British Orthopaedic Research Society Trustees’ Annual Report and Accounts
For the year ended 31 March 2024
Charity No. 1179328
British Orthopaedic Research Society
Contents of the Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024
| Page | |
|---|---|
| Legal and Administrative information | 1 |
| Trustees’ Annual Report | 2-6 |
| Independent Examiner’s Report | 7 |
| Statement of Receipts and Payments | 8 |
| Statement of Balances | 9 |
| Notes to the Accounts | 10 |
British Orthopaedic Research Society Legal and Administrative Information
Charity name British Orthopaedic Research Society
| Charity registration number1179328 | Charity registration number1179328 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Trustees | |||
| President: Professor Deborah Mason(Chair) | (From 07.09.22) | ||
| Professor Richie Gill(Chair) | (From 07.09.19) | ||
| Dr Arash Angadji |
(From 25.07.18) | ||
| Dr Robert Wallace | (From 01.10.18) | ||
| Rosemary Fletcher | (From 30.09.19) | ||
| Ms Ines Reichert | (From 14.09.21) | ||
| Professor Sophie Williams | (From 14.09.21) | ||
| Trustees (Ex-Officio) | |||
| President: Dr Andrew Phillips | (From 07.09.22) | ||
| Honorary Secretary: Mr Wasim Khan | (From 14.09.21) | ||
| Honorary Treasurer: Dr David Hamilton | (From 14.09.21) | ||
| Committee Members(In addition to the Society’s Trustees and Officers) | |||
| Dr David Williams Digital Officer | |||
| Dr Anthony Herbert –Secretary Elect | |||
| Prof Karina Wright –Treasurer Elect | |||
| Mr James Archer –Co-opted BOTA representative | |||
| Mr Muhamed Alanie - Co-opted BOTA representative | |||
| Professor Hamish Simpson –BJR representative | |||
| Miss Salma Chaudhury - Engagement Officer | until 01.01.24 | ||
| Principal office address | Royal College of Surgeons of England | ||
| 38 to 43 Lincoln’s Inn Fields | |||
| London | |||
| WC2A 3PE | |||
| Website | www.borsoc.org.uk | ||
| Independent Examiner | David Jeffcoat FCCA | ||
| Alexander Sloan LLP | |||
| Accountants and Business Advisers | |||
| 1 Lochrin Square | |||
| 92-98 Fountainbridge | |||
| Edinburgh | |||
| EH3 9QA | |||
| Bankers | TSB | Co-operative Bank | |
| 6 Market Place | 1 Balloon Street | ||
| Romsey | Manchester | ||
| SO51 8YS | M60 4EP |
Page 1
British Orthopaedic Research Society
Trustees’ Annual Report for the year ended 31 March 2024
The Trustees are pleased to present their report together with the charity’s Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024.
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE and MANAGEMENT
British Orthopaedic Research Society (‘BORS’) was registered as a CIO by the Charity Commission on 25 July 2018. BORS is governed by its Constitution and managed and administered by a Committee comprising the Trustees, including ex-officio Trustees, and other elected members of the Society.
Trustees
The Trustees serving during the year and since the year-end are detailed on page 1.
The appointment method of Trustees, Officers and Committee members is set out in sections 13 and 14 of the Society’s Constitution.
New Trustees are given a copy of the charity’s Constitution and undergo instruction to brief them of their legal obligations under charity law. New Trustees would already be familiar with the charity’s activities.
OBJECTIVES and ACTIVITIES
Per the CIO Constitution, the objects of British Orthopaedic Research Society (BORS) are to advance education in orthopaedic research for the public benefit in particular by (but not limited to) the promotion of all aspects of orthopaedic research and the dissemination of the useful results of such research.
A list of the charity’s activities in relation to its objectives is provided below:
Education
The advancement of orthopaedic education is the charity’s focus. The main activity focused at achieving this objective is the organisation of the annual research meeting.
