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← Healthwatch Shropshire

2025-03-31-accounts

Healthwatch Shropshire

(A company limited by guarantee)

Report and Financial Statements For the Year Ended 31[st] March 2025

Charity number 1151343 Company number 08415314

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Contents

Page

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Reference and administrative information

Charity name:

Healthwatch Shropshire

Charity registration number: 1151343 Company registration number: 08415314

Registered Office and 4 The Creative Quarter operational address: Shrewsbury Business Park Shrewsbury Shropshire SY2 6LG

Board of Trustees

Vanessa Barrett, Chair Richard Amos David Crane Steve Price Daphne Simmons Frederick David Voysey (to 01.01.25) Robert Douglas Welch Anne Wignall

Staff Team

Chief Officer Information Officer Enter & View Officer and Health Complaints Advocacy Coordinator

Lynn Cawley Brian Rapson (to 31.03.25) Daphne Simmons (from 3[rd] June 2024 to 30[th] September 2024)

Enter and View Officer Diane Drummond (from 29[th] July 2024) Community Engagement Officer Hannah Davies Communication and Involvement Officer Elizabeth Florendine (from 2[nd] January 2025) Insight and Involvement Officer Kate Hollins-White (to 28[th] November 2024)

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Independent Examiner

Hollies Bookkeeping Services Ltd Bennett’s Business Centre Main Road Pontesbury SY5 0RR

Bankers

NatWest London EC3P 3HX

Contact details

Telephone: 01743 237884 Email: enquiries@healthwatchshropshire.co.uk Website: www.healthwatchshropshire.co.uk Twitter: @HWShropshire Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/HealthwatchShropshire Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/healthwatchshropshire/

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Healthwatch Shropshire Trustee Report for the year ended 31[st] March 2025

The Board of Trustees presents its report and audited financial statements for the year ended 31[st] March 2025.

Chair’s statement for the year ended 31[st] March 2025

“2024-25 has been a challenging year for Healthwatch Shropshire and the whole health and care system across Shropshire and Telford, with significant turbulence and change in local statutory authorities and organisations. The changes in senior personnel make it even more important for us to keep re-building relationships with all these organisations, to alert them to what the public are telling us about their services.

A good example is our report ‘Living Well with Cancer’. Our Community Engagement Officer and volunteers attended numerous different events and cancer support group meetings, speaking with over 350 people to hear about their experiences. Many other people responded to our survey. Their voices come through strongly in our reports, which are really valued by the NHS Trusts and care services, since they don’t often learn about these personal experiences from their own feedback processes. The report was also timely, in contributing to the development of the Cancer Care strategy by NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin. In this context I would also like to pay tribute to our amazing volunteers and in particular to a dear friend of HWS, Fran Robinson, who sadly passed away. We cannot achieve what we do, without the generous commitment of their time and energies.”

Vanessa Barrett, Chair of Healthwatch Shropshire

"The feedback local Healthwatch hear in their communities and share with us at Healthwatch England is invaluable, building a picture of what it’s like to use health and care services nationwide. Local people’s experiences help us understand where we – and decision makers – must focus and highlight issues that might otherwise go unnoticed. We can then make recommendations that will change care for the better, both locally and across the nation.."

Louise Ansari, Chief Executive at Healthwatch England

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Our aims and objectives

Introduction

The Health and Social Care Act 2012 established Healthwatch as the independent consumer champion for health and social care in England, with a local Healthwatch in every Local Authority area in England. Our role is to ensure that local decision makers and health and care services put the experiences of people at the heart of their work. Everything we say and do is informed by our connection to local people. Our sole focus is on understanding the needs, experiences and concerns of people of all ages and backgrounds who use health and social care services and to speak out on their behalf.

From 1st April 2016, Healthwatch Shropshire (HWS) has also held the contract for the Independent Health Complaints Advocacy Service (IHCAS) for people who receive NHS services in Shropshire and for Shropshire residents who receive NHS services outside the county.

Purpose and aims

The purposes of Healthwatch Shropshire are set out in the Articles of Association:

Based on the Articles and guidance from Healthwatch England (HWE), Healthwatch Shropshire (HWS) has determined its own purpose:

To be the recognised independent voice of the people of Shropshire in seeking to improve their experience of Health and Social Care services.

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Achievements and performance

Review of activities

The following section highlights the achievements of Healthwatch Shropshire in 202425 against the statutory activities for local Healthwatch.

