2023-03-31-accounts - Assist Teignbridge

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VALUING VOLUNTEERS

WORKING TOGETHER

COMMUNITY EVENTS

COMMUNITY CHARITY SUPPORTING OLDER PEOPLE

Assist Teignbridge, The Manor House, Old Town Street, Dawlish, EX7 9AW Reg’d Charity No. 1154936

Assist Teignbridge – Trustees’ Report

The Trustees of the CIO Assist Teignbridge present their annual report and financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2023. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 2 to the accounts and comply with the charity’s constitution, the Charities Act 2011 and the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice (FRS 102)(2019).

CHAIR’S FOREWORD

This past year has been a difficult one and both parts of the business have faced challenges.

With the Volunteer Centre, the charity has had to adapt to reduced levels of funding following the Pandemic, along with ongoing difficulties sourcing grant aid. We have, however, been fortunate that this has to some extent been mitigated by continued grant support from Devon County and Dawlish Town Councils. In addition, towards the end of the year, we received a cost-of-living grant from Teignbridge CVS to support our outreach benefits work. Over the year, the latter work saw a considerable increase, largely as a result of the cost-of-living crisis.

With regard to our Charged-for services, the loss we have experienced to a great extent reflects our difficulty in being able to respond to the demand for services caused by care staff shortages. There is a waiting list of clients requesting support. In the present ongoing economic climate, however, recruitment has been problematic, and is likely to remain so for some time.

Despite these difficulties, I am delighted to say that our staff have been able to respond with both fortitude and good humour. The Trustees are very grateful for the dedication they have shown in maintaining the high standards that we have come to expect. All those concerned can, therefore, be justifiably proud of what they have achieved during this difficult period.

I am very pleased also to report that our overall financial situation remains sound, with our reserves more than covering our ongoing needs. While the Volunteer Centre shows a deficit, it is nevertheless hoped that now, with the relaxation of Covid restrictions, opportunities will begin to open up for more fund-raising initiatives, enabling us to build on the high profile and good name we have within the community.

During the year, we were very sorry to lose three of our trustees. Francis Bourke , who served as ViceChair, resigned due to work commitments. Lynn Cavill and Graham Carey , who had been trustees for 13 and 6 years respectively, retired at the last AGM. We thank them all for their years of service to the charity. We are very pleased that Sophie Airey , who we welcomed to our staff team early in the current year as Administrator and Nail Service Practitioner, has settled well into the role. While we have welcomed two new care staff this year, we also said goodbye to eight. Of these, Pam Summers , Maddy Nokes and Julie Nicholas had 50 years of service between them. We wish Pam well in her new career with the NHS, and also wish Maddy and Julie long and happy retirements. Changing circumstances also meant we said goodbye to Chris Butler , Joy Smith , Sam Triggs , Wendy Robinson and Toeni Young , and we thank them all for their service.

I also wish to express my warm thanks to my fellow trustees, all our volunteers, sitters, home helps, foot care practitioners and, not least, our office staff for their hard work and commitment. The vital work we carry out ensures this charity succeeds in fulfilling its aims and objectives for the public benefit. We are most fortunate to have such a strong and dedicated team, where all play an important and valued part, characterised by professionalism and kindness towards our many clients and the local community.

We will face new challenges and, no doubt, a heavy workload in the year ahead. I am sure that, as in the past, we will be able to demonstrate flexibility in the way these challenges are tackled and that we will continue to do so with good humour, enthusiasm and commitment.

I have now been Chair of the Trustees for a number of years. While I will be offering myself for election again as a trustee for the coming year, I much regret that, owing to a number of other commitments, it will be my last one serving as Chair of the Management Committee.

In commending this report to you, I would just like to emphasise that, despite the challenges the charity has faced, and as the Trustees’ Report highlights, there have been considerable achievements. As in previous years, Assist Teignbridge has continued to engage in the wide range of activities for the benefit of local people. We are justifiably proud of the assistance given to the community through the Volunteer Centre and Outreach Benefits provision, Assist Caring, Assist Home Help and Assist Nail Trimming services.

While we rely very heavily on the commitment and professionalism of our staff, there is still much we could not do without the valuable assistance of our volunteers. I am therefore pleased to report that, after a break during the Pandemic, this year we have resumed our Annual Reception and been able to recognise those volunteers who have provided outstanding service, which included the presentation of certificates.

Robin Buchanan, Chair

OBJECTIVES & ACTIVITIES

The aims and objectives of Assist Teignbridge are:

To promote, encourage and support volunteering.
To provide relief to those in need in the Teignbridge area by reason of age, ill-health, disability, or caring responsibilities.

The main activities undertaken by Assist Teignbridge to carry out its charitable purposes for the public benefit are the provision of:-

Free services:

Assist Volunteer Centre – promotes volunteering and supports volunteers; and
Assist Community Support – provides information, advice, and a range of support services delivered by volunteers to elderly people and others in need in the local community.

Charged-for services :

Assist Caring – a sitting & home care service to support individuals and enable carers to have a break. Our trained staff provide companionship, enabling, and personal care;
Assist Home Help – for those who struggle to manage routine household tasks; and
Assist Nail Trimming – trained practitioners provide treatments at home or in a clinic at The Manor House, for those unable to manage their own footcare.

The Trustees confirm that they have referred to the guidance in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on Public Benefit when reviewing the charity’s aims and objectives, and in planning activities.

The organisation is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for the provision of personal care and was inspected most recently in June 2018. It was found to be meeting CQC National Standards and its overall rating is “Good”. Their routine inspection programme was suspended in March 2020 due to the pandemic. Using off-site monitoring since then, they have seen no reason to reassess their 2018 rating.

ACHIEVEMENTS & PERFORMANCE

As we emerge from the pandemic, we have continued to operate throughout, making adjustments as necessary to keep clients, staff and volunteers safe whilst still supporting the most vulnerable in the community. We are very proud of what the charity has achieved this year:

Almost 4,500 recorded hours of volunteering by our Community Volunteers;
Over 3,400 hours support provided for carers and individuals by our trained sitting staff;
Almost 5,000 hours of practical help provided by our home helps;
Over 1,100 nail treatments provided by our qualified nail practitioners.

With the easing of Covid restrictions we have gradually increased our volunteer support, achieving a 10% increase in recorded hours over the previous year. But the outstanding results for our paid-for services in 21/22 have not been replicated this year; Assist Caring day hours and nights totalled 3,488 hours, representing a reduction of 41% when compared with the previous year. The Nails service experienced a fall of 16% from last year’s total, although we continue to support almost 200 individuals with regular nail trimming. The Home Help service has also seen a reduction of 9%.

This year we have sadly lost two clients who between them had 30 day hours and 3 nights each week. This loss of provision has enabled us to offer support to new clients, but we have also lost several long-standing members of care staff due to retirements, starting a new career, and changes in personal circumstances. Recruitment has proved challenging and we are only now building provision levels back up. Despite these challenges we have still achieved a great deal this year and we are very grateful to all our care staff and volunteers for their commitment and dedication in supporting their clients.

We employ care workers to provide our charged-for services and ensure they are properly trained, supervised and supported. We are committed to keeping our services affordable and set our fees as low as possible while covering our costs. If people in need cannot afford our fees then we have trained volunteers who can check that the individual is receiving all the benefits to which they are entitled. We can also signpost to other sources of support and refer on to other agencies.

The individual service reports and financial accounts that follow this report give full details of the activities undertaken in 2022/2023 and the outcomes achieved in promoting volunteering, supporting volunteers, and improving the health and wellbeing of those in need in the community. The reports include feedback from service users and detail the difference the charity’s work has made to those individuals’ circumstances.

GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT

Assist Teignbridge is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation registered with the Charity Commission in England & Wales, number 1154936. Its governing document is its Constitution dated 20 November 2013. Its principal office is The Manor House, Old Town Street, Dawlish EX7 9AW, and its main bank account is with the Co-operative Bank plc.

Under the Constitution it has a membership of individuals and organisations, open to anyone wishing to further the purposes of the CIO, and is managed by a Board of Trustees . A Trustee can be elected at the AGM, appointed by other Trustees, or nominated by Dawlish Town Council. There must be no fewer than three elected Trustees and no more than one nominated Trustee. At each AGM one third of the Board retires by rotation and is eligible for re-appointment. A Trustee appointed by other Trustees retires at the following AGM and is then eligible for election. The Trustees appoint their own Chairman.

There is no nominated Trustee, however Dawlish Town Council nominated Cllr. Lisa Mayne as its representative this year. Elected Trustees serving during the year and since the year end were:

Robin Buchanan (Chair) (retires by rotation) John Petherick (retires by rotation) Sue Hill Anne-Marie Henderson David Pinnell Russell Chamberlain

Francis Bourke resigned on 8 May 2022, and Graham Carey & Lynn Cavill retired at the last AGM.

Trustees are recruited from our supporters and the local community with the aim of broadening the skills of the Board. New trustees meet the office team and are briefed on their legal obligations under charity law, the Charity Commission guidance on public benefit, the Constitution, and the charity’s activities and services and recent financial performance. Trustees meet a minimum of 5 times a year.

Day-to-day management of the charity is delegated to Shirley Fewings MBE, the Registered Manager.

Trustees’ responsibilities in relation to the financial statements

The charity Trustees are responsible for preparing a Trustees’ annual report and financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice). In preparing the financial statements, the Trustees are required to:

select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
observe the methods and principles in the applicable Charities SORP;
make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
state whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;
prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in business.

The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the applicable Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations, and the charity’s Constitution. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity, maintaining the integrity of the charity and financial information included on the charity’s website, and taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

FINANCIAL REVIEW

The Volunteer Centre, with its free Community Support services delivered by volunteers, is reliant on the receipt of grant aid, donations and monies from fund-raising activities to cover its costs. We have continued to be supported by Devon County and Dawlish Town Councils with grants, and have received funding from the TCVS Cost of Living grant. Whilst the level of donations has increased, our fund-raising income has fallen. VC ends the year with a deficit of £4,733.

The Charged-for services recorded a deficit of £7,126. This is due mainly to the reduction in provision suffered by all the services.

Although this means that the Charity funds have decreased by £11,859 this year, over £2,000 has been released from the earmarked funds in our Redundancy Reserve, required to provide for the costs of statutory redundancy should the charity cease to trade. There have also been movements between Restricted and Unrestricted funds. Overall, the charity’s free reserves now total £137,492 and these can be applied by the Trustees to any of the charity’s activities. This more than meets our aim of maintaining reserves to cover a year’s activity in all services.

The total reserves of the organisation now stand at £178,101 as follows:

	VCCS	Total	*21/22*
Restricted Funds	£3,915£1,759	£5,674	£4,291
Designated Funds	£6,071£28,864	£34,935	£37,435
Free Reserves	£8,882£128,610	£137,492	£148,234
	---------------- -------------------	------------------	------------------
Total Funds	£18,868 £159,233	£178,101	£189,960
	------------------------------	------------------	------------------

Conclusions and Future Plans

Throughout the past year, our office staff, care staff and volunteers have worked with great professionalism to ensure that services could still be provided to support our most vulnerable clients. We are very grateful for all their hard work.

Assist Teignbridge worked with other local organisations and Dawlish Town Council in the Helping Dawlish initiative, set up during the first lockdown of 2020. This collaboration has continued, and will continue going forward to meet the needs of the community. Some practices put in place to enable continued support through lockdowns and restrictions have now become standard services, for example telephone befriending.

For 2023/24, the Volunteer Centre has received confirmation of continuation funding from Devon County Council, and we anticipate further financial support from Dawlish Town Council. We are very grateful to both Councils for their ongoing support. We will continue to build on raising our profile in the town, to encourage volunteering and ensure that people in need in the community are aware of the support we can provide.

Signed on behalf of the Board of Trustees

Robin Buchanan

Robin Buchanan Chair

June 2023

Assist Teignbridge Manager’s Report

With the constantly changing guidelines, staying up to date and keeping everyone else up to date continued to be a priority over the past year. Along with the changes in Coronavirus testing for the general public and the lifting of restrictions, it was inevitable that we would start to see staff having to isolate due to positive covid tests. This put tremendous pressure on the office in trying to ensure shifts were covered. The whole team have to be commended for their efforts in helping us through this difficult period. We are also grateful to our service users and their families in their understanding as we prioritised our rota to ensure the most vulnerable continued to receive a service.

The primary focus of Assist Teignbridge is on providing affordable (and some free) support at home to the elderly, those living with dementia, other vulnerable people, and their carers. This is achieved by providing a range of support to include:

Practical help around the home
Giving carers a break – during the day and overnight
Providing some personal care services, including nail trimming
Providing companionship
Helping people get to and from appointments and social meetings
Providing information and advice
Raising funds to supplement the grants we receive, to enable us to help as many people as possible
Promoting volunteering, and recruiting and training volunteers

How we do it:

We aim to empower clients and their families to have access to support and information to enable them to continue living as independently as possible in their own homes or to support those in a caring role. We put the people we support at the centre of all we do and develop our services around them, so it is a highly personalised service. It’s paramount that our clients have a service personal to their needs, provided by staff and volunteers who have the skills, knowledge, kindness, and common sense to support them. Knowing as much about the service users’ lives as they are willing to share enables us to see the person and not the disability. We hope to fully understand the challenges for them and what they would like to achieve.

Trustees:

We have 6 Trustees and I am grateful to them for their support, guidance, and trust in my role as manager. They have a wealth of knowledge and experience between them and offer wise counsel to ensure the smooth running of the charity.

Personnel:

We have 4 members of staff who are office-based following the successful recruitment of Sophie Airey who we welcomed to the team in May 2022. We have one member of office staff who works from home and provides tremendous support to the office, for which we are extremely grateful. We employ 16 parttime care staff and, at 31 March 2023, we had 94 active volunteers.

Care Staff Recruitment:

We have welcomed 2 new staff members to the care staff team this year, Lucy March & Kimberley Rysdale. Recruitment has been a big challenge and we now have a waiting list for those wishing to use our services. I have to commend our staff for taking on additional hours when staff are ill, isolating or on extended leave. We hope to increase our staff numbers in the coming months to meet the growing need in the community.

Assist Teignbridge Organisational structure

----- Start of picture text -----
TRUSTEES
(Volunteers)
SECRETARY/TREASURER
(576 annual hours)
MANAGER
(Full time)
ASSIST CARING and
ADMINISTRATOR
ASSIST HOME HELP and NAIL SERVICE
VOLUNTEER
CO-ORDINATOR
CO-ORDINATOR
CO-ORDINATOR
(15 hrs per week)
(25 hrs per week)
(25 hrs per week)
CARE STAFF:
Sitters
Community
Home Helps
Volunteers
Nail Practitioners
----- End of picture text -----

Our Care Staff Team:

As at 31[st] March 2023 we have 16 care staff . During the year we sadly said goodbye to three of our longstanding staff, Maddy Nokes, Pam Summers, and Julie Nicholas. We wish them well in the next stages of their lives. Changing circumstances also meant we said goodbye to Chris Butler, Joy Smith, Sam Triggs, Wendy Robinson and Toeni Young.

