2022-05-31-accounts

The Disabilities Trust

Annual Report 2021-22 A new era

Registered Charity No. 800797 and SC038972

www.thedtgroup.org

The Disabilities Trust

Contents

About The Disabilities Trust Welcome from our Chair of Trustees A message from our Chief Executive A five-year review Highlights of 2021/22 Our strategy for 2022-2030 Summary of 2021/22 Fundraising Looking ahead Financial review Financial statements

3 4 7 9 13 14 16 40 43 45 69

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The Disabilities Trust

About The Disabilities Trust

We improve the lives of people with brain injuries across the UK. Our two hospitals, seven assessment and rehabilitation centres and 15 rehabilitation centres support people with brain injuries to regain the skills they have lost.

We also have 32 community support services. Our dedicated teams of specialists work closely with each person with a brain injury to understand what they need and why, and shape support.

From rehabilitation to long-term care, our brain injury services help people to move forward with their lives.

You can find out more about us at www.thedtgroup.org/brain-injury

This type of treatment helps us understand the effects of a brain injury on a person’s cognitive, emotional, physical and social skills. Our clinical teams use a range of therapies to respond to ongoing assessments of these skills, including physiotherapy, psychological therapy and music therapy.

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The Disabilities Trust

Welcome from our Chair of Trustees

You can’t stand still if you want to make a positive difference to more lives.

This became clear when we carried out thorough research to guide our new strategic direction as an organisation for the next eight years.

We are in a world that is learning how to do things differently in the wake of the pandemic. In the UK, we have an increasingly challenged health and social care sector, with evolving practices.

As we considered our future, we recognised that by focusing our work in one area we could make a bigger difference and help more people.

Support for people with brain injuries varies considerably across the UK. This means thousands of people are not getting what they need to live their best life possible.

Our new strategy aims to change this. We have made some really difficult decisions to close some services and find new supporters for others. This helps us to strengthen and build on our position as the number one brain injury charity in the UK.

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The Disabilities Trust

Changing the system

To improve the lives of people with brain injuries, the system needs to change.

Our role is to provide excellent services for people with brain injuries throughout the UK, undertaking and sharing our research and expertise will be more integral to what we do.

We will raise awareness of the challenges faced by people with brain injuries so more people join us to demand better support for them.

To bring this about will be to carry out more research, to influence and campaign. We will turn up the volume on the voices of the people we support, as well as those living with a brain injury beyond our services. This includes those who are falling through the cracks in the system, such as people in the criminal justice system and survivors of domestic abuse who are disproportionately affected by brain injuries.

Our aim is to help thousands of people living with brain injuries in the UK to get quick access to the best specialist rehabilitation available, so they can achieve their goals and exceed expectations.

During my first year as Chair of Trustees, I oversaw the initial steps towards delivering this ambitious and focused new direction for the charity. It has been a privilege to celebrate what the Trust has achieved and encourage aspirations for what we can now create.

Thank you to everyone who is supporting us on this exciting journey to change lives for the better.

Kathryn Greenberg

Chair of the Trustee Board

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The Disabilities Trust

Our ambition and values

Our ambition is to be the . number one brain injury charity in the uK

OuR VALuES

We are

We have

AGiLE	RESOuRCEFuL	COuRAGEOuS	COnnECTED	HEART
We are forward thinking, responsive, resilient and flexible to make sure we continue to evolve and spot potential.	We spend time and money wisely empowering people to think differently at the same time as being practical and commercial.	We do the right thing, step up, try new things, are strong and bold while managing risk.	We collaborate, create positive relationships, listen and learn from others and keep our promises.	We show dedication, passion, humility and care to make a long-lasting and measurable difference.

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A message from our Chief Executive

As we move into a new era, we will look to build on the strengths of the past, in preparation for the ambitions of the future.

The Disabilities Trust has a legacy of over 40 years and a proud track record of supporting hundreds of people with autism, learning disabilities, brain injury or physical disabilities to live as independently as possible.

In our 43rd year, we have begun to implement an ambitious new strategy; one which is predicated on the Trust delivering the greatest impact, for the greatest number of people, in a financially sustainable way.

We will do that through our high-quality service delivery, through sharing our leading-edge clinical practice and research, and through driving social action around brain injury.

This shift in direction is probably the most significant change that the Trust has seen in its recent history. And it is a shift that we are well-positioned to make, following the successful delivery of the 2017-2022 strategy. We have been focussed on putting the foundations in place to prepare the Trust for the future, and although the Covid pandemic delayed the implementation of our new strategy, that future is now here. It is great to be able to celebrate these achievements in this annual report.