The eight statutory activities of Healthwatch Shropshire are:

When agreeing our priorities each year and identifying relevant projects the Board of Trustees for Healthwatch Shropshire demonstrates due regard for the Charity Commission’s public benefit guidance and ensures our activities centre on the views and experiences of the people of Shropshire of health and social care services. These views are then shared directly with providers and commissioners, or included in our public reports, with the aim of them being used to influence and inform service design and improvement.

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At Healthwatch it can be difficult to show the impact that we make within one financial year as, quite often, the difference that we make does not happen straight away but over a period of time.

For a more detailed report on our activities and impact in 2024-25 please see our Annual Report for Healthwatch England.

https://www.healthwatchshropshire.co.uk/report/2025-07-14/unlocking-powerpeople-driven-care-healthwatch-shropshire-annual-report-2024-25

On page 16 we report on our additional activity under the Independent Health Complaints Advocacy Service for 2024-25.

Our year in numbers

We’ve supported more than 1,320 people to have their say and get information about their care. We currently employ five part-time staff, and our work is supported by 20 volunteers.

Over 20,000 people accessed the information and reports on our website this year.

Reaching out:

Championing Local voices:

Ensuring the voice of Shropshire residents is heard at a wider level

We collaborate with other organisations to ensure the experiences of people in Shropshire influence decisions made about services at Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care System (ICS) level.

This year we’ve worked with organisations across health, social care and the voluntary and community sector to make sure what people tell us is listened to.

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Examples of our work:

1. Holding services to account .

2. Influencing

We have a seat at the table at key meetings across health and social care where we can highlight what you tell us about services. For example:

3. Involving

Despite the increasing need for volunteers across health and social care we continue to attract people who want to be involved in our work as Enter & View Authorised Representatives, Engagement Volunteers to help us to reach out to communities across Shropshire, and Trustees of the Board who help ensure we are fulfilling our duties and statutory functions. We encourage our volunteers and members of the public to get involved in meetings and focus groups to share their views and experiences of services. This year we:

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4. Communicating .

Healthwatch Shropshire is a member of the Integrated Care System Communication and Engagement Group, working with partners to promote and share information and engage with people across Shropshire.

This year we launched the ‘Share for Better Care’ campaign, led by Healthwatch England and picked up by the network or local Healthwatch, to let people know how quick and easy it is to share their experiences of health and social care services with us and how their feedback can make things better for all. This is an on-going campaign and will continue to run throughout 2025-26 so please share your experiences today at:

https://www.healthwatchshropshire.co.uk/news/2025-02-10/share-better-care

Sample impact and reports:

1. “Living Well with Cancer in Shropshire” – finding out what matters to people living with and beyond cancer in Shropshire.

We met over 350 people at cancer support groups and events across Shropshire to hear their views and experiences so we could share them with NHS Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin to inform the implementation of the local Cancer Strategy.

40 people who answered our survey had received NHS care and treatment for a total of 17 different types of cancer but less than 40% had accessed other types of support available to help them live well with cancer.

We launched a survey to better understand people’s experiences, what is working well and how services/support from pre-diagnosis and beyond can be improved. Then we went out to hear from as many people as possible in their communities to explain the benefits of them sharing their stories and views to improve local services for all.

Key things we heard:

What difference did this make?

Our work showed the need for a Shropshire Cancer Network to promote and support local cancer support groups, establish new ones and offer advice, e.g. on funding and partnership working.

Our findings were shared at NHS Cancer Engagement Events in Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin where members of the public and professionals agreed with our recommendations and Lingen Davies offered to take a lead on the development of

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a network. Our Chief Officer went on BBC Radio Shropshire to highlight the need to improve waiting times for diagnostic tests and results.

2. “Pharmacy First” – Finding out how people are using their pharmacy

In early 2024 community pharmacies began to offer a range of enhanced services for an additional 7 medical conditions with the aim of providing quicker and more convenient access to advice and treatment and freeing up GP appointments. We knew that some pharmacies in Shropshire were closing due to difficulties with recruitment and increasing business costs, so we wanted to understand people’s experiences of accessing pharmacy services and the challenges faced by pharmacies themselves to meet increased demand.

We met with the Chief Officer of the Community Pharmacy Committee to design our survey and ask their help to engage with Pharmacy staff. Our volunteers visited their local pharmacies to ask them to put up posters and take part. We spoke to over 1,200 college students aged 16+ and asked them where they go for medical advice.