BORS maintains a website (www.borsoc.org.uk/) which provides members of the Society with an accessible network of researchers and information about upcoming courses.
Research
BORS supports research through the organisation of its annual research meeting and with specific events held within other societies/organisations annual meetings. In addition, the Society awards a number of prizes and bursaries to help fostering an inclusive research environment. Prizes are awarded based on merit to researchers presenting at BORS organised events.
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British Orthopaedic Research Society
Trustees’ Annual Report for the year ended 31 March 2024
Publication of research results
The main routes of dissemination of research results are represented by the annual meeting organised by BORS and through the hosting of specific sessions and poster opportunities at clinical congresses such as the Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS), International Combined Orthopaedic Research Societies (ICORS), and British Orthopaedic Association (BOA) meetings.
The abstracts accepted for presentation at the BORS annual meeting are published in the Orthoapedic Proceedings supplement to the Bone and Joint Journal (BJJ). A nominated Committee member acts as the link person between BORS and BJJ to ensure this arrangement is continued. It is the aim of the Trustees to broaden the activities of the charity to contribute more widely to the education of the public such as including Public lectures at the Annual meetings.
The BORS President and several BORS members are Associate Editors for Bone and Joint Research (BJR), which is published by the British Editorial Society of Bone & Joint Surgery, a not-for-profit charity,and Company limited by Guarantee, who also publish BJJ, and are the sponsors for the BORS/BJR Travelling Fellows scheme.
Research landscape and links to others
BORS maintains very strong links with national and international research societies and organisations operating in the field of orthopaedics or, more in general, musculoskeletal research and education. The president or nominated representatives also attend meetings of appropriate international organisations to maintain awareness and participation in research and education on a global basis (e.g. ORS and ICORS).
At national level, BORS aims to organise joint meetings when possible to provide an opportunity for the exchange of knowledge and skills between respective members.
Representatives of Orthopaedic Research UK (ORUK - Registered Charity number 1111657) regularly attend BORS research meetings.
BORS also interfaces with clinical organisations, namely the British Hip Society, the British Orthopaedic Association (BOA - Registered Charity number 1066994), and the British Orthopaedic Trainees Association.
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British Orthopaedic Research Society
Trustees’ Annual Report for the year ended 31 March 2024
ACHIEVEMENTS and PERFORMANCE
BORS 2023
The annual meeting was held by the University of Cambridge on 25 and 26 September, with this being the first ‘in-person’ annual meeting since Covid-19 caused BORS 2020 and BORS 2021 to be held online, while BORS hosted the World Congress of Orthopaedic Research in Edinburgh in 2022.
The annual meeting had a theme of ‘Basic Science Underpinning Clinical Advances’ and brought together clinicians, engineers, scientists and allied health professionals from all backgrounds relevant to orthopaedic and trauma sugery, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration. The meeting was attended by around 90 delegates.
BORS/BJR Travelling Fellowship
The BORS/BJR 2023 Travelling Fellows (Mr Simon Abram, Dr Nisreen Al-Namnam, Mr Thomas Edwards, Dr Nidal Khatib, Dr David Williams, Dr Irene Yang) were selected following interview at ICORS in September 2022, with the Fellowship starting at the ORS meeting in Dallas in February 2023.
The Fellowship, sponsored by in part by Bone & Joint Research (a gold open access journal for the musculoskeletal sciences) saw the Fellows visitORS 2023 in Dallas, Texas.Centre of Research Excellence in; Denver, Colorado; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Boston, Massachusetts; New York; Ottawa, Ontario
While ultimately successful various issues in the process of selecting the Fellows and developing the itinerary of the Fellowship were identified through discussion with the Fellows prior to and following the Fellowship. A blog detailing the Fellows visits is available on the BORS website (https://borsoc.org.uk/travelling-fellows/). Selection for the 2025 BORS/BJR Travelling Fellows began in early 2024 and was completed ahead of the BORS 2024 annual meeting.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
The Accounts for the year are set out on pages 9 to 11. Per the Statement of Receipts and Payments on page 8, the charity reported Net Income (i.e. a Surplus) for the year of £22,701 (2023 – Deficit £35,738).