We currently have 5 members of care staff who work exclusively for the Home Help service, and 1 for the Sitting & Home Care service. The other 10 members of care staff work for more than one service, and 3 of them are trained nail practitioners.

As always, I am very grateful to all the staff and volunteers for their commitment to our organisation and how they go above and beyond, time and time again, to meet the needs of those who need support in our community. This includes the office staff who never know from day to day what issues they may face but always rise to the challenge. I said it last year and I say it again, Assist Teignbridge has an amazing team who go the extra mile.

Shirley Fewings MBE Registered Manager

Charged-for services: Assist Caring & Assist Home Help

“I want to thank you for the marvellous work that you do, and my mother has really enjoyed the support and friendship that Assist Teignbridge has provided.”

“Just a quick message to say thank you to yourself and your team for coming to look after my mum, last week whilst I was away. I knew she was in good hands and it enabled me to have a restful holiday.”

“What an amazing team mum has, she really trusts them all. Thank you so much.”

These are a few of the emails we have received from families who have been supported over the year. Quite often more than one staff member may be involved in the provision of care, not only supporting the service user and their families, but the whole team. As much as we have confidence in our staff, it is lovely to have it confirmed independently through feedback such as this.

Our provision:

----- Start of picture text -----
CARING DAY HOURS
5000.00
4378.25
4500.00
4000.00 3533.75
3500.00
2957
3000.00
2267.25
2500.00
2000.00
1500.00
844.50
1000.00 689.75
500.00
0.00
Commissioned by ACS/CHC Private Totals
2022/23 2021/22
----- End of picture text -----

Assist Caring Day hours

Compared to 21/22, Caring day hours have decreased 33% and, due to the passing of a long- standing client, nights also decreased by 63% over the year.

The total Sitting/Care service hours for the year are down 41%.

Assist Home Help hours

Compared to 21/22 the Home Help hours have reduced by 9% .

----- Start of picture text -----
HOME HELP HOURS
6000.00
5320.75
5081.75
4872.00
5000.00 4584.75
4000.00
3000.00
2000.00
1000.00
287.25 239.00
0.00
Commissioned by ACS Private Totals
2022/23 2021/22
----- End of picture text -----

Several factors have influenced this downward trend across our paid-for services. We have the loss of long-standing staff and the difficulty in recruiting new staff, against the backdrop of the current economic climate.

We have made connections with local personal assistants (PAs) so we can signpost those in need to them. We also then have the potential to help support the PAs during holiday periods and provide short-term cover.

Registered Service Users:

----- Start of picture text -----
AREA
BROADHEMPSTON
BOVEY TRACEY
TEIGNMOUTH
KENTON
EAST OGWELL
KINGSTEIGNTON
NEWTON ABBOT
CHUDLEIGH
BISHOPSTEIGNTON
STARCROSS
COCKWOOD
DAWLISH WARREN
DAWLISH
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
----- End of picture text -----

We have 20 couples, 1 family and 52 individual households registered and or in receipt of a service.

There are 20 households who have a family member with caring responsibilities.

We provide services across the Teignbridge area although the majority of our clients live more locally to our office base in Dawlish.

Our service user ages range from 50 through to 98 years of age. Service users have a range of health issues , as shown in our health categories chart below.

----- Start of picture text -----
AGE GROUPS HEALTH CATEGORY
40 37 40
35
35 30
25
30
20
25 15
10
20 5
16
0
15 13
10 7
5
1
0
50 - 60 61 - 70 71 - 80 81 -90 91 - 100
COPD STROKE ANXIETY BI-POLAR
ALZHEIMERS ELDERLY FRAIL MOBILITY ISSUES ARTHRITIS DEMENTIA COGNITIVE… COMPLEX HEALTH ASPERGERS MENTAL HEALTH LEARNING… PARKINSONS
----- End of picture text -----

Keeping Staff and Service Users Safe:

We have continued to have access to PPE, provided free by Devon County Council, to ensure staff and services users were protected. We continued to follow the government guidance in respect of Covid-19, testing and isolation.

Staff Training:

During the year the staff have had access to training in: Infection Control, Record Keeping, Safe Administration of Medicines, Consent, Safeguarding of Vulnerable Adults, Diabetes, Health and Safety, Dementia Care, Food Hygiene and First Aid. It’s important staff have the training and skills for the services they provide. Some training is mandatory and other training is related to their role; staff are encouraged to refresh and increase their knowledge in relevant areas.

Staff meetings:

In August 2022 were able to hold our first face-to-face staff meeting since the start of the pandemic. It was well attended and we all felt the positive benefits of being together to debrief and support each other. As a result of the meeting it was agreed we would look to elect a staff representative to attend our management meetings.

Care Quality Commission :

The Care Quality Commission is currently developing a new regulatory model based on a single assessment framework which is being implemented during 2023. They will launch a comprehensive communication campaign to make sure all regulated care providers and professionals understand what the changes are and what they mean for them and the preparations needed. They haven’t yet published the full guidance, and this will be available in advance of them implementing the changes. In preparation for the changes we have been working with Markel Care Practitioners who undertook a compliance review during a site visit to our office, helping us to understand how this might impact on our regulated services. This support was made available through our insurers, Markel Care. The recommendations they made have helped to improve our practices which we hope will be recognised at our next CQC inspection. Currently the CQC use a variety of methods to monitor us, including an annual requirement to submit a Provider Information Return (PIR). We are pleased to report no concerns were raised during the year.

Devon County Council:

As a provider of commissioned Adult Social Care services there have been regular meetings and communication, and more recently, the setup of the Devon Integrated Care Alliance (DISCA) group. DISCA undertakes to help solve issues within the health and social care sector as the move towards an integrated One Devon approach takes place. One Devon includes NHS organisations and local councils, as well many other local organisations, groups and communities working together to improve the health, wellbeing, and care of people in Devon.

A few words from Emma, Assist Caring and Home Help Co-ordinator

My role is to co-ordinate the Home Help and Care Services. This year has been another challenging year. We have seen several long-standing members of staff leave the organisation and recruitment has been somewhat slow. Two staff members left mid-December which added to the pressure of covering holidays and sickness over the festive period. Where we have recruited new team members these have been on a part-time basis and have quickly taken on existing clients of those leaving. This has left us with an ongoing waiting list for services. Preparing the rota often proves to be a challenge especially when covering staff holidays and sickness as most members of staff have little availability.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my team of lovely carers for their ongoing support and readiness when I change their rotas and ask them for additional help.

Measuring Outcomes through our Quality Assurance processes:

We send out evaluation forms to all new service users with the option of completing them anonymously. We had a total of 30 returned. Not all sections were completed but we are pleased to say that on the whole the results were very encouraging.

Are the office staff polite and friendly when you contact the office? 27 people said YES. In addition:

Always a good laugh Very polite and very friendly Excellent

They always make allowances for hearing difficulties and respond to comments

On the few occasions we have contacted the office we have received a friendly reception Very pleasant Definitely yes. I am always without exception treated with great respect

Are messages dealt with promptly? 24 said YES with 1 stating “ Most of the time ” . Additional comments:

Yes absolutely They always respond to messages at the earliest opportunity

Are you informed of any changes promptly? 26 said YES with the following comments made:

Yes, by the office and the carer As soon as possible for staff Always As soon as the office know of any change it is passed on.

Is there anything the office could improve on? 22 said NO with the following comments made:

They are on the ball We can all improve, always…. Can’t think of anything Keep doing a wonderful job Not at the moment! Everything ok! No very very kind and friendly I have always found all the office staff friendly, polite and willing to help with any query

Do Care & Home Help staff arrive on time? 29 said YES and 1 said “most times”. Additional comments:

Some delays occasionally due to traffic problems and a poorly client. Yes or sometimes early! Yes very good

Do they behave in a professional manner? 26 said YES with the following comments made:

Always Absolutely yes Yes always They have been conscientious in approach to tasks

Do you have confidence and trust in the staff?

