where a potential conflict of interests arises for a particular member present, they will retire from the meeting whilst that discussion takes place. Similar arrangements exist for managing transactions with related parties of senior executives, whereby potential related parties are identified through annual declarations and the relevant executive takes no part in Charity decisions for those parties over recruitment, remuneration or performance.

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Recruitment and Appointment of New Trustees

New Trustees may be appointed by the Charity at a general meeting or by the Board of Trustees. The Trustees regularly review the balance of skills, competencies and experience which are needed on the Board to ensure that the Charity continues to meet its aims and fulfil its charitable objects. The Board regularly reviews the range of skills and experience of the trustees and identifies any gaps to meet future needs.

During the year Paul Steckler resigned from the Trustee Board. The Charity would like to thank him for his contribution over the past four years.

The policies and procedures for the induction and training of a new trustee are that, before appointment, the person is invited to meet with Trustees and senior staff and given an opportunity to become fully familiar with the Charity’s work, staff etc. The potential trustee discusses the factors involved in becoming a trustee and is supplied with any documents requested. At the end of that process (if they confirm a willingness to serve) a decision concerning their appointment is made. The Declaration of Eligibility and other supporting documents are then completed before the appointment takes effect. The Charity ensures that the new Trustee has access to a copy of the Memorandum and Articles of Association and previous Reports and Accounts and that they must read Charity Commission guidance regarding the duties of trustees.

Fundraising

We are members of the Fundraising Regulator and take our responsibilities towards our donors very seriously. The Charity seeks to apply best practice to protect the personal data of its donors, never sells or swaps data and ensures that communication preferences can be changed at any time. The Charity manages its own activities in respect to raising funds and does not employ the services of external professional fundraisers. The Charity is mindful of its responsibilities to vulnerable people and undertakes to react to and investigate any complaints regarding its activities for raising funds and to learn from them and improve its service. During the year the Charity received no formal complaints about its activities for raising funds.

Volunteers

The Charity is supported by a large number of volunteers, who undertake a range of activities including fundraising, public engagement, socialising training and administrative tasks. We could not operate without their kind and generous assistance in many aspects of our work.

At the end of the year, the charity had 726 active volunteers (2023: 715).

Public Benefit

The Trustees confirm that they have complied with the duty in the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit and believe that the highlights of the past year detailed in the sections above demonstrate that the Charity’s activities provide benefit to the public. It remains the case that in the most direct way the people who benefit are those who have been partnered with life-saving medical alert assistance dogs. We also consider that there is a significant wider public benefit from the impact our dogs have by enabling many of our clients to return to work or study, reducing the burden of constant worry on family members and improving the mental health of all concerned.

We also continue to believe that there is significant public benefit from the greater understanding of canine olfaction which has resulted from our research, and that the potential of early diagnosis of many fatal and nonfatal diseases has the potential to revolutionise disease detection globally.

M E D I C A L D E T E C T I O N D O G S

Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31st March 2024

FINANCIAL REVIEW

The Charity’s charitable activities rely on grants from trusts and foundations, corporate donations, and donations from individual members of the public. Both general and donor-restricted funds are utilised for the Charity’s objectives namely detection, recognition and diagnosis of disease and medical conditions; and the training and placing of medical assistance alert dogs with clients who suffer from life-limiting or life-threatening medical conditions.

The Charity’s total income of £2,080,224 (2023: £1,889,035) includes legacies of £301,543 (2023: £258,405). The net deficit for the year amounted to £242,076 (2023: £605,956) after expenditure of £2,380,959 (2023: £2,494,991).

The Charity budgeted for a deficit in 2023/24 to allow for investment in developing the processes and systems within the Charity and for expanding and redirecting the fundraising team. The final outturn for 2023/24 was better than budgeted both in terms of income generated and expenditure incurred. One of the primary factors contributing to lower than anticipated expenditure was the extended duration of staff vacancies in some teams, particularly within the Dog Training, Veterinary, and Welfare departments. Additionally, recruitment into the Bio Detection team was carefully managed to prioritise ongoing projects, allowing for a focused reallocation of resources that supported growth in the Medical Alert Assistance Dogs team.

The Charity has taken action to address its deficit position whilst seeking to maximise public benefit in both the short and long term: a deficit has therefore also been budgeted for 2024/25 with a breakeven position planned for in 2025/26. The investment in the fundraising team began in 2023/24, resulting in increased staff and nonstaff expenditure in this area. We expect this investment to continue to pay back through 2024/25 and onwards.

The Charity is taking steps to seek to ensure it remains in compliance with its free reserves policy and maintains a sustainable financial position for years to come. In the event of continuing financial pressures in the short term the Board have considered appropriate contingency plans.

At the end of the year, the Charity’s net current assets amounted to £2,283,875 (2023: £2,468,980) of which £2,119,558 was held in cash and bank deposits (2023: £2,227,904).

Reserves Policy

Unrestricted funds are those funds that the Charity can use for any activity that meets its charitable objects. Freely available reserves are funds which are unrestricted and not invested in or committed to spend on operational assets. In this context free reserves therefore excludes the value of fixed assets in the accounts, capital commitments or obligations, and outstanding commitments on leased assets. The Trustees’ policy is to maintain freely available reserves equivalent to between six and nine months’ forecast total expenditure. The Trustees review the reserves held against our policy criteria periodically.

The Charity holds freely available reserves to mitigate for fluctuations in future income levels whilst at the same time committing to expenditure over the medium to longer term, to support the needs of its vulnerable clients in partnership with their medical alert assistance dogs, and to extend that service to potential clients.

At 31 March 2024 the Charity held freely available reserves of £1,825,244 equivalent to 9 months of expenditure for the forthcoming year (2023: £1,836,541 – 9 months). This level of reserves is at the top end of the target range. It is expected that free reserves will decrease further, but remain within the target range through 2024/25.

Restricted funds are unexpended funds that have been donated to the Charity with specific conditions attached as to their use. At 31 March 2024 these funds totalled £433,131 (2023: £584,333).