Key things we heard:

What difference did this make?

NHS Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin committed to:

3. Listening to people living and working in HMP Stoke Heath in Market Drayton

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In December 2022 we visited the prison and heard about the challenges faced in getting the right support for people when they were released and the impact on their mental health.

We raised concerns with Public Health and members of the Shropshire Health and Wellbeing Board. Midlands Partnership University Foundation NHS Trust now provide mental health services in the prison with an increased team to provide wider support. We continue to attend Health and Wellbeing Champion (HAWCs) meetings to hear directly from people using services in the prison.

What difference did this make?

Raised the profile of HMP Stoke Heath (the only prison in Shropshire) across the local health and social care system and increased the understanding of the role of providers to meet the needs of those people in the prison and the staff working to support them.

As we continue to build a relationship with the HAWCs we have offered to work with them to hear the voices of the wider prison population, so far, they have highlighted concerns about waiting times, diabetes and mental health, and given positive feedback on the Social Prescribing Programme.

4. Raising the voices of people using acute inpatient mental health services - The Redwoods, Shrewsbury.

This is one of the most seldom heard groups in Shropshire, not least due to their fear of stigma.

Autumn 2024, to let them know their voice matters, we started to attend Community Meetings for patients at The Redwoods to hear their experiences on the wards and what issues they raised. We will continue to attend these meetings and maintain a dialogue with users, managers and inspectors.

What difference did this make?

We learned how important food and choice is to these patients in their recovery and how valued they feel. We met with Staff at The Redwoods to understand the challenges and what they can do to make improvements. This led to discussions with NHS Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and Care Quality Commission Inspectors on how the quality of food and nutrition across inpatient services and care homes is monitored and reviewed and how they involve the public.

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Information and Signposting

This year 274 people have reached out to us for advice, support or help finding services. we’ve helped people by:

Volunteering and Enter and View

Our fantastic volunteers have given 575 hours to support our work. Thanks to their dedication to improving care, we can better understand what is working and what needs improving in our community.

This year our volunteers:

“I always believed that the work of Healthwatch can make a difference for us all and so I decided to get involved.

I was warmly welcomed as a Trustee and volunteer. I have enjoyed joining the staff at events and stands to speak to people of all ages and record their experiences of using services. and taking part in Enter & View visits with other volunteers. I have represented Healthwatch on an NHS committee to remind people running services of the need for them to be accessible to all and think this is an important part of the role of Healthwatch.

It’s been a whirlwind at times with lots to learn and remember but it’s been great to feel part of the team." Daphne (Trustee/Volunteer)

Our volunteers are out in the community everyday listening to people to find out if health and care is working for them.

We have a duty to involve people in the work we do, from finding out how services are performing to sharing their experiences and views to inform service redesign and development. Whether you want to gain valuable work experience, help improve care in your community, use your skills or learn new ones, there are lots of ways you can join us to make a real difference.

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Enter and View:

Enter & View visits are one of the most important ways we involve volunteers in our work. These volunteers complete additional training and a DBS check to become Enter & View Authorised Representative. The are involved in the planning of visits, conducting visits and reporting on what is seen and heard during the visit.

From July 2025 we will be recruiting to all of our volunteer roles to build on and strengthen the team.

The way we work

Involvement of volunteers and lay people in our governance and decisionmaking

The Board of Healthwatch Shropshire consists of eight members who work voluntarily to provide direction, oversight, and scrutiny of our activities.

Our Board ensures that decisions about priority areas of work reflect the concerns and interests of our diverse local community.

Throughout 2024-25, the Board met three times and made decisions on matters such as reducing the number of Committees of the Board from four to two to align aspects of our work. The Intelligence and Engagement Committee includes volunteer representatives and agrees how will use all our engagement tools to increase public and professional engagement with projects, and priorities in the Forward Plan (including the Enter &View visit programme). The Governance and Assurance Committee focuses on raising our profile, volunteer involvement and managing the budget. The Board have also made decisions to ensure the ongoing sustainability of Healthwatch Shropshire.

We have held Volunteer Meetings throughout the year, open to all Board members and volunteers, to listen to their views, ideas and feedback

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Methods and systems used across the year to obtain people’s experiences

We use a wide range of approaches to ensure that as many people as possible can provide us with insight into their experience of using services.