Staff always ready to listen and offer advice Completely Absolutely

Do the staff consult with you about your needs and preferences? 26 said YES . Additional comments:

We discuss preferences when allocating time Yes, very attentive Yes and always does any job well As and when necessary

Is there anything the staff could do better? 27 said NO with the following comments made:

Everybody is so good Not with my helper she is very helpful Not as far as we are concerned Excellent, so not at the moment No I think I have the very best I can honestly say they seem to be top class. 1 person commented:

“More time to cover tidying as well as cleaning - my previous cleaning service sent two people for 1 hour and if only 1 came they stayed for 2 hours.” This service user was offered additional time but declined.

How has using our service improved your circumstances?

“House is much cleaner more relaxed about clean kitchen and bathroom, enjoy conversations with staff”

“Made it much easier to deal with things, especially now I’m on my own.”

“Enough from a hygiene sense to keep me happy, but there seems to be not enough time to tackle tidying under what I can afford. So I struggle with this, which does make a dent in my overall happiness.”

“Your service has helped me cope with many tasks I can no longer manage on my own.”

“It has made me feel happier that someone cares. My house looks better and I have been told about things to which I am entitled.”

“It has made my daughter less worried about what I am doing. Has made my life easier, my home always looks better when they have been, she makes me happy and restful.”

“Definitely changing the bedding, especially the duvet cover is a big help to me, the task I find the most difficult.”

“Yes, I can leave my husband over a mealtime without worrying whether he will eat and also feel he has company, some supervision when I need to be out for several hours.”

“My children can come and visit me without having to do cleaning so I get to spend more quality time with them.”

“It enables my daughter to go away on breaks for respite knowing that I’m being checked on and cared for, it also gives me comfort that someone will be calling on me daily to check on me.”

“Staff have provided a reassuring service”

“Removed a lot of stress”

“It is nice to see a friendly face and have someone so helpful. It’s really nice to have someone that I have got to know. Seeing the same person each time is very important to me.”

“Beyond my expectations actually. From my initial call through the assessment interview and the speedy arrangement for care/home help starting once a week. Everything has gone like clockwork and I no longer worry that my little home might be grubby and or untidy. Quite a weight off my shoulders.”

“It means that I do not have to worry about doing any hoovering or dusting for which I no longer have sufficient energy.”

“It’s very reassuring to know your staff are going to be looking after mum. To know they are very reliable and experienced, and that they will inform us of any problems”

Evaluation Conclusions:

Considering the challenges we’ve faced this year we are extremely pleased that the responses are overwhelmingly positive, with user comments revealing just how much the services are benefitting the individuals and their families. We are grateful to them all for taking the time to give their feedback through our evaluation processes.

As well as the Evaluation comments, we often receive compliments and thanks from clients and close family during the year, which are then shared with the relevant staff. Here is a selection:

“Mr XXXXXXX phoned to say how pleased he was with the nail trimming service and how charming you were. He felt he had to phone and say how pleased he was.”

“I would like to thank everyone there for the help my Uncle has been receiving from you. It has allowed him to live independently, which is exactly what he wants. Sorry if he is a bit stubborn sometimes!!”

“You had been a tremendous support for mum in her final years, and I am sure you have heard from lots of grateful people what a wonderful person you are, and what a wonderful job you do for the community. Thank you.”

And finally, from a family member who sadly saw the passing of their mum during the year:

“ Many thanks for all your support with mum. I could not have looked after her at home without the expertise and care of your staff. They are all wonderful.”

Shirley Fewings MBE Manager

Assist Volunteer Centre & Community Support

The Volunteer Centre

The Volunteer Centre provides information for those wishing to volunteer and can help individuals explore a range of volunteering opportunities. The Centre also provides a more general service to the community with local information and signposting. It has a selection of leaflets related to other services in the area.

Brokerage

As well as registering Volunteers for our own Community Support work, we also promote volunteering opportunities for other charities and agencies in the locality on Volunteer recruitment websites and Facebook, and by poster display in the Volunteer Office. We rarely receive feedback from the volunteers who are signposted in this way so it is difficult to monitor. In future all brokerage applications will be recorded as ‘signposted’ rather than by whether the referral was successful or not.

We now have a new site to use called Devon Connect . This is an interactive web site, that anybody can sign up to, whether offering opportunities or looking for positions.

General Service for the community – information and signposting

Providing information and signposting is as much a part of our service as delivering direct support. We receive enquiries from carers, members of the public and other organisations on a daily basis. This may be through calling into the office, phoning or emails. During the course of the year we have signposted 46 clients to a huge range of organisations and sources of support. There were 58 ‘other’ requests, and we arranged for 6 food bags to be delivered.

Volunteer Recruitment

People of all ages choose to volunteer; whether they are retired or not, currently in employment or studying but wish to have volunteering experience on their CVs, we are here to help them find a suitable placement. We noticed a surge in people applying to become volunteers following covid, as some did not return to work. Most of these volunteers have now found alternative employment. Many older people are working for longer due to changes in State Pension age, and seniors that are more active may be supporting their families with childcare, which limits their availability to volunteer. We have lost several of our long-standing volunteers some of whom have retired from their post. With new recruits, we have managed to replace some of these volunteers, but recruitment continues on a regular basis.

We are very fortunate to have a wonderful and active group of volunteers with a wide range of skills and backgrounds with the willingness to make themselves available for the benefit of others. In total, we have 94 volunteers registered including our wonderful trustees.

This year we saw the sudden and sad loss of two of our long-standing volunteers, befriender Ian Fraser and dog walker Alby Sharp . Both Ian and Alby had been commended for their commitment to our services at our annual thank you events and it is a huge loss to our volunteer services.

Community Support

There are many older people in our community who experience difficulties with day-to-day living because of health concerns, limited mobility, frailty and/or sensory problems. They may be isolated and lonely with very little contact with others, or may not have the confidence or ability to engage in local activities. We run a Community Support Scheme , whereby volunteers support members of the local community in a variety of ways, as shown overleaf. Volunteers can be placed for just one occasion or on a more regular basis. All services are provided free of charge.

Objectives of the Community Support Scheme

To maintain the independence of individuals in the community for as long as possible;
To prevent , for as long as possible, progression to dependency on more intensive and costly care;
To alleviate isolation and prevent associated deterioration in physical and mental health.

Outcomes of the Community Support Scheme

Service Users and their families feel better supported and less isolated ;
Services Users and their families live as independently as possible in their chosen environment;
Quality of life is maintained or improved ;
Local unemployed, actively retired and those seeking work experience benefit from opportunities to undertake voluntary work.

Community Volunteer hours

Our volunteer hours this year added up to 4473½ , an increase of 10% over the previous year’s total of 4,080 hours despite the small drop in volunteer numbers from 98 in March 2022 to the present 94. To explain further, please see the chart below to compare hours from the previous year.

In monetary terms, applying a nominal rate of £11 per hour, this is equivalent to over £49,000 of paid support.

Community Service	2022/23	*2021/22*	% change
Befriending	2235¾	2005	+ 11%
Enabling	156	74	+ 110%
Outreach Benefit	915½	298	+ 207%
Gardening	40½	136¼	- 70%
Trustees	261	315	- 17%
DogWalking	151	142½	+ 6%
Events	145	89	+ 63%
Book and DVD club	89	65½	+ 36%
Other	479¾	954¾	- 50%
TOTAL HOURS RECORDED	4473½	*4080*	+ 10%

Outreach Benefit hours have increased substantially due to including volunteer training hours, a higher volume of benefits enquiries, and our new “Full Benefits Check” using an online service. The drop in “Other” is largely due to last year’s figure including hours for the recruitment and introduction of new volunteer positions, coupled with the move back to normality after Covid.