M E D I C A L D E T E C T I O N D O G S

Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31st March 2024

FUTURE PLANS

In the coming year we will focus heavily on increasing the number of MAADs placed with individuals who are in need of and applying for this support. The demand for assistance dogs continues to hugely outweigh our ability to train and place these dogs, and whilst funding is one of the blockers to our expansion, so is the number of volunteers who we have associated with our Charity undertaking vital fostering and socialising our dogs – an industry wide challenge at present.

With this in mind we continue to plan for regional expansion to attract new sources of income and enable new pools of volunteers to work with us. We are also exploring a number of opportunities to partner with other organisations with aligned values to ours in order to enable and accelerate our expansion.

As mentioned earlier in this report, our Bio Detection Research department will continue to complete existing Bio studies, ensuring publication for public benefit and work to optimise the community impact of our detection work. UTI E.coli detection in community care settings – a project which we’re calling Community Medical Detection Dogs (CMDD) – deploying passive search techniques to enable a “one to many” impact from each dog team.

Internally we continue to focus our resources which are not used for dog training, research or MAAD placement, on fundraising. The expansion of our resource levels in this area is reaching planned levels, and now we are working on optimising the efficiency of our fundraising efforts to generate the funds enabling us to expand our MAAD placements and regional presence.

The utilisation of our free reserves, whilst remaining within our planned free reserves level of 6-9 months, is expected to slow as the Charity moves back towards a breakeven position.

Externally, we want to continue to be a prominent voice for Assistance Dogs International (ADI) and the wider industry, influencing standards and being positioned to support and embed best practice across the sector.

We are excited about what lies ahead for the Charity and believe we have the foundations in place to continually increase our charitable impact over the short and longer term.

M E D I C A L D E T E C T I O N D O G S

Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31st March 2024

STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES’ RESPONSIBILITIES

The Trustees (who are also the directors of Medical Detection Dogs for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Report of the Trustees and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period. In preparing those financial statements, the Trustees are required to:

select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently:
observe the methods and principles in the Charity SORP 2019 (FRS102).
make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent.
State whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in operation.

The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006, the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended). They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The directors are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the company’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

In so far as the Trustees are aware:

there is no relevant audit information of which the charitable company's auditors are unaware; and
the Trustees have taken all steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the auditors are aware of that information.

This report has been prepared in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD:

Clive Everest - Chairman of Trustees

11th October 2024

M E D I C A L D E T E C T I O N D O G S

Independent auditor’s report to the members and the trustees

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of Medical Detection Dogs (the ‘parent charitable company’) and its subsidiaries (the ‘group’) for the year ended 31 March 2024 which comprise consolidated statement of financial activities, group balance sheet, charity only balance sheet, consolidated cash flow statement and notes to the financial statements, including 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:

give a true and fair view of the state of the affairs of the group and the parent charitable company as at 31 March 2024 and of the group’s incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for the year then ended;
have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and
have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006, the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and regulations 6 and 8 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended).

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the group and parent charitable company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the group or the 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.

Other information

The other information comprises the information included in the annual report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. 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.

M E D I C A L D E T E C T I O N D O G S

Independent auditor’s report to the members and the trustees

Other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

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

the information given in the Trustees’ Annual Report which includes the Directors’ Report for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and
the Trustees’ Annual Report which includes the Directors’ Report has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the group and parent charitable company and their environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the Trustees’ Annual Report.

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters where the Companies Act 2006 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended) require us to report to you if, in our opinion:

adequate accounting records have not been kept by the parent charitable company, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or
the parent charitable company’s financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
certain disclosures of trustees’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or
we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or
the trustees were not entitled to prepare the financial statements in accordance with the small companies’ regime and take advantage of the small companies’ exemption in preparing the Trustees’ Annual Report and the Strategic Report.

Responsibilities of trustees

As explained more fully in the Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities set out on page 20, the trustees (who are also the directors of the parent 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 the 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 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 the parent charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

We have been appointed as auditors under the Companies Act 2006 and under the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and report in accordance with regulations made under those Acts.

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the group and parent financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

M E D I C A L D E T E C T I O N D O G S

Independent auditor’s report to the members and the trustees

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The specific procedures for this engagement and the extent to which these are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud are detailed below.

Identifying and assessing risks related to irregularities:

We assessed the susceptibility of the group and parent charitable company’s financial statements to material misstatement and how fraud might occur, including through discussions with the trustees, discussions within our audit team planning meeting, updating our record of internal controls and ensuring these controls operated as intended. We evaluated possible incentives and opportunities for fraudulent manipulation of the financial statements. We identified laws and regulations that are of significance in the context of the group and parent charitable company by discussions with trustees and updating our understanding of the sectors in which the group and parent charitable company operate.

Laws and regulations of direct significance in the context of the group and parent charitable company include The Companies Act 2006, the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended) and guidance issued by the Charity Commission for England and Wales and the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator.

Audit response to risks identified:

We considered the extent of compliance with these laws and regulations as part of our audit procedures on the related financial statement items including a review of financial statement disclosures. We reviewed the parent charitable company’s records of breaches of laws and regulations, minutes of meetings and correspondence with relevant authorities to identify potential material misstatements arising. We discussed the parent charitable company’s policies and procedures for compliance with laws and regulations with members of management responsible for compliance.

During the planning meeting with the audit team, the engagement partner drew attention to the key areas which might involve non-compliance with laws and regulations or fraud. We enquired of management whether they were aware of any instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations or knowledge of any actual, suspected or alleged fraud. We addressed the risk of fraud through management override of controls by testing the appropriateness of journal entries and identifying any significant transactions that were unusual or outside the normal course of business. We assessed whether judgements made in making accounting estimates gave rise to a possible indication of management bias. At the completion stage of the audit, the engagement partner’s review included ensuring that the team had approached their work with appropriate professional scepticism and thus the capacity to identify non-compliance with laws and regulations and fraud.