During 2024-25, we have been available by phone and email, provided a web form on our website and through social media, held regular stands in libraries and hospitals and attended meetings of community groups and forums to speak to people directly.

We ensure that this annual report is made available to as many members of the public and partner organisations as possible. We will publish it on our website and share directly with people signed up to our newsletter.

Responses to recommendations

All providers responded to our formal requests for information or recommendations this year. There were no issues or recommendations escalated by us to the Healthwatch England Committee, so there were no resulting reviews or investigations.

Taking people’s experiences to decision makers

We ensure that people who can make decisions about services hear about the insights and experiences shared with us.

For example, in our local authority area, we take information to the Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee of Shropshire Council and Telford & Wrekin Council as a co-optee.

We also take insight and experiences to decision-makers in Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin (STW) Integrated Care System through regular provider information sharing meetings and committees/groups. For example, both Healthwatch Shropshire and Healthwatch Telford and Wrekin, attend:

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Healthwatch representatives

Healthwatch Shropshire is represented on the Shropshire Health and Wellbeing Board by Lynn Cawley (Chief Officer), deputised by Trustees or staff members as appropriate.

During 2024-25, our representative has effectively carried out this role by delivering presentations on our engagement reports and providing constructive challenge and sharing feedback from the public about their experiences of local services to inform discussions.

Lynn Cawley (Chief Officer) also represents Healthwatch Shropshire on the Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin Integrated Care Partnership and Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin Integrated Care Board.

Independent Health Complaints Advocacy Service (IHCAS)

Healthwatch Shropshire continues to provide the Independent Health Complaints Advocacy Service (IHCAS) for Shropshire residents and those using Shropshire NHS services.

2024-25 saw an average of 23 people per quarter contact us for guidance on making an NHS complaint and the majority of these received the support from an advocate to put their complaint in writing, attend a meeting or understand their options.

Financial review

a. Principal funding sources

Healthwatch Shropshire receives grant funding to deliver Healthwatch functions (£145,500) and the Independent Health Complaints Advocacy Service (£16,500) from Shropshire Council.

Due to widespread cuts in Healthwatch budgets nationally and the 25% cut in the Healthwatch Shropshire budget when we were recommissioned in 2018 there is a need for us to seek additional funding, including from the Local Authority, Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin Integrated Care Board and Healthwatch England. This year there was no additional funding available to us.

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b. Reserves policy

It is good policy for a charity to hold a contingency reserve to protect the charity from disruption to its charitable work and from insolvency. The Board has determined that it will aim to hold 3 months core operating costs as a free reserve.

The reserve policy is monitored and reviewed annually as part of the budget setting process and when a significant event may trigger the need for a review.

At 31st March 2025 the total free reserve of Healthwatch Shropshire was £74,842 (2023-24 was £67,240, 2022-23 was £61,980, 2021-22 was £88,084).

After making appropriate enquiries, the Board Members have a reasonable expectation that the company has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. For this reason they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements. Further details regarding the adoption of the going concern basis can be found in the Accounting Policies.

c. Principal risks facing the charity

In December 2022 we were notified that our tender to continue providing both Healthwatch and IHCAS services for the next three years was successful. The new contract (starting April 2023) offers only the same income as for the previous five years. With the anticipated increases in the cost of living and staff salaries, the Board decided on a range of back-office economies that would be expected to enable HWS to have adequate resources to maintain its range of services, and sufficient reserves.

Plans for next year

Over the next year, we will keep reaching out to every part of society, especially people in the most deprived areas, so that those in power hear their views and experiences.

We will also work together with partners and our local Integrated Care System to help develop an NHS and social care culture where, at every level, staff strive to listen and learn from patients to make care better.

Top three priorities for 2025-26

  1. To improve the sustainability and resilience of Healthwatch Shropshire, from the 1[st] July 2025 Healthwatch and the Independent Health Complaints Advocacy Service we provide, will operate as independent services within Community Resource. We hope this relationship will help us to develop our partnership working across the ICS, including with the voluntary and community sector.

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  1. Continuing to tackle inequalities by highlighting the challenges faced by different communities and groups in Shropshire and championing their voice, including reaching out to farming and rural communities.

  2. Promoting and supporting public engagement and involvement in service change and redesign as part of the local Hospital Transformation and Community Transformation Programmes (integral to the Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin Integrated Care Strategy and Joint Forward Plan).