Type of volunteer		Description of task
Befrienders		To visit clients for a chat, alleviate loneliness, support and check on wellbeing. Some may go out on short walks or as company on trips.
Telephone Befriending		Volunteers are assigned to clients who have been shielding because of covid. Many of the volunteers have remained throughout all lockdowns, calling their clients on a regular basis at their own convenience. Most of the volunteers have made two calls a week to their clients.
Dog walkers		Walking pets for those who are not capable of walking the animals themselves. The volunteers decide themselves how often and for how long they walk the dogs. The service is provided for no more than 2 sessions a week. It is not a substitute for paid dog walking services.
Enablers		Our enablers will help the client to read forms, letters or newspapers. We have had volunteers who have helped clients declutter their homes, sort through paperwork, and help write letters.
Outreach Benefits		To help clients fill in Attendance Allowance, Pension Credit and Carer’s Allowance forms. Forms may be ordered through the Volunteer Centre and sent direct to the client’s home. This service is increasing rapidly in numbers.
Gardeners		Trim grass, tidy gardens, trim back hedges and bushes for those who are not capable of doing it themselves. This service is provided for those who do not have the means to pay for outside gardening services and for those in short term need following illness.

Supporting Volunteers

We have an ‘Open House’ policy for all volunteers to call in to the office when they wish. There is a friendly ‘email newsletter’ sent out regularly to all volunteers to keep them in the loop. If a volunteer has health issues, I keep in touch via email or phone to check on their wellbeing.

What our volunteers say about their placements:

“Although my client has now gone into a home, I still visit every week, sometimes twice a week”

“I enjoy my volunteering. I am a volunteer gardener and I have built up a good friendship with my clients”

“ I am a volunteer befriender for a lady with dementia. We both have dogs, and they get on great with each other. We go for a walk with them”

“I was asked to help a lady with an Ipad issue, now I befriend her, and we get on great” “Sadly, my client passed away shortly after covid. I now have a new client who is a real character. We always end up laughing at every visit, it’s a real tonic for us both.”

Befriending

We have 27 befriending volunteers registered with us. Most of these are face-to-face, but some double up as telephone befrienders. 2235¾ hours were spent befriending this year, between 1 and 2 hours per week, per client. At 31 March we have 38 clients benefitting from this service.

Telephone Befriending Service

Our Telephone befriending service continues, but as we recover from covid, face-to-face befriending has become more popular again.

One of our clients had been in hospital long term. She had a telephone befriender during covid, but this stopped on admission and only restarted on discharge. This lady now receives a regular weekly call from her original befriender. Her befriender takes photos of the swans and ducks to show her. She says it “cheers her up” knowing what goes on in the outside world.

What clients say about their Befrienders:

“My befriender brings her two dogs with her. Since mine passed away, it wouldn’t be fair to get another, so we have one knee each, filled with dog!”

“My befriender often stays longer than planned, we enjoy a good chat, and it is “I am 76, I have a befriender who company for me.” comes in once a fortnight. I really look forward to the visit and always have chocolate biscuits up my sleeve!”

Dog Walking

We have limited this to emergency dog walking of clients who are recovering from illness or operations due to lack of volunteers for this service and also the availability of paid dog walking services.

“My mum’s dog is usually walked by a professional dogwalker. If the dog walker is off, Assist Teignbridge step in. It is a life saver for mum who has dementia and has a close relationship with her pet.”

Gardening

Gardening has recently restarted after the winter break. We have 6 regular garden tasks covered by 3 volunteers.

Outreach Benefit

There has been a marked increase in Outreach Benefit enquiries and claims. This could be due to the present economic climate. In this year we dealt with 230 Outreach benefit cases compared to 113 in the previous year, more than double. We also offer an additional service within this service. A full benefit check, using an online program. This indicates which benefits the client may be successful in claiming, and from there we can support the client through their claim. We carried out 55 benefit checks in this period.

We check back at a later date to see if the claim was successful. From feedback, we estimate that over £7,700 a week has been gained for our clients, equivalent to an annual sum of over £400,000. This is new money likely to be spent in the local economy, providing some relief to clients in the cost of living crisis.

Grateful clients have also made donations to this charity totalling £1,808 an astonishing increase of 65% on the previous year.

What our clients say about our Outreach Benefit service:

“We didn’t know anything about benefits until the lady came to assess us and explain what we might be entitled to. Now we both get Attendance Allowance and Pension Credit, with lots of extras added on. It has been as if our prayers have been answered.”

“I could never have tackled the form on my own. Kate came and helped me fill it in, thank goodness, and I get high-rate AA. I can now afford to pay for home help.”

“My husband is older than me, and I work part time. He asked for help about benefits that he could claim and was advised to put in a claim for Attendance Allowance. He got the lower rate, which has helped us tremendously. We have never claimed benefits before this. It allows me to pay for a carer to shower him twice a week.”

Training of Volunteers

This year our benefits volunteers have completed training on form filling and benefit assessments. With permission I was able to adapt the Turn2Us online website training so it could be presented in a classroom environment. I also adapted the questions that are asked on the website into a paper form. This enables us to gain the information we need to carry out the initial benefit check without visiting the client at home. My grateful thanks to our patient volunteers, who trialled this programme and helped to develop it into the success it has become. Ian Alexander , one of our more experienced volunteers, also led on two training sessions on the complex subject of claiming Pension Credit. He gave us a good understanding of the benefits that clients may be able to claim, and the “extras” that run alongside a successful claim. We are grateful to him for sharing his knowledge.

The donation of computer tablets means we now have a team of volunteers who can visit clients in their home or do an online assessment over the telephone to see what benefits clients might be entitled to. This in turn helps us to order the forms in the correct order, to enable the clients to claim benefits.

Benefits Volunteers & Outreach Surgeries

We appreciate the time given by our benefits volunteers. It takes approximately 2 hours to complete the forms so it is quite a commitment. This year has seen a huge upsurge in this service and we have taken on extra volunteers to cope with demand.

We attended a Lifesure Information Day at Bovey Tracey, organised by the residents of New Park, a mobile home park. This made residents aware of benefits and the help we can give to make a successful claim. We also gave 2 presentations to the residents of Teign Housing properties. These Outreach presentations will hopefully alleviate some of the worries of clients who think they are “not entitled” to claim anything and struggle with their daily life.

Community Referrals 2022/23

REFERRED BY	No.
Assist Teignbridge	108
Self	109
Family	54
Social Prescriber	52
VolunteeringIn Health	20
TCVS	1
Facebook	1
Care Direct	5
Social Services	10
Connected Communities	2
Devon Carers	4
Mental Health Team	3
Hospital Discharge Team	2
Information Days	8
Teign Housing	5
HelpingDawlish	6
OTHER	26

Word of mouth, advertising, community events, Facebook and good signposting by other organisations mean that we continue to see a high level of referrals. The table on the left shows the various sources of referral.

We will continue to raise our profile to ensure people are aware of the work we do and how we can support them. We will continue to explore how best to reach older, isolated, vulnerable people.

We received 416 community referrals over the past year, an increase of 39% over the previous year.

The next table shows the breakdown of where this year’s enquiries came from and the numbers of clients from each location in Teignbridge. The Community Support Scheme operates in the more local area of Dawlish and East Teignbridge whilst the Outreach Benefit Service operates across Teignbridge.

Dawlish & Dawlish Warren	Teignmouth	Holcombe	Starcross	Shaldon
241	76	8	4	8
Newton Abbot*	Cockwood	Bishopsteignton	Ashcombe	Other
66	1	6	1	5

The Newton Abbot area includes Chudleigh, Bovey Tracey and Ashburton as well as Newton Abbot and its

surrounding areas.