There are inherent limitations in the audit procedures described above and the further removed non-compliance with laws and regulations is from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, the less likely we would become aware of it. Also, the risk of not detecting a material misstatement due to fraud is higher than the risk of not detecting one resulting from error, as fraud may involve deliberate concealment by, for example, forgery or intentional misrepresentations, or through collusion.

A further description of our responsibilities is available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: www.frc. org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the parent charitable company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006, and to the parent charitable company’s trustees, as a body, in accordance with Regulation 10 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the parent charitable company’s members and trustees those matters we are required

M E D I C A L D E T E C T I O N D O G S

Independent auditor’s report to the members and the trustees

to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the parent charitable company, the parent charitable company’s members and trustees as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Sottecy LLP

Gareth Norris FCA (Senior Statutory Auditor)

for and on behalf of Saffery LLP

14 October 2024

Chartered Accountants

71 Queen Victoria Street

London

EC4V 4BE

Statutory Auditors

Saffery LLP is eligible to act as an auditor in terms of section 1212 of the Companies Act 2006

21 ©

M E D I C A L D E T E C T I O N D O G S

Consolidated Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31st March 2024

Unrestricted
fund
Notes
£
INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM
Donations and legacies
3
1,166,527
Other trading activities
4
105,780
Investment income
5
68,858
1,341,165
Total
EXPENDITURE ON
Raising funds
6
299,543
Charitable activities
7
Dog training
296,013
Assistance dog placement and aftercare
395,626
Bio Detection research projects
337,874
Education and awareness
104,397
Volunteer liaison
57,245
Total
1,490,698
NET INCOME
(149,533)
Other Recognised Gains / (Losses)
22
58,659
Transfers between funds
18
-
Net movement in funds
(90,874)
RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS
Total funds brought forward
3,622,664
TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD
3,531,790

2024
2023
Restricted
funds
Total funds
Total funds
£
£
£
739,059
1,905,586
1,825,857
-
105,780
47,985
-
68,858
15,193
739,059
2,080,224
1,889,035
76,429
375,972
214,349
171,071
467,084
528,631
470,784
866,410
889,456
69,120
406,994
501,469
-
104,397
136,264
102,857
160,102
224,822
890,261
2,380,959
2,494,991
(151,202)
(300,735)
(605,956)
-
58,659
-
-
-
-
(151,202)
(242,076)
(605,956)
584,333
4,206,996
4,812,953
433,131
3,964,921
4,206,996

M E D I C A L D E T E C T I O N D O G S

Group Balance Sheet At 31st March 2024

				2024	2023
	Unrestricted		Restricted	Total funds	Total funds
		fund	funds
	Notes	£	£	£	£
FIXED ASSETS
Tangible assets	12	1,681,042	-	1,681,042	1,738,013
Investments	13	4	-	4	4
		1,681,046	-	1,681,046	1,738,017
CURRENT ASSETS
Stocks	14	15,525	-	15,525	5,902
Debtors	15	298,817	-	298,817	396,625
Cash at bank and in hand		1,686,427	433,131	2,119,558	2,227,904
		2,000,768	433,131	2,433,899	2,630,431
CREDITORS
Amounts falling due within one year	16	(150,024)	-	(150,024)	(161,451)
NET CURRENT ASSETS		1,850,744	433,131	2,283,875	2,468,980
		__	__	__	__
TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT		3,531,790	433,131	3,964,921	4,206,996
LIABILITIES		__	_	_	__
NET ASSETS		3,531,790	433,131	3,964,921	4,206,996
FUNDS
Unrestricted funds	18			3,531,790	3,622,663
Restricted funds	18			433,131	584,333
TOTAL FUNDS				3,964,921	4,206,996

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to charitable companies subject to the small companies’ regime. The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees and authorised for issue on 11 October 2024 and were signed on its behalf by:

C M L Everest - Chair

S Dennis - Trustee

Company registration number 6399500

M E D I C A L D E T E C T I O N D O G S

Charity Only Balance Sheet At 31st March 2024

				2024	2023
	Unrestricted		Restricted	Total funds	Total funds
		fund	funds
	Notes	£	£	£	£
FIXED ASSETS
Tangible assets	12	1,681,042	-	1,681,042	1,738,013
Investments	13	5	-	5	5
		1,681,047	-	1,681,047	1,738,018
CURRENT ASSETS
Stocks	14	15,525	-	15,525	5,902
Debtors	15	392,039	-	392,039	396,625
Cash at bank and in hand		1,593,204	433,131	2,026,335	2,227,904
		2,000,768	433,131	2,433,899	2,630,431
CREDITORS
Amounts falling due within one year	16	(150,024)		(150,024)	(161,541)
			-
NET CURRENT ASSETS		1,850,744	433,131	2,283,875	2,468,980
		__	__	__	__
TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT		3,531,790	433,131	3,964,921	4,206,996
LIABILITIES		__	_	_	__
NET ASSETS		3,531,790	433,131	3,964,921	4,206,996
FUNDS
Unrestricted funds				3,531,790	3,622,663
Restricted funds				433,131	584,333
TOTAL FUNDS				3,964,921	4,206,996

As permitted by Section 408 of the Companies Act 2006 no Separate Statement of Financial Activities for the charity alone has been presented. The parent charity recorded a net deficit of £242,076 of which £179,613 is in relation to inter-group expenditure with Canine Diagnostic Innovations Limited.