Structure, Governance and Management

a. Constitution

Healthwatch Shropshire (HWS) is a charitable company limited by guarantee and was set up and is governed by its Articles of Association, which established the objects and powers of the charitable company.

Its registered charity number is 1151343 and its company number is 08415314. Members of the charitable company are required to contribute an amount not exceeding £1 to the assets of the charitable company in the event of its winding up. The Board Members are the trustees of the charity and directors of the company and have no beneficial interest in the charitable company.

b. Method of appointment or election of Board Members

Board Members, who are volunteers, are recruited with appropriate acknowledgement for the need for diversity in membership, from the people of Shropshire in an open and transparent process. Vacancies are advertised as widely as possible.

All candidates for Board Membership are:

Board Members are elected for a period of three years.

All potential candidates to become Board Members must:

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(*By ‘Shropshire’ we mean the area covered by Shropshire Council)

c. Policies adopted for the induction and training of Board Members

New Board Members are:

Board Members have adopted a process of appraisal of individual Board Members on an annual basis and regularly review the structure and effectiveness of the Board and its Committees.

d. Organisational structure and decision making

The governance of the charity is the responsibility of the Board Members. They are lay people and volunteers who are elected and co-opted under the terms of the Articles of Association. The maximum number of Board Members is 12. At the end of the year in March 2025 the Board comprised eight members.

All members have equal voting rights. A Decision-Making policy is available through the website, www.healthwatchshropshire.co.uk The relevant decisions are included in Board meeting minutes and published on the web site.

There are four hybrid Board meetings in public during the year. Any members of the public who wanted to observe these meetings were asked to contact Healthwatch Shropshire to request the MS Teams link due to the limited space in our meeting room.

There are four Committees of the Board, each with its own Terms of Reference, to which the Board has delegated some of its responsibilities to enable the business of HWS to be delivered in a timely manner but the Board remains accountable. The Committees are:

From Quarter 4 it was agreed to streamline the work of the committees and reduce the demand on Board members and the staff team by combining them into two committees:

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  1. Intelligence & Engagement Committee (including Enter & View) focusing on our operational activities

  2. Governance and Assurance Committee focusing on governance and quality and performance against our Kep Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Board Members are required to complete a ‘Declaration of Interest’ form and declare any conflicts of interest at the beginning of Board and Sub-Committee meetings.

The staff complement at the end of the year was five (3.4 WTE) compared to four (3 WTE) at the end of 2023-24. From 1[st] April 2025 this will reduce to 4 (2.8 WTE).

The Chief Officer is responsible for:

At year end Healthwatch Shropshire (HWS) had a team of 20 volunteers (including Board Members) to support its work programme. The volunteer roles are:

Volunteers are invited to join Committees of the Board and encouraged to consider what skills and insight they could bring if they joined the Board.

There are many people of Shropshire who are interested in the work of Healthwatch Shropshire (HWS) and appreciate receiving our newsletters and social media posts but do not wish to be actively involved as volunteers. At the end of March 2025 505 people and organisations were signed up to receive our email newsletter (up 28 on last year) and 3,862 followed us on our various social media platforms.

e. Risk management

Healthwatch Shropshire has a Risk Management Matrix to enable it to identify and manage effectively the external risks faced by the charity. Annual reviews take place involving Board Members and staff and the Matrix is updated for Business Committee and Board meetings when necessary.

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f. Related parties

In so far as it is complementary to the organisation’s objectives, Healthwatch Shropshire is guided by local and national priorities. We continue to base our priorities on those of:

This ensures that the comments we receive from the public and the reports we publish can have a direct impact on the improvement work being undertaken across the ICS.

g. Healthwatch Trademark Licence Agreement

We can confirm that Healthwatch Shropshire has signed and returned to Healthwatch England the Healthwatch Trademark agreement (which covers the logo and the Healthwatch brand) and that we are using this trademark when undertaking work on our statutory Activities as covered by the licence agreement.

Responsibilities of the Board of Trustees

Company law requires the Board of Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of the affairs of the charitable company as at the balance sheet date and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including income and expenditure, for the financial year.

The Board of Trustees is responsible for maintaining proper 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 1985. Board of Trustees is 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.

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Independent Examiners

The Hollies Bookkeeping Services are still appointed as Independent Examiners for Healthwatch Shropshire.