We will do this by focusing on our core areas of expertise - acquired brain injury, and by building on our heritage as a globally respected service provider. Our focus will be on anyone living with a brain injury; those who use our services (and their families and friends), and those who don’t. Ultimately, we want to be a place for anyone affected by brain injury to seek support, information, or togetherness.

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The Disabilities Trust

According to the latest figures, one-fifth of the 200,000 people in the UK who are admitted to hospital with a head injury could have a fractured skull or brain damage. Our new strategy aims to change the lives of many of the thousands of people living with a brain injury in the UK that struggle to get the support they need.

Indeed, our ambition is to become the largest provider of independent brain injury rehabilitation services by 2030. Our services will be co-produced with people living with brain injuries and help to fill the gaps in support and care that exist.

To enable us to achieve this ambitious goal, and focus solely on our brain injury services, we divested of our adult learning disability and autism services, transferring them to a larger provider who shares similar values to the Trust, and who has a greater number of autism services within their group. We anticipate that by these services becoming part of an organisation with considerable expertise in this area, they will continue to evolve, develop, and thrive.

Similarly, we said goodbye to our school – Heathermount School - and they have become part of a group of schools which provide specialist education and support to children with autism. Although we were sad to see these services go, we wish everyone involved in these services, the staff, the people they support and their new owners all the very best for the future.

Our amazing staff are the key to the work that we do at the Trust, and their passion, dedication, and commitment to the people that we support is second to none. I would like to thank each and every one of them for the great work that they do.

I would also like to thank our partners, supporters, and volunteers, (including our Trustees) and everyone who has contributed to improving the lives of the people we have supported over the last year and beyond. We are so glad to have you on board as we embark upon this next stage of our evolution.

irene Sobowale

Chief Executive

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The Disabilities Trust

A snapshot five-year review

Over the last five years, our organisation has supported thousands of people with acquired brain injuries, autism and learning and physical disabilities. Our achievements have been driven by our 2017-22 strategy which came to an end this year. To achieve the objectives in our five-year strategic plan, we focused on three overarching areas of work, underpinned by a series of goals.

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The Disabilities Trust

Building firm foundations

We made sure the organisation was sustainable and managed effectively, so we could continue to provide high-quality, personalised care and support to the people using our services.

Goal Developed the right leadership and organisational systems to support staff to work in OnE creative, person-centred ways. Goal We aimed to be an Employer of Choice for people who share our values and aimed to TWO make a positive difference to the people we support. Goal We aimed to continuously improve the quality of our care to make sure it remains THREE leading edge and supports people in the best ways. Goal Being financially prudent to ensure that we can provide reliable and consistent care FOuR and support for people who need us. Goal To deliver safe, quality services for the people that we support, we worked hard to have FiVE effective and efficient processes, systems and policies, integrating the latest technology into what we do.

We have:

Extensively refurbished a number of our services so they are more modern and integrate technology, helping to improve people’s lives.

Extended our brain injury services to two hospitals, seven assessment and rehabilitation centres, 15 rehabilitation centres and 32 community support services.

Been recognised for the high quality of our services, with 95% of our services across England rated ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission in England.

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Being leading edge

We invested in technology and researched new ways to support people with complex needs.

Goal We developed new services with commissioners to OnE meet the needs of the people that we support across the UK. Goal TWO We used technology to improve life for disabled people and our staff. Goal We pioneered clinically-led services for the people that we support, THREE adapting what we do based on the latest evidence.

We have:

Made our brain injury assessment tool – the Brain Injury Needs Indicator – available for social workers and other professionals to use. In 2021-22, 173 professionals registered to use the tool, allowing them to find out how much support someone living with a brain injury needs.

Set up the ConnectAbility project which gives disabled people access to life-enhancing technology, such as smart assistants. This aims to increase people’s confidence and independence and reduce feelings of isolation.

Have supported 1,882 people with acquired brain injuries, autism, learning and physical disabilities.

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The Disabilities Trust

Remembering we are a charity

We made sure our fundraising income had an impact, identified gaps in policy and practice, and influenced decision makers.

Goal The Disabilities Trust Foundation made a difference to the lives of people who can’t access OnE our core services, including those who are homeless and in the criminal justice system. Goal TWO Using our 40-years’ experience, we helped shape policy to improve the lives of disabled people. Goal We used the income we generated through fundraising to enhance the lives of the people THREE we support.

We have:

ASK UNDERSTAND ADAPT

Helped change the law through our ground-breaking research. From April 2021, people in prison have been screened for brain injury.

Successfully lobbied to amend domestic abuse protection orders so that they now include acquired brain injury as part of the range of support needs any survivor may have.