C M L Everest - Chair

S Dennis - Trustee

Company registration number 6399500

M E D I C A L D E T E C T I O N D O G S

Consolidated Cash Flow Statement for the year ended 31st March 2024

Notes Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities A Cash flows from investing activities: Purchase of tangible fixed assets Sale of tangible fixed assets Investment income Net cash (used in) investing activities Change in cash and cash equivalents in the reporting period Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the reporting period Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the reporting period	2024 £ (92,524) (86,702) 2,020 68,858 (15,824) (108,348) 2,227,904 2,119,558	2023 £ (246,340) (54,631) 1,500 15,193 (37,937) (284,277) 2,512,181 2,227,904

M E D I C A L D E T E C T I O N D O G S

Notes to the Cash Flow Statement for the year ended 31st March 2024

RECONCILIATION OF NET INCOME TO NET CASH FLOW FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES

Net income for the reporting period (as per the statement of financial activities) Adjustments for: Depreciation charges Loss on sale of fixed assets Interest received Research Tax Credits (Increase) / Decrease in stocks (Increase) / Decrease in debtors Increase / (Decrease) in creditors Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities	2024 £ (300,735) 142,566 (913) (68,858) 58,659 (9,533) 97,808 (11,517) (92,524)	2023 £ (605,956) 122,700 330 (15,193) - 4,656 331,721 (84,598)
		(246,340)

RECONCILIATION OF NET DEBT

Cash at bank and in hand TOTAL		As at 01/04/2023 2,227,904	Cashflow (108,348)	As at 31/03/2024 2,119,558
		2,227,904	(108,348)	2,119,558

Page 6

M E D I C A L D E T E C T I O N D O G S

Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31st March 2024

CHARITY INFORMATION

Medical Detection Dogs (‘the Charity’) is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is Unit 3, Millfield, Greenway Business Park, Winslow Road, Great Horwood, Milton Keynes, MK17 0NP. The Charity is a public benefit entity.

ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of preparing the financial statements

The financial statements of the charitable company, which is a public benefit entity under FRS 102, have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) 'Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019)'.and the Companies Act 2006. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention.

The financial statements are prepared in sterling which is the functional currency of the Charity. Monetary amounts have been rounded to the nearest £.

The Charity has taken advantage of the following disclosure exemptions in preparing these financial statements, as permitted by FRS 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland':

the requirements of Section 11 Financial Instruments paragraphs 11.41(b), 11.41(c), 11.41(e), 11.41(f), 11.42, 11.44,11.45, 11.47, 11.48(a)(iii), 11.48(a)(iv), 11.48(b) and 11.48(c);
the requirements of Section 12 Other Financial Instruments paragraphs 12.26, 12.27, 12.29(a), 12.29(b) and 12.29A.

Going Concern

The Trustees have considered the Charity's financial position, its reserves and forecast expenditure for the twelve months following the date the accounts are expected to be approved and have concluded that there are no material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the ability of the Charity to continue as a going concern.

The Trustees are of the opinion that the Charity has adequate resources to continue to operate for the foreseeable future, being not less than one year from the date of approval of these financial statements. For this reason, the Trustees believe it is appropriate to prepare the financial statements on a going concern basis.

Preparation of consolidated financial statements

The financial statements contain information about Medical Detection Dogs as a charitable group. The charitable group consists of Medical Detection Dogs (the charity) and Canine Diagnostic Innovations Limited (CDI Ltd). CDI Ltd was dormant in previous years, but became active during the period ended 31 March 2023 and has continued since then. CDI Ltd has supplied the charity with Bio Detection Disease Research services. CDI Ltd is eligible to claim research tax credits on this activity. Please see note 13 for more details. The Charity's subsidiary Millfield Greenway Business Park Management Limited has net assets amounting to £136, and has therefore been excluded from consolidation on the grounds of immateriality in accordance with Section 405(2) of the Companies Act 2006.

Critical accounting judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty

Judgement has been applied in recognising income from legacies gifted to the Charity. Legacies are recognised when their value is known with reasonable certainty and receipt is probable, which is determined from a review of a number of criteria including grant of probate, sufficiency of assets and the existence of any conditions to be met.

M E D I C A L D E T E C T I O N D O G S

Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31st March 2024

2. ACCOUNTING POLICIES - continued

The Charity’s subsidiary CDI Ltd is eligible to claim Research Tax Credits (RTC) on its activities undertaken during the year. RTC are recognised when the likelihood of a successful claim being made to HMRC on eligible expenditure is probable and can be measured reliably. Where the likelihood of a successful claim being made to HRMC on eligible expenditure is deemed to be virtually certain, a contingent asset will be recognised in the notes to the accounts.

Judgement has been applied in recognising the RTC at the point of receipt rather than during the year in which the eligible expenditure being claimed against is incurred.

The first claim was made in respect of the CDI Ltd activities for the year to 31 March 2023. This was received from HMRC during 2023/24, and as such income has been recognised in these accounts.

Income

All income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities once the Charity has entitlement to the funds, it is probable that the income will be received, and the amount can be measured reliably.

Donations

Cash donations are brought into the financial statements when the asset is received into the bank. The gift aid tax which is claimable on these donations is recognised upon receipt of the donation. Gifts in kind donated are included at the valuation at the time of the gift.

Legacies

Incoming resources are included gross in the Statement of Financial Activities when the Charity is entitled to the income at the date of probate (having considered factors such as legal challenges, the sufficiency of assets belonging to the estate and the existence of any conditions to be met under the terms of the will), provided that sufficient information has been received to value the Charity's entitlement. Pecuniary legacies are recognised as receivable once probate has been granted and notification has been received. Residuary legacies are recognised as receivable once probate has been granted and they can be valued with reasonable certainty.

Volunteers

The Charity benefits greatly from the involvement and support of its many volunteers. In accordance with FRS 102 and the Charities SORP (FRS 102), the economic contribution of general volunteers is not however recognised in the accounts, on the basis that the financial value of their support cannot be reliably ascertained.

Expenditure

Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the Charity to that expenditure, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all costs related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings, they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources.

Allocation and apportionment of costs

Support costs are allocated to the Charity's principal charitable activities, according to the relative office space taken up by each activity. Charitable activities are categorised under the five headings of: dog training, assistance dog placement and aftercare, bio detection research, education and awareness and volunteer liaison.

M E D I C A L D E T E C T I O N D O G S

Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31st March 2024

2. ACCOUNTING POLICIES - continued

Tangible fixed assets

Depreciation is provided at the following annual rates in order to write off each asset over its estimated useful life.

Freehold property - 2% on cost Fixtures and fittings - Straight line over 3 years Motor vehicles - Straight line over 3 years

The Charity has a policy of not capitalising any item that costs less than £1,000.

Stocks

Stocks are valued at the lower of cost and net realisable value, after making allowance for obsolete and slow-moving items.