What our clients say about the services we offer:

“I have been in hospital and had no food in. A food bag was arranged to be delivered to me. I was extremely impressed with the way my request was handled.”

“I am really pleased with my befriender. We get on really well and it has made such a difference to me. Chrisi explained that it may take a while, due to matching me with a suitable volunteer. I can endorse Chrisi made an excellent match.

“I had an operation on my foot and couldn’t get out. My befriender is excellent. We bounce off each other really well.

“My Outreach Volunteer was very helpful in recognising my struggles. So often, we adapt to make life easier and don’t notice how much harder everyday things become”

Meetings

Facilitated by Teignbridge CVS, the Cost of Living forum brings together a number of organisations who have concerns with the cost of living rises. The meetings are held monthly online (via Teams) or face-toface and information is shared about where help can be found by clients. Information has been gathered about warm spaces, accessing food banks, dealing with debt and benefits information to the general public. I have attended some, however, trustee Anne-Marie Henderson now attends on behalf of Assist.

Learning and good practice meetings

In January, there was a Learning Disabilities good practice meeting. The aim of this meeting was to try and integrate those with learning difficulties in to the voluntary sector. This would be very difficult for us due to the nature of our volunteer opportunities. However, several potential volunteers have been signposted via our brokerage service.

Events and activities

We were lucky enough to be invited to serve refreshments in the marquee during the Jubilee celebrations. Lots of our lovely volunteers made cakes and biscuits for us to sell. By the end of the day, we had almost sold out. It was a busy day, and the weather was ideal to hold the event. The Dawlish Markets started up again and we were able to run our tombola stall for the Christmas Market. Prizes are kindly donated to us from all sources and it was good to be out in the local community again.

We hosted The Dawlish Mayor’s fundraising Charity Bingo on October 7[th] 2022 and again on January 6[th] 2023. The events helped to raise funds for the Dawlish Mayor’s Charities, of which Assist Teignbridge is one. We helped to sell the tickets and ran the raffle on both evenings. The events took place at The Manor House and were well attended.

Volunteer Thank You Event

We appreciate the time given by our volunteers and it is a tradition for us to hold an annual “Thank You” celebration in the New Year, to recognise and acknowledge the valuable contribution they make, along with our staff. It is also an opportunity to recognise outstanding achievements and long service. Our first one, following Covid, was in January of this year. Thanks go especially to Sally Heal who produced a delicious assortment of quiches and pastries to add to our buffet. It was lovely to be able to recognise our volunteers and staff who worked so hard over the year. At the end of the evening, there was not much left for doggy bags!

Yarn bomb Team

Noreen Goodchild, Yarn Bomber

Our yarn bomb team, led by Noreen and Val have worked hard throughout the year putting on colourful displays and raising money for us. The extra Jubilee display during the year brought gasps of delight.

Thanks to all the knitters and crochet team, for working so hard for the displays and on the random acts of kindness items given out to the community.

Val Hempstock, Yarn Bomber

DVD and Book Club

The DVD and Book Club has gone from strength to strength and we are grateful to our dedicated volunteer who provides a wide selection to local homes and groups. These are exchanged every month.

Anyone who becomes a member of Assist automatically has access to the DVD & Book club if they so wish. The group is slowly growing in numbers due to Kim’s hard work at promoting it.

Kim Batchelor, DVD & Book Club Volunteer

Awards

We are very proud to say that we have received The Owl Award this year from Dawlish Town Council. This was awarded to us for our outstanding befriending service. We would like to say a special THANK YOU to all our Befrienders who made this success possible.

And finally – the following was written by a befriending client to describe our Befriending Service:

LONELINESS COMES IN MANY FORMS, JUST LIKE FINGERPRINTS.

Loss of a loved one, reduced mobility, disability, abuse, mental health, age. No matter which it is, each experience is unique, and each has its challenges. How we react to those challenges also depend on person and circumstances. I had a lifetime of health and social care background, yet, when I lost my partner, while they were there in the first instance, those skills were no match for the arrival of covid and having to shield.

The intervention of Assist Teignbridge has been a life saver and hopefully for more than one person. The initial introduction is about establishing who you are and what you are looking for. The skill of Assist Teignbridge is the matching of the volunteer to the client. If you are good at it, you are the Rolex of watches, if not, you will need to keep replacing the watch.

Assist Teignbridge is very much the former.

When my volunteer first arrived, I was making very little contribution to my wellbeing and sadly, an increased burden on the NHS. Yet the volunteer and I are well matched.

I do not like to be pushed, and with my memory impairment, I do get anxious. Instead, I was encouraged. It started with the tote bags. “Oh you are good with a sewing machine. If I supply you with cotton material, could you make face masks?” I couldn’t find an excuse not to.

That was some time ago, now, having managed to follow a recipe from start to finish, I have been told my apricot and almond cookies are very nice.

I don’t know how the volunteer did it, but it seems I will be making cookies for the next fete and volunteering on the Assist Teignbridge stall.

As I said Assist Teignbridge is a Rolex

Chrisi Marshall Volunteer Coordinator

Charged-for service: Assist Nail Trimming

Many of the people that use our nail trimming service are elderly and housebound and no longer able to maintain their own foot care due to many different factors such as mobility issues, access to transport or having a caring role. We know that as flexibility and mobility declines nail trimming can be one of the first aspects of personal care to be neglected, this can then have a very negative impact on the individual. This is why this service has been so valued by the service users that use it.

As well as those with mobility issues, we also provide nail trimming to people who have:

Visual Impairment
Learning or physical disability
Cognitive impairment
Chronic breathing problems

Service users:

At 31 March 2023 we have 181 active service users on our database, 96 females and 85 males. They all live within the Teignbridge area.

Referrals:

We have taken on 49 new service users requiring a home visit within the last 12 months. The nail service is available to residents in the Teignbridge area, subject to a completion of a triage sheet to rule out any contraindications, which is done prior to arranging a visit with one of our Nail Practitioners. We cannot provide the service to anyone who has been diagnosed with diabetes. This is due to the effect diabetes can have on circulation, causing serious problems with cuts and sores healing and damaging the sensation in the feet.

Each practitioner holds their own client list and they are responsible for booking appointments with service users directly. With each client they can keep a continuity of care and are able to identify any changes or problems before things deteriorate.

Referred on to NHS Podiatry:

We have referred 3 service users to the podiatry service in the last 12 months due to issues with their feet that required further treatment outside of our remit.

Totals for areas covered:

Here are the numbers of service users in the different areas of Teignbridge.

Dawlish, Dawlish Warren, Starcross, Holcombe	111
Teignmouth, Shaldon, Bishopsteignton	48
Newton Abbot, Kingsteignton, Kingskerswell, Ipplepen	15
Chudleigh, Bovey Tracey, Liverton	7

Staffing:

We have 3 nail practitioners who support our service users, plus the manager who has also been delivering nail trimming services due to a practitioner leaving in October 2022. We were able to provide continued service with our existing nail practitioners for most clients, although we did have to signpost some service

users that were living further afield to alternative services due to not being able to cover those areas. As you can appreciate it has been a difficult task but the majority of our service users have been accommodated and we would like to thank all of them for their patience during that period.

Training:

Due to changes within the NHS podiatry team at Exeter we have been unable to secure training to enable us to increase our nail practitioner team. They are aware of the need and we hope to hear more in the coming year.

Facts and figures:

Overall, we have provided 16% fewer treatments than in the previous year, although the number of people having their fingers done at the same time has increased. The main drivers for the reduction are staff changes and the inability to train more staff.

