SERVICE BY EMERGENCY RIDER VOLUNTEERS TRUSTEE ANNUAL REPORT - APRIL 2020 TO March 2021 The Sussex Blood Runner Group Our Motto: #IT'S WHAT WE DO! How does a hospital get your donated blood when it'8 urgently needed? The NHS Blood andTransplant, aspecial Health Authority. collects blood from donors in England & Wales and, after proSSIng and testing, supplies the components (red cells, platelets, and frozen products) to hospitals 24 hours a day. seven days a week. They supply blocwj components on a not-for-profrt basis by setting prices that recover their costsonly{hll .IlwwM.blood.co.uklindex.as . However, ildoesnotprovide a standard, all- in-onè FREE delivery service between the local Hospital Trusts, between the hours of 7pm and6am, atweekendsand onnational holidays. Hospilalscan choosetoarrangelheir own transport, whether they use contractors or charity volunteers like SERV. SERV volunteers work with their local hospitals and other NHS sites on an ad-hoc basis, thereby complementing theservice provided by NHS Blood and Transplant. So how do the Sussex Hospttal Trusts get blood, platelets, patient notes, human infant milk or urgent samples transferred between London and local hospitals out of hours? Do they use the costly option of a taxi or courier at night for long distan journeys? Take an 8MbUlan or poli carout of service for hours? They have another mn-COSt option". SERV Volunteers. Who are SERITr servi by Emergency Rider Volunteers (SERV; www. servsussex.or .uk), is a registered, charity (No. 284455) initially set up in 1981. As a charity, SERV provides a free, r4)id and reliable means of transporting emergency blood products, X-rays, patient notes, time-(Xitical laboratory samplesand testresultsto hospitals and medicalfacilities atnight, on request In 2019120 SERV responded to over 1500 separate calls in East and West Sussex, allowing re-deployment of much-needed funds for improved patient care and other essenlial faalities within the local NHS Trusts. Male and female SERV volunteers from all walks of lrfe are long-serving (average 5-10 years, longest 20 years). and range from 21-? years. SERV supports the NHS and population in general regardless of ra, gender. disability, or sexual preferen, providing an exceptffial, FREE daily Servi (24hrs bank holidays and weekends) using their private motiycycles arKI cars. Assessed volUntrS wovide additional back- up support using SERV fleet vehides. How does SERV work? Volunte8r bike riders and drivers worf< on a roster, usually working one night in fourteen, waiting to resFx)nd to urgent calls relayed wa their county controller. On request, SERV collects and securely delivers lab samples between hospitals and from hospitals to London. We transport lrfe-saving blood and blood products using an insulated. National B1¢X servi (NBSFapproved box. We also transport human breastmilkonrequestfrom treatment ntreS and to hospitals in Sussex. SERV volunteers generally use their own machines and pay for the fuel themselves. they receive no money for this all and all offirS of the charty are unpaid volunteers. We Ri innnrt tha nnni Ilth*inn nf Qi i¢¢•Y gR 2 whrtla ranarrlb¢¢ rtf n•nA•r ofhnift nrni In
The use of a SERVffleet bike or car is also ar**"following aseries of funrkraisirvJ events over many years, SERV has purchased dedicated vehicles to facilitate such secure deliveries. These vehides are used for ridersldrivers who have been independently assessed and who can ensure back up cover any night of the weeK when requested. Through public donations, SERVpaysforthefuel, insuran, and upkeepof thesededicated vehicles. SUSSEX %hASONS r/ A nigm rendezvous al H¢Iey, Surrey, to colled bIC &YJr from St Georges Hospital for transport to Sussex Hospitals
Structure & Governance Corporate Governance The Trustees have continued to review the Charty's structure and methodologies. This ongoing review has led to a refined operating structure, whereby each committee member has several associated volunteers to assist in the execution of the committee members, areas of activty. These changes were neSsIt8ted due to the in¢yeased workload caused by the expansion of the Charity. The key areas are MembshIp, treasurer, fundraising. roster management arKI fleet management. As a registered charity the Charty adopts rwous financial controls and wocedures throughouttheorganisation, inlinewiththerequirements of the Charitiescommission. This policy hasbeen designed tobeflexble toallow the Charty to exparKI or restructure, asnecessary. The Board of Trustees is responsible for. Safeguardiry the assets of thecharrty Preventing fraud Avoiding mistakes Keeping financial records 1nacdan with the govemirKJ do()Jment of the Charities Acts. PreparingAnnualAccounts in aCCordanW.[ththe goveming document and relevantlegislation Setting a Reserves Policy TheBoardof Trusteesresponsibilitiesare athieved through designating responsibilities to the Operations Committee.. Chainnan- Mike Mara; Treasurer- Neil Hayward; Secretary - Hary Lewis. To enable the Board of Trustees to carry out these responsibilrties, the Finance Policy must be adhered to by all Board of Trustee rnbers, staff, and volunteers. In exPtIonS1 circumstances this policy may be overridden WFth the apwoval of the Chaiman; any such override will be immediately reported by the Chairman to the Board. A Board decision may also override the F)olicy in exceptional ciraJmstans. A copy of this policy is given to all Board of Tnjstee members on ttrEir electionlappointmentto the Board, and to all relevantstaff arKlvolunteers.