Taxation

The Charity is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities. Activities undertaken by the Charity’s subsidiary, Canine Diagnostic Innovations Limited are taxable, but no tax is due for the year. Canine Diagnostic Innovations Limited is eligible for Research Tax Credits due to the research activities which it undertakes. Please see note 22 for further details.

Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the Trustees.

Restricted funds can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the Charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for a particular restricted purpose.

Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the financial statements.

Cash at bank and in hand

Cash at bank and in hand includes cash held in short term deposit accounts or accounts with instant access.

Pension costs and other post-retirement benefits

The charitable company operates a defined contribution pension scheme. Contributions payable to the charitable company's pension scheme are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities in the period to which they relate.

Hire purchase and leasing commitments

Rentals paid under operating leases are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities on a straightline basis over the period of the lease.

______________

M E D I C A L D E T E C T I O N D O G S

Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31st March 2024

3. DONATIONS AND LEGACIES – Charitable Group

Donations and grants Legacies	2024 £ 1,604,043 301,543 1,905,586	2023 £ 1,567,452 258,405
		1,825,857

Of the £1,604,043 received from donations and grants, £739,059 are restricted to specific purposes (2023: £673,490). All legacies received in the year are unrestricted.

Income from donations includes donated dog food, dogs and equipment. The value of these donations to the Charity is estimated at £35,008 (2023 - £37,772) and is recognised within incoming resources as a donation and an equivalent charge is included in charitable activities.

As at 31 March 2024, the Charity was not aware of any entitlements to legacies (which did not fully meet the recognition criteria) other than that reported in the above figures.

The value of restricted legacies for 2024 is £nil (2023: £15,000).

4. OTHER TRADING ACTIVITIES – Charitable Group

Fundraising events Merchandise sales Commercial Services	2024 £ 27,513 19,363 58,904 105,780	2023 £ 26,760 21,225 - 47,985

Commercial services relate to corporate research services provided to an external private enterprise.

5. OTHER INCOME – Charitable Group

OTHER INCOME – Charitable Group
	2024	2023
Investment Income	£	£
Deposit account interest	68,858	15,193

Deposit account interest represents interest received on funds placed in notice accounts by the charity. There is a substantial increase in the amount received between 2023 and 2024 due to Bank of England interest rates increasing over this period. The average interest rate obtained from funds deposited during the year was 5.5%.

M E D I C A L D E T E C T I O N D O G S

Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31st March 2024

6. RAISING FUNDS

Raising donations and legacies – Charitable Group

2024 2023 £ £ 241,157 164,425 56,362 7,765 9,762 3,280 55,121 9,831 1,501 1,026 1,630 5,568 5,753 5,957 371,286 197,852 2024 2023 £ £ 4,685 16,667 375,972 214,349 Direct Costs Support costs 2024 Total £ £ £ 305,638 161,446 467,084 567,078 299,331 866,410 266,336 140,658 406,994 68,366 36,031 104,397 104,670 55,432 160,102	2024 £ 241,157 56,362 9,762 55,121 1,501 1,630 5,753 371,286 2024 £ 4,685	2023 £ 164,425 7,765 3,280 9,831 1,026 5,568 5,957 197,852 2023 £ 16,667

	375,972	214,349
1,312,088 692,898 2,004,986
Direct Costs Support costs 2023 Total £ £ £ 356,774 171,857 528,631 600,558 288,897 889,456 338,501 162,968 501,469 91,819 44,445 136,264 152,228 72,594 224,822
1,539,880 740,761 2,280,642

Support costs are allocated to activities according to relative office space taken up by each activity.

M E D I C A L D E T E C T I O N D O G S

Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31st March 2024

8. SUPPORT COSTS – Charitable Group

Current year Dog training Assistance dog placement Bio Detection research Education and awareness Volunteer liaison Total Comparative year Dog training Assistance dog placement Bio Detection research Education and awareness Volunteer liaison Total		Management Finance Governance 2024 Total £ £ £ £ 151,732 962 8,752 161,446 281,322 1,783 16,226 299,331 132,195 838 7,625 140,658 33,863 215 1,953 36,031 52,097 330 3,005 55,432
		651,209 4,127 37,561 692,898
		Management Finance Governance 2023 Total £ £ £ £ 163,620 575 7,662 171,857 275,050 967 12,880 288,897 155,157 546 7,265 162,968 42,315 149 1,981 44,445 69,115 243 3,236 72,594 705,258 2,480 33,024 740,761

M E D I C A L D E T E C T I O N D O G S

Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31st March 2024

8. SUPPORT COSTS (continued)

Support costs include the following governance costs:

2024

2024
Governance Staff Costs Auditors’ remuneration - Audit DBS checks Total 2023 Governance Auditors’ remuneration - Audit DBS checks Total		Dog training Assistance dog placement Bio Detection research Education and awareness Volunteer liaison 2024 Total £ £ £ £ £ £ 1,636 3,032 1,425 365 562 7,020 6,694 12,410 5,832 1,494 2,298 28,728 423 784 368 94 145 1,814 8,752 16,226 7,625 1,953 3,005 37,561 Dog training Assistance dog placement Bio Detection research Education and awareness Volunteer liaison 2023 Total £ £ £ £ £ £ 7,603 12,782 7,210 1,966 3,212 32,773 58 98 55 15 25 251


		7,662 12,880 7,265 1,981 3,236 33,024

M E D I C A L D E T E C T I O N D O G S

Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31st March 2024

9. NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE) – Charitable Group

Net income/(expenditure) is stated after charging/(crediting):

	2024	2023
	£	£
Auditors' remuneration	22,700	22,700
Depreciation - owned assets	142,565	122,700
Operating lease charges	13,066	13,946

Auditors remuneration disclosure excludes irrecoverable VAT and disbursements.