The Board of Trustees confirm that the annual report and financial statements of the company comply with the current statutory requirements, the requirements of the company's governing document and the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP), 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[st] January 2015) as amended by Updated Bulletin 1 (effective 1[st] January 2015).

Since the charitable company qualifies as small under section 383, the strategic report required of medium and large companies under The Companies Act 2006 (Strategic Report and Directors Report) Regulations 2013 is not required.

Declarations

The Board of Trustees declare that they have approved the report above.

Signed on behalf of the Board

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HEALTHWATCH SHROPSHIRE

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Unrestricted Restricted 2025 2024
Funds Funds Total Total
£ £ Funds Funds
£ £
INCOME AND Notes
ENDOWMENTSfrom
Charitable Activities
General Funds 2 162,000 1,109 163,109 162,000
EXPENDITURE ON
Charitable Activities
General funds 3 154,398 1,109 155,507 156,740
NET INCOME /
(EXPENDITURE) 7,602 - 7,602 5,260
RECONCILIATION OF
FUNDS
Total funds brought 67,240 - 67,240 61,980
forward
TOTAL FUNDS
CARRIED FORWARD 74,842 - 74,842. 67,240

CONTINUING OPERATIONS

All income and expenditure has arisen from continuing activities.

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HEALTHWATCH SHROPSHIRE (REGISTERED NUMBER: 08415314)

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION

31[ST] MARCH 2025

2025 2024
£ £
CURRENT ASSETS Notes
Debtors and prepayments 8 14,595 2,057
Cash at bank and in hand 67,845 74,281
82,440 76,338
CURRENT LIABILITIES
CREDITORS
Amounts falling due within one year 9 (7,598) (9,098)
NET CURRENT ASSETS 74,842 67,240
TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT 74,842 67,240
LIABILITIES
NET ASSETS 74,842 67,240
FUNDS 11
Unrestricted Funds 74,842 67,240
Restricted Funds -
TOTAL FUNDS 74,842 67,240

The charitable company is entitled to exemption from audit under Section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 for the year ended 31[st] March 2025.

The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year ended 31[st] March 2025 in accordance with Section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.

The Trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for

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 ………………………………… and were signed on its behalf by:

………………………………..

Mrs V J Barrett - Trustee

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HEALTHWATCH SHROPSHIRE

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[ST] MARCH 2025

1. 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 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 1st January 2019),’ Financial Reporting Standard 102 ‘The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland’ and the Companies Act 2006. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention.

Financial Reporting Standard 102 – reduced disclosure exemptions

The charitable company 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 7 Statement of Cash Flows; the requirement of paragraph 3.17(d);

the requirements of paragraphs 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 paragraphs 12.26, 12.27, 12.29(a), 12.29(b) and 12.29A; the requirement of paragraph 33.7.

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.

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 cost 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.

Taxation

The charity is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities.

Fund accounting

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

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 particular restricted purposes.

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

Pension costs and other post-retirement benefits

The charitable company operates a defined contribution pension scheme. Contributions payable

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to the charitable company’s pension scheme are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities in the period to which they relate.

Debtors

Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.

Cash at bank and in hand

Cash at bank and in hand includes cash and short-term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.

Financial Instruments

The charity only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value.

2 . INCOME FROM CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES

2025 2024
General General
Funds Funds
£ £
Local authority grants 162,000 162,000
Other public sector grants 1,109 -
163,109 162,000

3. CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES COSTS

Direct
Costs (see Support
note 4) Costs Totals
£ £ £
General funds 145,509 9,998 155,507
4. DIRECT COSTS OF CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
2025 2024
£ £
Staff Costs 119,766 115,483
Staff training, recruitment, expenses 1,753 2,644
Professional, Legal and Other 6,215 2,729
Volunteer Costs 396 621
Premises Related Costs 13,063 14,219
Advertising and Marketing 592 1,984
Administration / IT / Equipment 3,724 5,015
145,509 142,695

4. DIRECT COSTS OF CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES

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A company limited by guarantee

5. TRUSTEES’ REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS

There was £1,161 worth of trustees’ remuneration for one Trustee who was employed temporarily for the year ended 31[st] March 2025 and none for the year ended 31[st] March 2024 .