		2022-2023	*2021-2022*
Home visit- Toenails Trimmed		951	*1212*
Home visit- Toenails and Fingernails Trimmed		203	*172*
TOTAL TREATMENTS PROVIDED	1154		*1384*
Average number of Treatments per week:	22		*26.5*

----- Start of picture text -----
I can’t compliment XXXX
enough, she is super.
XXXX is very nice, lovely
person.
I think Assist is good at what
they are doing, no complaints. I
feel very lucky.
----- End of picture text -----

Comments from our service users :

----- Start of picture text -----
Very good service, nail
practitioner is lovely.
XXXX is very good at what
she does and does a lovely
job of my nails.
----- End of picture text -----

Telephone Evaluations: x 23

Please√accordingly.	YES	NO
When you contacted the office were the staff polite and friendly?	23
Did you fully understand the costs of the service prior to treatment?	23
Did the member of staff explain how to book the appointment with our practitioner?	23
Please√accordingly.	YES	NO
Did the Nail Practitioner arrive on time?	23
Did the Nail Practitioner behave in a polite and professional manner?	23
Did you have trust and confidence in the Nail Practitioner?	23
Did you feel the Nail Practitioner was adequately trained?	23
Did you feel the service was what you expected?	23

Age groups of respondents: 30-50 = 4 71-80 = 6 81-90 = 8 91-100 = 5

What difference has the nail trimming service made to you? How has it improved your life?

15 Service users said they were unable to manage their foot care due to being unable to bend down .

5 Service users said a big difference, and feet are much more comfortable.

2 Service users said it has made all the difference, as nails were long.

1 Service user said it saves her money.

Is there anything we can do to improve the service for you?

All service users that were spoken to said there wasn’t anything we could do to improve the service.

Would you recommend the nail trimming service?

All service users that were spoken to say they would recommend the service.

Conclusion:

In reviewing the service over the phone, all the service users were more than happy with the service they receive, and said they couldn’t manage without it. They couldn’t praise the nail practitioners enough. There were no complaints or recommendations on how we could improve the service. They all said that they felt the nail practitioners were adequately trained and they used the correct PPE, to keep everyone safe.

Finally, I would like to thank all our nail practitioners for their dedication, hard work and commitment to delivering a high standard of care. I know from speaking to the service users that their visits make a big difference, as not only does the nail trimming help with mobility, but the nail practitioner may be the only visitor they get at times.

Sophie Airey

Nail Service Co-ordinator

ASSIST TEIGNBRIDGE

(Registered Charity No. 1154936)

REPORT & ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

Report of the Independent Examiner Statement of Financial Activities Balance Sheet Notes to the Accounts The following abbreviations have been used in these accounts:- Volunteer Centre & services VC Charged-for services CS	Pages
	1 2 3 4 – 7

Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of :-

ASSIST TEIGNBRIDGE

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Assist Teignbridge Charitable Incorporated Organisation (the CIO) for the year ended 31 March 2023.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity trustees of the CIO you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).

I report in respect of my examination of the CIO’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent Examiner’s statement

I have completed my examination.

I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

accounting records were not kept in respect of the CIO as required by section 130 of the Act; or
the accounts do not accord with those records; or
the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Signed G Adams

Date 24th May 2023

Mr Garry Adams ACIB (Ret’d)

Cranbrook, Ash Court, Crediton EX17 2JZ

ASSIST TEIGNBRIDGE

Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31 March 2023

VC Funds	VC Funds	CS Funds	CS Funds	TOTAL FUNDS	TOTAL FUNDS
Restricted £ 17124 253 0 0	Unrestricted £ 5049 0 1504 270	Restricted £ 362 320 0 0	Unrestricted £ 4379 172807 0 2414	2023 £ 26914 173380 1504 2684	2022 £ 37859 211510 2470 1361
17377	6823	682	179600	204482	253200
0 13462	52 15419	0 682	0 186726	52 216289	95 246025
13462	15471	682	186726	216341	246120
3,915 0	-8,648 0	0 -2,532	-7,126 2532	-11,859 0	7080 0
3,915	-8,648	-2,532	-4,594	-11,859	7080
0 3915	23,601 -8648	4,291 -2532	162,068 -4594	189,960 -11859	182880 7080
3,915	14,953	1,759	157,474	178,101	189960

ASSIST TEIGNBRIDGE

Balance Sheet at 31 March 2023

VC Funds	VC Funds	CS Funds	CS Funds	TOTAL FUNDS	TOTAL FUNDS
2023 £ 571 14584 4347	2022	2023	2022 £ 10707 124030 59376	2023 £ 9017 146142 45436	2022 £ 16257 145546 56011
	£ 5550 21516 -3365	£ 8446 131558 41089
19502 -634	23701 -100	181093 -21860	194113 -27754	200595 -22494	217814 -27854
18868			166359	178101	189960
	23601	159233

18,868	23,601	159,233	166,359	178,101	189,960
3915 6071 8882	0 5073 18528	1759 28864 128610	4291 32362 129706	5674 34935 137492	4291 37435 148234
18,868	23,601	159,233	166,359	178,101	189,960

These accounts were approved by the Trustees at the Management Committee meeting held on 7 June 2023.

Robin Buchanan

Signed:

Robin Buchanan (Chairman of Trustees)

ASSIST TEIGNBRIDGE

Notes to the Accounts for the Year ended 31 March 2023

1 BASIS OF ACCOUNTING

The accounts have been prepared on the accruals basis under the historical cost convention. They have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102)(2019) and the Charities Act 2011.

2 ACCOUNTING POLICIES

2.1 Income is recognised when the charity is entitled to it, it is probable it will be received, and it can be estimated reliably. It is shown gross of associated expenditure. Grants and Donations are included when the charity has unconditional entitlement. Performance related grants are included when the services have been delivered.
2.2 Liabilities are recognised as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation to make payment.
2.3 Support costs include central functions and are allocated to activity cost categories on a basis consistent with the use of the resource. Staff costs are allocated by the time spent.
2.4 Fixed Assets are written off in the year of acquisition due to their small value.
2.5 Reserves - the intention is to maintain a level of reserves to support a full year's activity for all services.
2.6 Accounting Period - the period of accounts is the year to 31 March except for the charged-for services where the year's income and direct costs relate to services provided in the pay periods April to March.

3 DONATIONS & LEGACIES 2023: £26,914 (2022: £37,859)

Restricted Funds: 2023: £17,486(2022: £30,491) For VC Devon County Council - Social Services Dawlish Town Council Grants from Councillors Teignbridge CVS Cost of Living grant Teign Housing Community Chest Postcode Local Trust Magic Little Grant Closure of Open Daw Total VC: For CS Devon County Council - Workforce Resilience Devon County Council - Infection Control Devon County Council - Workforce Retention HMRC - Covid Statutory Sick Pay recovery Total CS:
	2023 2022 £ £ 6924 6788 5000 5000 200 0 4000 0 500 0 500 0 0 1722
	17124 13510
	362 0 0 9160 0 7500 0 321
	362 16981

3.1 Restricted Funds:

All the restricted funds have been spent in full, with the exception of £3,415 of the TCVS grant, and the £500 Community Chest grant. These amounts have been carried forward as restricted reserves.

3.2 Unrestricted Funds:

2023: £9,428 ( 2022: £7,368)

General Donations including Gift Aid HMRC - Employment Allowance Membership fees	2023 2022 £ £ 4039 3169 825 680 185 185 VC		2023 2022 £ £ 204 14 4175 3320 0 0 CS
	5049 4034		4379 3334

Donations for VC include amounts from grateful clients for volunteer support, with over £1,800 received from benefits clients. There is also £200 from the Cosens Institute, and gift aid amounted to £506 (2022: £380).