Deprecation was directly allocated to activities as follows: Raising donations and legacies Dog training Assistance dog placement and aftercare Education and awareness Volunteer liaison Management	2024 2023 £ £ 5,753 5,753 11,507 15,375 11,507 15,375 1,918 1,918 1,918 1,918 109,963 82,361
	142,565 122,700

10. TRUSTEES' REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS

There were no Trustees' remuneration or other benefits for the year ended 31st March 2024 nor for the year ended 31st March 2023.

Trustees' expenses

There were no Trustees' expenses paid for the year ended 31st March 2024 nor for the year ended 31st March 2023.

M E D I C A L D E T E C T I O N D O G S

Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31st March 2024

11. STAFF COSTS – Charitable Group

Wages and salaries Social security costs Pension costs	2024 £ 1,395,852 121,861 65,652 1,583,365	2023 £ 1,419,454 131,184 63,162 1,613,801

The average monthly number of full-time equivalent employees (including casual and part-time staff) during the year was 44 (2023: 46). Pension costs are allocated to activities and between restricted and unrestricted funds in proportion to the related staffing costs incurred. Included in wages and salaries is an amount of £nil relating to redundancy payments (2023: £nil), and £5,000 relating to termination settlements (2023: £nil).

The average monthly number of employees during the year was as follows:

The average monthly number of employees during the year was as follows:
Raising funds Dog training, veterinary and welfare Assistance dog placement and aftercare Bio Detection research projects Education and awareness Volunteer liaison Executive Facilities Finance nformation Technology Human resources	2024 9 9 11 9 2 1 2 2 4 1 1 51	2023 5 9 11 11 2 4 3 2 4 1 2
		54

The Key Management Personnel of the Charity consists of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Senior Leadership Team (2023: CEO and Chief Operating Officer only). They received total remuneration including pension contributions, Employers’ National Insurance contributions and benefits in kind of £426,496 (2023: £180,376).

The number of employees whose employee benefits (excluding employer pension costs) exceeded £60,000 was:

		2024	2023
£80,001	- £90,000	1	1

The Senior Leadership Team consists of six Head of Department roles and the CEO. This group was formed during financial year 2023, and was fully operational from January 2023. As part of this exercise, the Chief Operating Officer role was removed, as were six Manager level roles. This was a cost neutral exercise and represented a substantial step for the Charity, moving away from having heavy or sole reliance on one or two individuals for the day to day running of operations.

M E D I C A L D E T E C T I O N D O G S

Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31st March 2024

12. FIXED ASSETS – Charity and Group

COST At 1stApril 2023 Additions Disposals At 31stMarch 2024 DEPRECIATION At 1stApril 2023 Charge for the year Disposals At 31stMarch 2024 NET BOOK VALUE At 31stMarch 2024 At 31stMarch 2023	Tangible Fixed Assets Freehold property Fixtures and fittings Motor vehicles Total 1,917,747 394,262 67,743 2,379,752 - 86,702 - 86,702 - - (10,520) (10,520)
	1,917,747 480,964 57,223 2,455,933
	250,073 325,030 66,636 641,739 38,355 104,211 - 142,566 - - (9,413) (9,413)
	288,428 429,240 57,223 774,891
	1,629,319 51,724 - 1,681,042
	1,667,674 69,232 1,107 1,738,013

M E D I C A L D E T E C T I O N D O G S

Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31st March 2024

13. INVESTMENTS

Name	Company registration number [1] (England and Wales)	Nature of business	Class of shares	% held directly	Result for the year	Capital and reserves
MDD Enterprises Limited [2]	08709010	Dormant	Ordinary	100%	-	£1 (2023: £1)
Millfield Greenway Business Park Management Limited [2]	06312801	Property management	Ordinary	75%	Year ended 31 July 2024: £Nil (2023: £Nil)	Year ended 31 July 2024: £136 (2023: £136)
Canine Diagnostic Innovations Limited [3]	12646135	Bio Detection Disease Research services	Ordinary	100%	Nil(2023: Nil)	£1 (2023: £1)

[1] The registered office for all of the above companies is: Unit 3, Millfield, Greenway Business Park Winslow Road Great Horwood Milton Keynes MK17 0NP

[2] The holdings in MDD Enterprises Limited and Millfield Greenway Business Park Management Limited are historic holdings which are now shown separately on the balance sheet. The cost of the investment in Millfield Greenway Business Park Management is £3.

[3] The holding in Canine Diagnostic Innovations Limited (CDI Ltd) was active during the years ended 31 March 2023 and 31 March 2024, and so is consolidated into the Group figures presented at these dates. CDI Ltd is eligible to claim Research Tax Credits (RTC) on its activities undertaken during the year, which has been Bio Detection Disease Research services provided to its parent, Medical Detection Dogs and some research services provided to external organisations. The claim for the year ending 31 March 2023, was approved by HMRC and the cash received during the 2023/24 financial year, and so has been recognised at this point in line with the group accounting policy. The results of CDI Ltd are summarised in note 23.

M E D I C A L D E T E C T I O N D O G S

Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31st March 2024

14. STOCKS – Charity and Group Stocks 15. DEBTORS - Group Amounts falling due within one year: Legacy debtors Prepayments and accrued income Other debtors DEBTORS - Charity Amounts falling due within one year: Legacy debtors Prepayments and accrued income Other debtors Net Intercompany Accounts – CDI Ltd		2024 £ 15,525 2024 £ 156,870 29,938 112,008 298,817 2024 £ 156,870 29,939 112,008 93,222 392,039		2023 £ 5,902 2023 £ 283,519 24,410 88,696 396,625 2023 £ 283,519 24,410 88,696 - 396,625

M E D I C A L D E T E C T I O N D O G S

Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31st March 2024

16. CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR – Charitable Group

Trade creditors Social security and other taxes Accruals and deferred income Current accounts with subsidiaries	2024 £ 50,373 29,747 69,900 4 150,024	2023 £ 64,628 31,452 65,457 4 161,541

17. LEASING AGREEMENTS

Minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases fall due as follows:

Within one year Between one and five years	2024 £ 13,833 11,670 25,504	2023 £ 14,096 21,867 35,963

