## **Orthocycle Foundation** Report of the trustees for the year ending 31[st] March, 2022 The Trustees of The Orthocycle Foundation Charity present their annual report and accounts for the year ended 31[st] March 2022 and confirm they comply with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011, the trust deed and the Charities SORP (FRS 102). ## **Our Aims** - To recycle medical appliances from the UK to less developed countries - To build capacity in less developed countries by service provision and - training • To organise and fund twinning programmes between the UK and less developed countries ## **Our Objectives** - To provide a conduit for the recycling of medical appliances in less - developed countries with the necessary infrastructure in the UK and abroad • To raise funds for the running of the operational arm of the charity • To aid capacity building in less developed countries by service provision, teaching, training and exchange programmes - To fund educational activity compatible with the aims of Orthocycle ## **Activity** • The activity of Orthocycle continued to be affected by limitations resultant from the COVID 19 pandemic. There were limitations on gatherings, travel and activities. Orthocycle’s objectives are achieved, in part, by the provision of educational activity for doctors within the UK. The limitations on travel, especially to countries on the UK red list also diminished the ability of Orthocycle to pursue some of it’s objectives. This means that there is less to report compared to previous years, and less turnover of funds. There were still some achievements in line with the aims and objectives of the charity. • Orthocycle did not operate in Reyhanli in Turkey as has been the case prior to the COVID 19 pandemic. The main reason for this was not the travel restrictions but the financial burden of operating in a rented private hospital suite in Turkey. These costs were accepted in previous years, when the money donated was able to support this activity. The downturn in fundraising, principally from the lack of organised courses in the UK, as well as personal donations, meant that the money available was not sufficient – often a single weeks operating could result in expenditure of £6000. There remain options for the involvement of Orthocycle in continued activity in this area, but until the costs of operating are matched by our income, we are not able to continue this project for the present. However, our aspiration is to return to this if there is either an increase in the charity’s income or a means of mitigating the costs of providing a service in Reyhanli. • In the financial year 2020/2021, there had been an operating visit to Tumbi Hospital in Tanzania. We had noted that there were shortages of basic surgical equipment and consumables in Tumbi Hospital. This included simple items such as orthopaedic drills and drill bits. As a result of the initial visit, items of surgical equipment and orthotics were shipped to Dar Es Salaam by courier. The items included a complete Hoffman 2 external fixator set and many orthotics. A second visit to Tumbi Hospital occurred in October 2020. At this visit, it was found that the deficiencies in the basic orthopaedic department assets – image intensifier and internal and external fixation – meant that continuing to work in Tumbi Hospital was not safe. The concern was that the increased surgical risks to patients from surgical intervention – especially infection – were not mitigated by having an aseptic operating environment and antisepsis. Sophisticated external fixation cannot take place without having an extensive inventory of equipment and the risks of complications are not acceptable. We also remained concerned about the copayment of 10%. - Orthocycle did not hold a fundraising dinner in 2021/2022. • The Orthocycle external fixation course was conducted in February 2022. This was held at the Manchester Metropolitan University and was sponsored by Stryker Corp. This course was fully subscribed. The feedback received from the course was very positive. There were some suggestions for improvement. As the forearm and wrist spanning fixator is becoming less favoured for upper limb injuries, it was suggested that knee spanning fixators should replace the wrist, although the lecture on the forearm would be worth keeping as it covers the rationale for the changes in practice. The course made a profit for Orthocycle projects. • Orthocycle has organised a further course with Orthosolutions for a forefoot surgery course in May 2022. This will take place at Manchester Metropolitan University, which has been found to be a very good location for running courses, in large third floor classrooms. • Surgical equipment for recycling has continued to be collected throughout the year. Shipments were sent by courier to Tanzania, which included orthotic boots, knee braces and other orthotics. The cost of transport was borne by the surpluses from Orthocycle courses. • The Orthocycle website has been updated. There are active Twitter postings and Linked In postings. Trustee Carol-Ann had suggested that the website would benefit from updates previously available on other media. The ‘news’ page has therefore been updated with all the twitter postings. - The subscription to JustGiving was cancelled. ## **Future Plans** The travel restrictions from COVID seem to be essentially over. As described previously, our projects in Tumbi Hospital in Tanzania and Reyhanli are not currently active. The Reyhanli project could be restarted if it is affordable. The recycling of orthotic boots and braces remains a success, and this is due to the generosity of the British public who have sought out our charity to recycle their boots, knee braces and other medical equipment. The surgical equipment has been sent to Tanzania and Turkey, and the orthotics have been shipped to Tanzania, and more importantly, are being used by patients there. There is an East African Health summit held annually at BMA House in London, and we plan to attend this. We have since had positive feedback from the Zanzibarian Health Department and aim to maintain our involvement in Tanzania in some way. Education for doctors and nurses is one of our main objectives, and there are several further courses on the horizon, including a forefoot course and a major incident course. ## **Our Finances** The initial balance was £415.31. The final balance was £3546.42. The account remained in credit for the whole financial year. The principal sources of income were individual donations from the general public within the UK, as well as the direct donations from the trustees and a course that was run. The outgoings in Turkey will cease for now, as we are not able to continue with that project at the moment. However, this may become active again if there are more viable alternatives for working there in the future. The hospitals in Tanzania have no associated costs apart from travel and accommodation for Orthocycle surgical teams. From a financial perspective, this is cost effective for the delivery of Orthocycle’s objectives. ## **Reserves and Financial Health** The Trustees reviewed the finances, budgets and spend against budget. The Trustees consider that the charity financial status is satisfactory. There remains stable cash flow from the general public and the Trustees. Costs may increase as activity restarts after COVID. ## **Structure, Governance and Management** The charity trustees are responsible for the overall management and control of the Orthocycle Foundation Charity. All trustees give of their time freely and no remuneration or expenses were paid in the year. No person connected with a Trustee received any benefit. ## **Accounts of the Orthocycle Foundation 2019-2020** Initial Balance £415.61 Payments In £10977.63 Payments Out £7846.82 Remaining Balance £3546.42