ASSIST TEIGNBRIDGE

Notes to the Accounts for the Year ended 31 March 2023 (cont'd)

4 INCOME FROM CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES 2023: £173,380 ( 2022: £211,510)

Analysis by Fund: Income from charged-for services (see note 7.1) Client & charity expenses re-imbursed	2023 2022 £ £ 320 320 253 255 Restricted		2023 2022 £ £ 171574 207186 1233 3749 Unrestricted
	573 575		172807 210935

5 INCOME FROM OTHER TRADING ACTIVITIES 2023: £1,504 ( 2022: £2,470)

This Unrestricted Fund income is from fund-raising activities, including stalls at the Jubilee celebrations, the Dawlish Celebrates carnival in August and the Christmas market on the Strand. We also have £250 from ticket sales for the Teignbridge Community Lottery that started in November 2022.

6 EXPENDITURE ON CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES 2023: £216,289 ( 2022: £246,025)

For VC , Restricted Funds totalling £13,462 were spent as permitted on a variety of activities.

For CS , Restricted Funds totalling £682 were spent as permitted on a variety of activities.

Analysis of Total Expenditure by Activity: 6.1 Direct costs: £141,932(2022: £182,536) Office staff pay & expenses Care staff pay (see note 7.2) Care staff expenses (see note 7.2) Spent for clients and charities (re-imbursed) Training costs Volunteer expenses Consumables	2023 2022 £ £ 13887 12804 0 0 0 0 253 255 33 51 111 46 0 0 VC		2023 2022 £ £ 10814 10194 107598 147188 6217 7351 1233 3749 1309 453 0 0 477 445 CS
	14284 13156		127648 169380

6.2 Support costs: £74,357(2022: £63,489) Rent, insurance & registration fees Staff salaries Governance costs (see note 6.3) Office running costs	2023 2022 £ £ 2379 2194 7975 7018 1412 1184 2831 2246 VC		2023 2022 £ £ 8228 6224 44871 38499 1492 1254 5169 4870 CS
	14597 12642		59760 50847

ASSIST TEIGNBRIDGE

Notes to the Accounts for the Year ended 31 March 2023 (cont'd)

6.3 Governance costs are the costs of preparation and independent examination of the financial accounts, and the cost of trustee meetings. The Independent Examiner has been paid a total of £220 (2022: £200) split equally between the Funds.

No Trustee has received any payment (2022: Nil) and there have been no related party transactions.

7 CHARGED-FOR SERVICES ANALYSIS

Income: Analysis by Service: Sitting & Home Care service Nail Trimming service Home Help service	Restricted Unrestricted Total Total 2023 2023 2023 2022 £ £ £ £ 0 65587 65587 97444 0 22701 22701 23298 320 83286 83606 86764
	320 171574 171894 207506

7.1 Income:

The Restricted income is a performance-related grant.

Expenditure: Care Staff Pay & Expenses Analysis by Service: Sitting & Home Care service Nail Trimming service Home Help service Pay through DCC grants	Pay Expenses Total Total 2023 2023 2023 2022 £ £ £ £ 41268 2226 43494 65611 12474 1450 13924 15237 53747 2541 56288 58169 109 0 109 15522
	107598 6217 113815 154539

7.2 Expenditure: Care Staff Pay & Expenses

8 STAFFING

Analysis by Department: Gross Taxable Pay National Insurance costs Pension costs Head count at 31 March: Office staff: Full-time Part-time Care staff: Part-time	2023 2022 £ £ 21388 19427 1228 1024 358 331 VC		2023 2022 £ £ 157128 189621 5783 5741 1646 1497 CS
	22974 20782		164557 196859
	2023 1 4 16		2022 1 3 22

5 members of care staff work exclusively for the Home Help service, and 1 for the Sitting & Home Care service. The other 10 members of care staff work for more than one service, and 3 of them are trained nail practitioners.

No member of staff receives emoluments of more than £60,000 per annum (2022: none).

ASSIST TEIGNBRIDGE

Notes to the Accounts for the Year ended 31 March 2023 (cont'd)

9 CHARITY FUNDS

9.1 Restricted Funds have been given to the charity for a specific purpose.

DCC Recruitment & Workforce Resilience DCC Infection Prevention & Control Performance-related grant Restricted Funds - CS Teignbridge CVS Cost of Living Teign Housing Community Chest Other grants & restricted income Restricted Funds - VC	b/f new spent transfer c/f 3361 362 -362 -1602 1759 930 0 0 -930 0 0 320 -320 0 0
	£4,291 682 -682 -2532 £1,759
	0 4000 -585 0 3415 0 500 0 0 500 0 12877 -12877 0 0
	£0 17377 -13462 0 £3,915

9.2 Unrestricted Funds can be applied freely by the Trustees to any of the charity's purposes. When the Trustees earmark such funds for a specific purpose, they are shown as Designated Funds.
9.3 The Trustees have designated £34,935 (2022: £37,435) of the Unrestricted Funds as a redundancy reserve, being the amount required to fulfil statutory obligations to staff should all operations cease.

10 DEBTORS 2023: £9,017 ( 2022: £16,257)

Analysis by Department: Amounts due for charged-for services Bank interest receivable Gift Aid due from HMRC Other debtors & prepayments	2023 2022 £ £ 0 0 257 168 132 380 182 5002 VC		2023 2022 £ £ 7299 10242 1139 444 0 0 8 21 CS
	571 5550		8446 10707

11 BANK & CASH

Investments are monies held on deposit at Cambridge & Counties Bank, and Redwood Bank . Interest received and receivable is allocated to the Departments in accordance with the capital held.

Cash at bank & in hand comprises funds held in a community current account at the Co-operative Bank, Skelmersdale, together with £195 petty cash (2022: £310) and £1,040 in postage stamps (2022: £627).

12	CREDITORS Analysis by Department: Payroll deductions (HMRC & NEST) Accrued holiday pay Owed to staff Other creditors & accruals Westbank		2023: £22,494	2023: £22,494		( 2022: £27,854)
		2023 2022 £ £ 0 0 0 0 0 0 634 100 0 0 VC				2023 2022 £ £ 1857 2577 6025 10171 1344 2060 634 946 12000 12000 CS
		634 100				21860 27754

THANKS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

There are so many individuals and organisations who support us, too many to list individually, but we are extremely grateful for all they do.

We also take this opportunity to pay tribute to our amazing care staff and community volunteers who helped ensure that vulnerable people continued to be supported throughout the year.

This year our fund-raising activities have included The Queen’s Jubilee Celebrations, The Strand Christmas Market, Teignbridge Lotteries for Communities and the Yarn bombs. We are grateful to Noreen Goodchild and Val Hempstock who coordinate the Yarn bombs and to all those who contribute with their knitted and crocheted items.

We have received financial support too in the form of donations from many individuals, including AnneMarie Morris MP who nominated Assist Teignbridge to be a recipient of funding from her Christmas Card Competition. We also received funding from:

Devon County Council Dawlish Town Council Cllrs Community Grant Cosens Institute TCVS Cost of Living Grant Teign Housing Community Grant Magic Little Grant

We are very grateful to all our donors and our funders, and the Trustees and Members of Assist Teignbridge for their continued support.

We are also very thankful of the many organisations that support our work through information, training and advice. We acknowledge the tremendous support we have received from Devon County Council , and we thank Angie Weatherhead, Dawlish Town Council , and the other Helping Dawlish organisations for their collaboration yet again this year.

Thank you to everyone who supports us in their own way

We couldn’t do it without you!

And finally, sincere thanks to the families of Mrs Edith Hatt and Mr Paul Coleby who very kindly made donations to this charity in their memory.