Policy Revisions This policy willbe reviewed aknteveryihreeyears andamended as necessary, in acCOrdanWith anyforthcominglegislation (attEchanges to the operations or premises ofthe organisation). Finance Policy The treasurer takes the lead on: a) making sure the Charrty keeps proper accnIs. b) reviewing financial perf0mlan. c) ansuring policies for finance and relevant investment are regularly reviewed. d) ensuring that the Charity has robust and effe(Xive financial corrtrols in pla. e) liaising with the Chairman at)out financial matters and with the independent exam1rr fj reportiro on financial matters at the AGM. The examined accounts are detsiled belovr.
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Organizational Infomiation a) The Financial Year runs frorn: 1 st April to the 31st of Mard) b) Name of Bankers: Metro Bank Limited c) Name of Auditorllndependent Examiner. JG knunting Seplbces Bank Accounts a) All bank accL)unts must te in the name of the organisation. b) No account may ever be opened inthe nameof an individual or individuals. c) New accounts may only beopened by a decision of theBoardof Trustees, which must be mfftuted. d) Changes to the bank mandate may only be made by a minuted decision of the Board ofTrustees in agreement withtheowations Committee. g) Two people (one a Trustee) must be involved in handling cash ipts. h) All Intemet Bank Transfers must be authorised by the Treasurer or assigned deputy. i) Authorised indNiduals are responsible examining the payment documentstion (purchase Invol etc.) prior to authorising an Intemet Transfer or bank card paymenL j) New Bank Debit Cards may onty be opened by a deasion of the Board of Trustees inagreement withtheowations committee. l) Bank card signatories areaUttnsed to incurexperKlitwe upto £2000 at their own discretion. Above that email confirmation is required from another signatory. The Treasurer must be copEd in on all emails relating to this expenditure and he is responsible for maintaining the relevant audit trail. Annual Budget a) Anannual budget, setting outtheorganisation'sfinancial planfor the year, will be prepared so that the Board of Trustees can apkyove rt before the start of each financtal year. b) The Chairman & Treasurer are responsible for the draft budget. Financial Reports a) A ManagementAccounts repwill be wepared forevery Board of Trustees meeti.
b) The report will consist of: Income and Expenditure AccuntS Balance Sheet Notes to the accounts and commentary Accounts andAudit a) Accounts will be drawn up after each finanaal year and presented for approval at thenext Annual General Meeting. b) Theaccounts ffAR) will be submrtted to t Charity Commission. asthaYbythe CCThMi4k c) Thetrusteeswill apFM)int anapprOtety qualifEd independent examiner toauditthe accountsforkyesentation tothe nextAGM. d) The trustees will review the appoinlment of the auditorlindependent examiner at least every 3 years. Accounting and OtherFinancial Records The Charty has robust procedures in place to ensure that all legal and statutory responsibilrties are upheld. The organisation maintains anaccr&Yit&l accounting system (Xero), which records.. Bank transfers, ch4ues and cash received KI banked. Bank Card payments, IntemetBankingTransfersandother amounts paid from the bank accoLnts Xero is a doud-based system that Fvides. The dateofthe transaction. The name oftheperson ororganisatK)n moneywas received from or paid to and the fullamount. A brief description of why the money was retsived orpaid. Documents relating toreceipts andpaymerrts will bescanned and uploaded to our Xero accountingsofhyare The Treasurer is responsible for acoJrate recording of income and expenditure, but thedesignated XeroAdministratorwill beresponsiblefor integty of the system. Regular Bank Payments There will be a quarterly review to ensure no redundant regular payments (standing orders or direct debits) are being made. If any redundant payments have been made, then a refund will be requested from the payee.