Reserves Policy
The Society’s policy is to maintain unrestricted funds at a level equating to approximately three months of unrestricted expenditure which allows sufficient funds to maintain the Society’s ongoing work. Per the Statement of Balances on page 9, the General Fund amounted to £103,625 at 31 March 2024 (2023 - £80,924) with Liabilities (i.e. expenditure) of £2,520 relating to the year ended 31 March 2024 still to be paid at 31 March 2024. Although above the required level, the Society’s reserves were acceptable to the Trustees who are considering ways to utilise reserves effectively.
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British Orthopaedic Research Society
Trustees’ Annual Report for the year ended 31 March 2024
A significant proportion of the Society’s finances are associated with the organisation and hosting of the Society’s Annual Meeting, dedicated sessions at a number of conferences and with the award of the travelling fellowships. The purpose of the Annual Meeting is to provide a platform to further the Society’s main objectives.
The Annual Meetings are generally well attended and subscribed, however the Society recognises that there is a small but significant financial risk associated with such events as it is plausible that a meeting might incur a deficit. The Society’s reserves are deemed more than adequate to cover this risk.
Public Benefit Statement
The Trustees confirm that they have complied with their duty to have due regard to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when planning the activities of the Society.
Orthopaedic patients are the largest group of beneficiaries of the charity’s activities; clinical and scientific research are the foundations from which new and improved medical treatment.
Through its annual research meeting, BORS provides a forum for exchanging new and innovative ideas in the field of orthopaedics. On occasions, this can be translated into changes and improvements to current clinical practice. At AGM’s or other meetings, we shall have lectures open to the public of an appropriate subject matter. In 2023, Professor Fiona Gilbert delivered a Public Lecture on how radiology is used to identify and treat musculoskeletal pathologies. An online educational day also took place in September 2023
The orthopaedic fraternity, comprising clinical and scientific researchers, benefits from the meetings organised by BORS both through exposure to new research ideas and through participation in the discussions fostered at the meetings.
The charity is committed to the dissemination of research findings and as such it holds a longstanding agreement with the Bone and Joint Journal which ensures the publication of abstracts presented at the BORS annual meeting.
The charity fosters education both of professionals and the public at large and we often work closely with Industry to further that education. The charity has been organising events specifically targeted at clinicians at the main orthopaedic clinical meeting in the UK (the British Orthopaedic Association Annual Meeting) and has been sponsoring an annual research prize (BORS/BOTA prize) for the best paper presented in this context.
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British Orthopaedic Research Society
Trustees’ Annual Report for the year ended 31 March 2024
FUTURE ACTIVITIES
Travelling Fellowship
BORS again intends to promote and support a BORS/BJR travelling fellowship in 2025 and sponsorship with BJR has been agreed. Plans are in place for up to six early career researchers in the orthaoepdic research community and as members of BORS to be selected to undertake the travelling fellowship. The travelling fellowship involves visiting international centres of academic orthopaedic excellence and also attendance of an associated orthopaedic research society meeting. The Bone and Joint Research Journal continues to provid financial sponsorship of these fellowships. The purpose of this travelling fellowship is to:
-
Disseminate orthopaedic research conducted by the early career researchers on the fellowship
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Showcase leading orthopaedic research going on in the UK with international colleagues
-
Learn about the world-class orthopaedic research at the leading academic centres the fellows will visit
-
Develop lasting collaborative academic networks to enable future research opportunities
BOA 2024 and BOA 2025
BORS will host revalidation workshops at the annual meeting of the British Orthopaedic Association.
ICORS 2025
BORS will host a workshop at the International Combined Orthopaedic Research Societies meeting 2025 in Adelaide, Australia.