Developed our “Ask, Understand and Adapt” training for health and criminal justice professionals. Working with partners, we have made it available to 63,000 prison and probation staff and all healthcare staff in prisons.

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The Disabilities Trust

Highlights of 2021/22

We supported 856 people living with acquired brain injuries, autism, learning or physical disabilities.

Our 1,127 staff members

continued to provide excellent support to the people who use our services throughout the ongoing pandemic.

92% of our services across the UK rated as ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ or equivalent by all health & social care regulators.

After much research, we developed a strategy to 2030 to help us become the largest provider of brain injury services.

We continued to evaluate our brain injury services which found that more than three quarters (77%) of people needed less supervision when they were discharged.

We expanded our services around the uK, including doubling the capacity of our Eastfields service in Glasgow and opening new supported living services in Birmingham and Liverpool.

Our film, invisible Me, telling the story of Jade, a man who suffered a life-changing stroke in prison, won six awards.

Building work on our state-of-the-art hospital for people with brain injuries started in York in early 2022.

We successfully supported Chris Bryant, Labour MP for Rhondda, in his call for the uK government to commit to developing a ground-breaking strategy on acquired brain injury. We also supported people in our services to respond to the call for evidence to help inform the strategy.

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The Disabilities Trust

Our strategy for 2022-2030

Over the next eight years, we will:

Build positive, specialist and co-produced brain injury 1 services to extend our reach Improve practice across the sector and build 2 our thought leadership Drive social action by ramping up our policy, 3 influencing, educating and training

We will do this by:

1		Developing a high-performance organisation – through our people
2		Creating a new brand to underpin our vision
3		Using the right technology

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“The whole rehabilitation counts equally to the success of people’s recovery”

Emma Rich, 46, had to relearn how to talk, write, balance and coordinate her movement after her brain injury. She says that the support she received at Kerwin Court was crucial to the success of her rehabilitation.

Rehabilitation has helped me refocus my life, and brought back my love of nature and art. I have come a long way.

Before my brain injury, I was having a really stressful time at work and had been having mild seizures. Then, in November 2021, I fell down the stairs at home after blacking out. I was taken to Brighton Hospital with a big bleed on the brain. My prognosis was really bad. My husband John was told that there was a very low chance of me surviving.

I was in a coma for a week. When I woke up, I felt really, really annoyed with myself for being away from my boys who are 15 and 12. I couldn’t speak, read or write and I couldn’t walk or see out of my right eye. In hospital, I was getting really depressed.

“i had the chance to get strong”

Luckily, I was referred to Kerwin Court. There, the staff gave me encouragement and positivity and I learnt to have fun again.

I lived in a supported living bungalow for nearly three months. It meant that John and my children could come to visit at the weekends. I could also go home and visit them at weekends when I wanted to. I had the chance to get strong by myself. My family was involved too. The psychologist did some sessions with my husband and the boys, explaining about the long-term impact of a brain injury, which was really good because it was a big shock for them.

I learnt how flexible the brain is which gave me a lot of hope. It’s just fascinating how much the brain can renew itself.

The speech, art and music therapy that I did at Kerwin Court was so important for me. I learnt to regain my balance and coordination and the friendships I made all interlinked with improving skills. The activities bring back people’s confidence and wellbeing. The countryside there is so beautiful. The whole rehabilitation counts equally to the success of people’s recovery.

People are given space and valued

Now, I’m home with my family, getting back to normal. I’ve signed up for art and sign language classes and am enjoying gardening. I’m also doing some befriending with a 90-year-old lady called Kitty. I’m planning to go back to work in September 2022, doing a job share.

Every day is different. Some days I still have bad days or more pain than others. I learned from Kerwin Court that knowing when you’ve had enough and you just need to go to bed is important.

I’m very grateful to Kerwin Court. There’s so much love and care there, as well as development. People are given space and they’re valued as an individual, which is so important.”

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The Disabilities Trust

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Building positive, specialist and co-produced brain injury services to extend their reach

High quality support

We continue to improve the quality of our care and support to make sure we deliver the best possible service to those living with traumatic brain injuries and other acquired brain injury related neuro conditions. Our pursuit of excellence is paying off. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates care homes in England. The Disabilities Trust have been recognised as being high for the quality of our services with 95% of our services across England rated as ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission in England.

We have been recognised as being high for the quality of all our services with 92% of our services across the UK rated as ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ or equivalent according to their respective regulators,

the CQC, Care Inspectorate Wales, Care Inspectorate Scotland, Healthcare Improvement Scotland or Ofsted.

“I don’t want to use another provider as I know you are so good at dealing with brain injuries.”

A commissioner for Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust

Building a new hospital to support people with brain injuries

Proving our commitment to providing leading edge services to people living with acquired brain injuries, we are building a new state-of-the-art hospital in York.