Insurance Appropriate Insuran FM)licies will be maintained to cover: Employerfs Liabilty o Public Liability o Contents o Professional Indemnty (Trustees Liabilty) o Vehides The Chainnan and Treasu areresponsbteforensuring appropriate InsanCe is in plats. Collections, donations and Gift Aid The charity is aware of andwill ensure that allfundraising activities are carried out in line wrth.ils legal responsibilrties and the Charty Commissions best practi guidan. A Collections, Donations and GrfiAid PrOlUre is in plat0 (xrtlinewhat must happen to ensure that money raised is managed securely and transparently. The organisation will make useof gift aid schemes toincrease the thaiitls income. lthere donations fall wrthin the Gift Aid scheme declaations will be Fyovided and any retums submitted in line wrth legislation. Other Undertakings Allfundraising and grantapplications undertaken on behaof the Charty with be done in the name of the organisation wrth prior approval of the operations Mmittee. ReseThes Policy SERV is a mature charity that has built considerable resour over the years. It has a strong volunteer base, delivers a consistently high standard of Servi for the NHS, at no charge, and supports a range of other community activities. To support the Charity financially, SERV has also developed an effective range of initiatives to raise money through successful and carefulFy directed fundraising activities such as: direct collections from major supenarkets, twgeted nI aFpIic2tKms, sponsorship from commercial and financial organizatL)ns together with donations from individuals and small charitable organisatÉons. This mutti4evel approach has allowed the charity to bolster the free cash reservessignfficantly. A decision was taken by the board of trustees to maintain a signrficant cash balance in this Cuent financial year in view of the uncertainties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. It was felt that future expansion and necessary expendilure (such as replacements for the vehicle fleet) would be better postponed until the financial year AFYil 2021 to March 2022 when the future nature of the pandemic would be better uThJerstood.
sustainabilty of SERV. TheTrustees have approved the Policy. set outabove, and concluded that SERV has more than ample cash reserves in harKI to meet the increasirKJ Gglls on its seNIS. NHS Service Demands Over the past w.SERV has experienced a Sn[ficant increase in demands for our service. This includes: 24hr cover at weekends. Supportingthe &sw Communty NHSTrust'sChildren's &wJtQwwith 1ocaldeliveryserviS on a w&kly basis. Supporting initiativesliketheDementia Researth study. A signlficant increase in human donor milkdeliveries arKI collections. The Trustees are of the view that the calls on our resources will continue to grow. As a resulL they have established the following: The need to update the vehicle fleet Wtrre appropriate. Implement improved financial controls through the Xero doud-based accounting software. To continue todevelq) intemal processes toimprove structure and efficiency. The establishment of a new pygnises to help better manage the fleet and provide a foSed central point and structure for future expansion. To produce a design for a new cloud-based IT portal to enhan such key aspects of the Charitrfs owation as folbws: Rota Management. Social MedIagageMent o Intemal Communications Compliance M anagement Management Information and reporting.
iti Recruitment of New Rider/Driver Volunteers Background. The charity has a continuous recruitment policy as there is a turnover of volunteers. The Charity therefore continues to recruit to fill vacancies (as and when vacancies occur bearing in mind the need to provide blood runs for existing volunteers) and to meet the increased demand from NHS hospitals as required. Weekend working was implemented during the last financial year for hospitals in East and West Sussex. Tthe Trustees and Operations Commsttee reserve the right to maintain recruitment rf weekend working demands additional volunteers to meet demand. Renewal of the SERV VehicleFleet The charity has a 03ntinuous renewal polry whereby VehleS are rePlad on arKI agelmileage basis and in lirE wrth furKJraising opportunrties available. No vehicles were purchased during this financial year Several vehicles are nearing the eThJ of their Servi lrfe aThJ are projected to be replaced in the next financial year. Finance Income and expenditure levels. The past year has again seen a continuance of the Charity's increased activity in the number of runs (both Blood and Milk). The effect of the Covid-19 pandemic has caused many face- tO-fa fund-raising events to be cancelled. However. the Charity has continued to make several successful grant applications. Total donations for the period April 2020 to March 2021 were £23,987. Expenditure exceeded reiptS by £6,350. Please see the statement of account on pages 7 and 8 above. Confidentiality Board members and volunteers will abways act in the best interest of the Charty and rf they eXwIen a confiict of interest. they must follow the Conflict-of-lnterest Policy.
14 Objectives for 2021 and Future Plans Where is SERV going in the future? Our goal is to rise to the ever- increasing requests from the local NHS Trusts to provide a rapid and reliable means of transporting urgent blood, blood products, X-rays, patient notes and laboratory samples to local hospitals at night, 365 days per year. We have expanded our human milk transport seriice, now providing daily support to VamIlk banks in the Southeast. SERV isthe onty chat7ty tocollect human infant milkfrom donors in Sussex, Surrey and London at pre-arranged times and deliver to the milk banks in the South-East. Wealso delivertreated milk to mothers attheir homes ifthey need donor milk and cannot make it tothe hospital to collect the supplies. SERV currently delivers equipment to children's, homes in support of the Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust'schildren's serViS in Worthing and Crawley. Future expansion ofthisservw isurn*. Further weekend working throughout East and West Sussex subject to availability of weekend duty controllers and volunteers. New Developments Work is ongoing currently to specify a revised integrated IT portal together with a revised telephone response system.