EORS 2025
BORS will host two workshops at the European Orthoapedic Research Society meeting 2025 in Davos, Switzerland.
Independent Examiner
David Jeffcoat , F.C.C.A. is the independent examiner of the Charity as the designated Partner of Alexander Sloan LLP, Accountants & Business Advisers responsible for this engagement. The Trustees recommend that he remain in office as independent examiner until further notice.
On behalf of the Trustees
Professor Deborah Mason
Trustee, Chair of Trustees
Date:
30/1/2025
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British Orthopaedic Research Society
Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of British Orthopaedic Research Society
I report on the Accounts of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2024 which are set out on pages 9 to 12.
Responsibilities and basis of Report
As the charity Trustees, 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 charity’s Accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed 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 which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
-
accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or
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the Accounts do not accord with the accounting records.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the Accounts to be reached.
David Jeffcoat, F.C.C.A. Partner
Alexander Sloan LLP Accountants and Business Advisers 1 Lochrin Square 92-98 Fountainbridge Edinburgh EH3 9QA
Date: 30/1/2025
Page 7
British Orthopaedic Research Society
Statement of Receipts and Payments for the year ended 31 March 2024
| Notes Receipts Membership fees BORS Conference income (Edinburgh and Cambridge) Bank interest received Total Receipts Payments Charitable Expenditure BOA clinical leader programme Meeting registration costs BORS conference costs Course fees (Future Leaders Programme 2020/21) Workshop expenses Other Meeting costs and sundries Awards and prizes Insurance Bank charges Training BORS Fellowships Governance costs Independent Examiner's Fee Trustees' Meeting costs Total Payments Net Receipts/(Payments) for the year |
Unrestricted Funds £ 3,994 41,957 958 47,909 - - 21,146 - 282 11 550 260 154 350 - 2,400 55 25,208 22,701 |
Restricted Funds £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
Total 2024 £ 3,994 41,957 958 47,909 - - 21,146 - 282 11 550 260 154 350 - 2,400 55 25,208 22,701 |
Total 2023 £ 4,521 - 520 5,041 - - 900 - - 50 - 326 167 - 30,972 8,364 - 40,779 (35,738) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
The Notes form an integral part of these Accounts.
Page 8
British Orthopaedic Research Society
Statement of Balances as at 31 March 2024
| Notes Bank and Cash in Hand Opening balances Net Receipts/(Payments) for the year Closing Balances Reserves General Fund Closing Balances Liabilities Independent Examiner's Fee (including VAT) Year ended 31 March 2023 Year ended 31 March 2024 |
Unrestricted Funds £ 80,924 22,701 103,625 103,625 103,625 - - - |
Total 2024 £ 80,924 22,701 103,625 103,625 103,625 - 2,520 2,520 |
Total 2023 £ 116,662 (35,738) 80,924 80,924 80,924 2,400 - 2,400 |
|---|---|---|---|
30/1/2025
Approved by the Trustees on and signed on their behalf by:
Professor Deborah Mason
Trustee
The Notes form an integral part of these Accounts.
Page 9
British Orthopaedic Research Society
Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024
1. Accounting Policies
Basis of Accounting
The Accounts have been prepared on the Receipts and Payments basis in accordance with the Charities Act 2011.
VAT
The Society is not registered for VAT and, accordingly, expenditure includes VAT, where appropriate.
Purposes of Funds
The General Fund (Unrestricted) encompasses the income and expenditure relating to the primary focus activities of the charity, other than those for which funding is restricted.
Payments
Charitable expenditure comprises those costs incurred by the charity in the delivery of its activities and services for its beneficiaries.
Governance costs include those costs associated with meeting the constitutional and statutory requirements of the charity and include the Independent Examiner's fee.
2. Trustees' and Officers' remuneration and reimbursed expenses
No Trustees or Officers received remuneration during the year or in the previous year. Travelling and meeting expenses of £55 (2023: £nil) were reimbursed to Rosemary Fletcher.
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