M E D I C A L D E T E C T I O N D O G S

Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31st March 2024

18. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS

Current year Unrestricted funds General fund Restricted funds Cancer studies Medical alert assistance dogs Equipment Regional development Bio Detection Dog sponsorship Government Apprenticeship Levy Scheme TOTAL FUNDS Comparative year Unrestricted funds General fund Restricted funds Cancer studies Name a puppy Medical alert assistance dogs Bio Detection (COVID-19) Equipment Regional development Bio Detection Dog sponsorship Government Apprenticeship Levy Scheme TOTAL FUNDS	At 01/04/23 Income Expenditure Transfers between funds At 31/03/24 £ £ £ £ £ 3,622,664 1,399,824 (1,490,698) - 3,531,790 8,308 - - - 8,308 346,341 20,699 (221,141) - 145,899 5,984 22,660 (8,479) - 20,165 125,000 625,000 (600,000) - 150,000 88,700 70,700 (60,641) - 98,759 10,000 - - - 10,000 584,333 739,059 (890,261) - 433,131 4,206,996 2,138,883 (2,380,959) - 3,964,921 At 01/04/22 Income Expenditure Transfers between funds At 31/03/23 £ £ £ £ £ 4,218,207 1,200,543 (1,796,088) - 3,622,663
	8,308 - - - 8,308 3,070 - (3,070) - 452,731 62,350 (168,740) - 346,341 - 25,000 (25,000) - - 5,637 2,441 (2,093) 5,984 125,000 500,000 (500,000) 125,000 - 88,700 - - 88,700 - 10,000 - - 10,000
	594,746 688,492 (698,903) - 584,333

	4,812,953 1,889,035 (2,494,991) - 4,206,996

M E D I C A L D E T E C T I O N D O G S

Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31st March 2024

18. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS – continued

The Cancer Studies Fund is restricted to expenditure relating to canine cancer research (dogs detecting cancer in other dogs). This study is expected to be completed in FY25 with all testing having been completed, and publication expected during the 2024 calendar year.

The Medical Alert Assistance Dog Fund is restricted to expenditure on training and placement of medical alert assistance dogs in specific circumstances. Funds being carried forward for Medical alert assistance dogs includes remaining funds from one large legacy of £315,000 which was notified during 2021/22. Expenditure against this individual legacy began in 2022/23, but will continue beyond 2023/24.

The Equipment Fund receives donations for and meets the cost of specific items of equipment, highlighted in fundraising campaigns.

The Regional Development Fund includes funding received from the People’s Postcode Lottery. The Charity is working to establish a regional presence around the UK. This work began in 2021/22 and is ongoing.

The Bio Detection Dog Sponsorship Fund is restricted to expenditure on the training costs of Bio Detection Dogs. The balance outstanding at the end of 2023/24 is all funding received for work on Community Medical Detection Dogs, which is in its pilot phase as at year end. This work is anticipated to continue through 2024/25, and further funds to continue this work are being sought.

Apprenticeship levy funds are amounts donated by levy paying organisations who have not fully utilised their apprenticeship levy within the required timescale, and have donated their excess levy to Medical Detection Dogs to use for its own apprenticeship scheme which was launched in 2023/24. Funds are expected to be fully utilised by the end of 2024/25.

19. CAPITAL COMMITMENTS

CAPITAL COMMITMENTS
Contracted but not provided for in the financial statements	2024 £ - -	2023 £ 12,148
		12,148

Capital commitments relate to works which were committed to as at year end, but did not take place until after the year end. The full amount in 2023 related to the replacement of the waste management equipment at the Millfield Greenway Business Park site, which was completed during 2023.

M E D I C A L D E T E C T I O N D O G S

Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31st March 2024

20. RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES

The aggregate amount of donations received by the Charity from Trustees, or their close relatives or related parties amounted to £nil (2023 - £nil).

CDI Ltd is 100% owned by the Charity. It has a balance owed to Medical Detection Dogs (for Bio Research services provided) of £93,222 (2023: £338,501). There is a corresponding amount owed by CDI Ltd to the charity related to the Charity having paid costs for Bio Research on CDI Ltd’s behalf.

Millfield Greenway Business Park Management Ltd is 75% owned by the Charity. It manages certain common areas and shared works of the Millfield Greenway Business Park site. The company has minimal activity and a very low level of net assets.

21. COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE

The liability of each member is limited to £10 by guarantee.

22. RESEARCH TAX CREDITS

Research and Development (R&D) tax reliefs support UK companies working on innovative projects in science and technology. Companies are able to claim Corporation Tax relief if the project meets the standard definition of R&D. The work that qualifies for R&D tax relief must be part of a specific project to make an advance in science or technology.

The Charitable Group undertakes Bio Detection Research work which is eligible expenditure as part of Research and Development tax relief regulations.

The value of Research Tax Credits (RTC) is equal to the value of the claim to be made to HMRC in this respect. Claims are made by CDI Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Medical Detection Dogs. Financial year 2022/23 was the first year in which the group is claiming for R&D tax relief, which was received as a reimbursement from HMRC during 2023/24.

As at 31 March 2024, the amount recognised on the Statement of Financial Activities is £58,659, and represents the amount received by the charitable group from HMRC in respect of qualifying research expenditure taking place between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023.

The 2023/24 claim for RTC has not been submitted to HMRC at the date of these financial statements, and therefore the criteria for recognising these funds have not been met. A contingent asset does exists in respect of RTC. The asset will be realisable if HMRC accepts the claim and funds are passed to CDI Ltd.