Trustees’ expenses

During the year 4 Trustees (2024: 5) received reimbursement of expenses amounting to £769. (2024: £1,060)

6. STAFF COSTS

2025 2024
£ £
Wages and salaries 110,150 107,149
Social security costs 4,209 3,612
Other pension costs 5,407 4,722
119,766 115,483
The average monthly number of employees during the year was as follows:
2025 2024
General 5 5

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

No employee received remuneration amounting to more than £60,000 in either year.

7. COMPARATIVES FOR THE STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

Unrestricted Restricted Total
Funds Funds Funds
£ £ £
INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS from
Charitable activities
General Funds 162,000 - 162,000
EXPENDITURE on
Charitable activities
General Funds 156,740 - 156,740
NET INCOME / (EXPENDITURE) 5,260 - 5,260
RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS
Total funds brought forward 61,980 - 61,980
TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD 67,240 - 67,240

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A company limited by guarantee

8. DEBTORS
2025 2024
£ £
Amounts falling due within one year:
Trade Debtors Trade Debtors 13,500 -
Prepayments 95 1,057
13,595 1,057
Amounts falling due after more than one Amounts falling due after more than one
year:
Other debtors Other debtors 1,000 1,000
Aggregate amounts 14,595 2,057
9. CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR
2025 2024
£ £
Trade creditors Trade creditors 451 2,521
Social security and other taxes Social security and other taxes 5,032 2,956
Accruals and deferred income 2,115 3,621
7,598 9,098
10. ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BETWEEN FUNDS
Unrestricted Restricted 2025 2024
Funds Funds Total Total
£ £ Funds Funds
£ £
Current Assets 82,440 - 82,440 76,338
Current Liabilities 7,598 - (7,598) (9,098)
74,842 - 74,842 67,240

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A company limited by guarantee

HEALTHWATCH SHROPSHIRE

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - continued FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[ST] MARCH 2025

11. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS

At At Net Net At
1.4.24 Movement 31.3.25
£ In funds £
£
Unrestricted funds
Unrestricted 67,240 7,602 74,842
Restricted Funds
Restricted - - -
TOTAL FUNDS 67,240 7,602 74,842
Net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows: Net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows:
Incoming Incoming Resources Movement
Resources Expended In Funds
£ £ £
Unrestricted Funds
Unrestricted 162,000 (154,398) 7,602
Restricted Funds 1,109 (1,109) -
Total Funds 163,109 (155,507) 7,602
Comparatives for movement in funds
Incoming Resources Movement
Resources Expended In Funds
£ £ £
Unrestricted funds
Unrestricted 162,000 (156,740) 5,260
Restricted Funds
- - -
- - -
Total Restricted - - -
TOTAL FUNDS 162,000 (156,740) 5,260

Net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows:

Comparatives for movement in funds

12. EMPLOYEE BENEFIT OBLIGATIONS

During the year Healthwatch Shropshire paid pension contributions of £5,407 (2024: £4,722). There were contributions payable at the year end of £1,525 (2024: £1,314)

13. RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES

There were no related party transactions for the year ended 31[st] March 2025.

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A company limited by guarantee

HEALTHWATCH SHROPSHIRE DETAILED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[ST] MARCH 2025

2025 2024
£ £
INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS
Charitable activities
Local authority grants 162,000 162,000
Other public sector grants 1,109 -
-
Total Incoming Resources 163,109 162,000
EXPENDITURE
Charitable Activities
Salaries and National Insurance 1 114,359 110,761
Pension costs 2 5,407 4,722
Insurance 3 1,590 1,540
Telephone and Broadband 4 1,928 1,094
Postage 5 49 440
Marketing and Publicity 6 572 1,984
Travel and Subsistence 7 1,514 2,384
Volunteer & Trustee expenses 8 396 621
Recruitment (including DBS) 9 110 133
Training & development 10 129 127
Consultancy 11 4,624 5,091
Publications / subscriptions 12 0 58
Venue Hire and Events 13 20 -
Printing and Stationery 14 212 445
Office Stationery
Equipment 16 1,033 97
Website & software 17 502 73
Office rent 18 7250 8,865
Premises costs 19 5813 4,260
145,508 142,695
Other
Sundries 20 35 64
Financial administration 21 8,796 13,096
Trustees’ expenses 769 578
Trustee Indemnity Insurance 8,23 398 307
3,24 9,998 14,045
Total Resources expended 155,506 156,740
Net Income / (Expenditure) 7,603 5,260

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A company limited by guarantee

This page does not form part of the statutory financial statement

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