M E D I C A L D E T E C T I O N D O G S

Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31st March 2024

23. CANINE DIAGNOSTIC INNOVATIONS LIMITED – RESULTS FOR THE YEAR

CANINE DIAGNOSTIC INNOVATIONS LIMITED – RESULTS FOR THE YEAR	CANINE DIAGNOSTIC INNOVATIONS LIMITED – RESULTS FOR THE YEAR	CANINE DIAGNOSTIC INNOVATIONS LIMITED – RESULTS FOR THE YEAR
Canine Diagnisotic Innovations Ltd – Summary Profit and Loss Account For the period ended 31 March 2024
	2024	2023 £
Turnover	223,517	338,501
Cost of Sales	(282,176)	(338,501)
Gross Profit / (Loss)	(58,659)	0
Research Tax Credit	58,659	0
Profit (or loss) for the financial year	0	0

Canine Diagnisotic Innovations Ltd – Summary Balance Sheet For the period ended 31 March 2024

Profit (or loss) for the financial year 0 0	Profit (or loss) for the financial year 0 0	Profit (or loss) for the financial year 0 0
Canine Diagnisotic Innovations Ltd – Summary Balance Sheet For the period ended 31 March 2024
	2024	2023 £
Cash	93,222	0
Prepayments and accrued income	0	0
Total assets less current liablities	93,222	0
Creditors: amounts falling due after more than one year	(93,222)	0
Total Net Assets	0	0
Share capital & retained earnings	1	1

Intercompany debtor and creditor amounts owed to and from CDI Ltd and the Charity have been netted off within the CDI Ltd and Charity only accounts.

M E D I C A L D E T E C T I O N D O G S

Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31st March 2024

24. COMPARATIVE GROUP STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

Unrestricted
fund
Notes
£
INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM
Donations and legacies
3
1,137,365
Other trading activities
4
47,985
Investment income
5
15,193
Government grants
5
-
1,200,543
Total
EXPENDITURE ON
Raising funds
6
137,920
Charitable activities
7
Dog training
354,490
Assistance dog placement and aftercare
571,073
Bio Detection research projects
474,376
Education and awareness
136,264
Volunteer liaison
121,965
Total
1,796,088
NET INCOME
(595,545)
Transfers between funds
18
-
Net movement in funds
(595,545)
RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS
Total funds brought forward
4,218,207
TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD
3,622,663

2023
Restricted
funds
Total funds
£
£
688,492
1,825,857
-
47,985
-
15,193
-
-
688,492
1,889,035
76,429
214,349
174,141
528,631
318,383
889,456
27,093
501,469
0
136,264
102,857
224,822
698,903
2,494,991
(10,411)
(605,956)
-
-
(10,411)
(605,956)
594,746
4,812,953
584,333
4,206,996

Comparative analysis of net assets by fund for the group

	Unrestricted funds	Restricted funds	Total funds
Tangible assets	1,738,013	-	1,738,013
Investments	4	-	4
Net current assets	1,884,647	584,333	2,468,980
Net assets	3,622,663	584,333	4,206,996

M E D I C A L D E T E C T I O N D O G S

Reference and Administrative details for the year ended 31st March 2024

Registered Company number

6399500 (England and Wales)

Registered Charity numbers

1124533 (England and Wales) SC044434 (Scotland)

Principal and Registered office

Unit 3, Millfield Greenway Business Park Winslow Road Great Horwood Milton Keynes, MK17 0NP

Trustees serving during the year and up to the date of signing of these accounts Clive Everest MA, FCA (Chair) Dr Alan Makepeace BSc, MBBS, FRCR, FRCS(Eng), FRCS(Edin) Paul Steckler BSc (Hons) (Resigned March 2024) Dr Siobhan Dennis MBiol, PhD Julia Mckechnie-Burke MA (Oxon), MBA, MinstF Prof Meghana Pandit Kelly Stafford FCIPD

Chief Executive and Chief Scientific Officer

Dr Claire Guest OBE BSc (Hons), MSc HonDSc, DHP, BCAh, FRSA

Company Secretary

James Yianni BA, ACA

Independent Auditor

Saffery LLP 71 Queen Victoria Street London EC4V 4BE

Bankers

Barclays Bank 22-24 Upper Marlborough Road St Albans Hertfordshire AL1 3AL

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

3 Millfield, Greenway Business Park, Winslow Road, Great Horwood, Milton Keynes, MK17 0NP

operations@medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk www.medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk[|] 01296 655888

0080

Registered Charity in England and Wales No. 1124533 and in Scotland No. SC044434

Contents

Message from the Chairman, Clive Everest and the Chief Executive and Chief Scientific Officer, Dr Claire Guest OBE

Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31st March 2024

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

Background to our work

MEDICAL ALERT ASSISTANCE DOGS

An Explanation Of Our Medical Alert Assistance Work

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

Medical Alert Assistance Dogs

We currently support 86 partnerships, including those in training pending accreditation, and those that are fully accredited.

Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31st March 2024

Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31st March 2024

MAAD Accreditation

Our MAAD Applicants

BIO DETECTION RESEARCH

The future of our Bio Detection Research

Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31st March 2024

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Governing Document

Related Parties

Structure and Management

Governance

Remuneration Policy for Senior Staff

Risk Management

Principal risks and uncertainties

Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31st March 2024

Related Party Transactions

Recruitment and Appointment of New Trustees

Fundraising

Volunteers

Public Benefit

FINANCIAL REVIEW

Reserves Policy

FUTURE PLANS

STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES’ RESPONSIBILITIES

Independent auditor’s report to the members and the trustees

Opinion

Basis for opinion

Conclusions relating to going concern

Other information

Independent auditor’s report to the members and the trustees

Other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

Responsibilities of trustees

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

Independent auditor’s report to the members and the trustees

Identifying and assessing risks related to irregularities:

Audit response to risks identified:

Use of our report

Independent auditor’s report to the members and the trustees

Sottecy LLP

14 October 2024

Consolidated Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31st March 2024

RECONCILIATION OF NET INCOME TO NET CASH FLOW FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES

RECONCILIATION OF NET DEBT

CHARITY INFORMATION

ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of preparing the financial statements

Going Concern

Preparation of consolidated financial statements

Critical accounting judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty

2. ACCOUNTING POLICIES - continued

Income

Donations

Legacies

Volunteers

Expenditure

Allocation and apportionment of costs

2. ACCOUNTING POLICIES - continued

Tangible fixed assets

Stocks

Taxation

Fund accounting

Cash at bank and in hand

Pension costs and other post-retirement benefits

Hire purchase and leasing commitments

Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31st March 2024

3. DONATIONS AND LEGACIES – Charitable Group