The new hospital is on the site of the former Terry’s Chocolate Orange factory and will replace our existing specialist neurobehavioural assessment and post-acute rehabilitation hospital at York House.

Our total services rated ‘Good ’ / ‘Compliant’ or ‘Outstanding’ is 92%

Building work on the new hospital started in early 2022. It will have 36 beds across four wards and four assessment flats, with three private, internal courtyards and a therapeutic garden. The hospital is due to open in Autumn 2023. We are delighted to continue working in York after more than 20 years supporting people in the area.

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The Disabilities Trust

The Chocolate Works

Photos of the development of The Chocolate Works, our flagship hospital in York, which is due to open in 2023.

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The Disabilities Trust

Reaching more people

We are committed to investing in high-quality care to meet the needs of people with brain injuries at every stage of their rehabilitation journey. This means investing more money in our existing buildings and services so we can continue to provide supported accommodation for people with complex or challenging behaviour.

We have:

■ Doubled the capacity of our Eastfields

service in Glasgow. The care home for people with an acquired or traumatic brain injury went from 12 beds to 24 to meet the high demand for this specialist service in Scotland.

■ Opened a new supported living service in Birmingham at 20 Avenue Road. This four-person home is helping people to transition from our rehabilitation services. It is supporting them to build on their rehabilitation and develop their independence, managing their own tenancy within a community.

• Opened a new supported living service in Liverpool. Mill Street is a block of 13 onebedroom self-contained flats set over four floors. It is for adults who have an acquired brain injury or neurological conditions and want to live in the community with bespoke person-centred support.

■ Refurbished the sensory lounge at Graham Anderson House, our specialist neurobehavioural assessment centre and hospital in Glasgow. This is a room where people with brain injuries can benefit from a calming sensory experience. “It’s a great place to go if you want to relax and have some quiet time,” said one resident.

■ Continued developing plans to extend our services at Butt Hill in Leeds.

The site currently provides supported living accommodation for up to six adults with

an acquired brain injury. We plan to create a further eight self-contained accessible apartments with additional parking. These will support people to become more independent.

■ Puchased a new property in Hertfordshire, which will provide registered accommodation for up to 15 people with a brain injury.

■ Begun scoping the reprovisioning of the EKC site in Burgess Hill to provide rehabilitation to people with a brain injury. The property will be configured to allow individuals to transition between wings as they progress through their rehabilitation journey.

■ Progressed our plans to purchase a new property in Colchester, Essex – Pondfield

Road. This will allow several people with a brain injury currently being supported in outof-area placements to move into Essex-based supported living.

“A major refurbishment is planned for Daniel Yorath House. It is going to be an exciting time, developing the service to meet modern needs. I’m looking forward to working with commissioners on how the unit can continue to meet current demands in a changing health climate as rehabilitation services need to be flexible.”

Dr Catriona McIntosh, Consultant Clinical Neuropsychologist at Daniel Yorath House

“I thought I would never be able to walk again. But since being at Stor Meadow, the rehabilitation has encouraged me to walk more than I expected.”

Simon, who benefitted from our services at Stor Meadow, our supported living service for adults with an acquired brain injury in Sussex.

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The Disabilities Trust

Focusing on brain injury

We have reorientated our services to focus on supporting people with brain injuries. This has meant transitioning our adult learning disabilities and autism services to a new provider, called Voyage Care, which shares similar values to our own.

We thought long and hard about this decision, putting the people we support at the heart of it. We considered many factors, including the fact that we offered a broad range of services across a geographically dispersed area, changes in the needs of the people who commission our services and where we can make the most impact.

We are proud of all that we achieved in our learning disabilities and autism services and believe Voyage Care will build on these foundations to develop the services further in the future.

Recently, we sold Heathermount School, our school for children with autism and learning disabilities, to a new provider. We are proud of all the school has achieved. Since September 2017, we have supported more than 120 young people at the school, aged 4 to 19, to become independent, confident young adults. We are sure that the school will thrive under new ownership with Cavendish Education Group, who build on the school’s unique ethos, helping it to grow and develop as part of a family of schools.

We also closed two services for adults living with learning difficulties and autism. Hollyrood in Lindfield, West Sussex, and The Maples in Tokers Green in Essex, which provided accommodation, events and activities for people with autism and complex needs.

Connecting with the world

Every Tuesday, residents at Osman House, our rehabilitation service for people with brain injury and complex needs in Leeds, get the opportunity to benefit from music therapy. Music Therapist, Lucy Chesters, from nordoff Robbins, shares the story of one of the residents, Bernard.

“Throughout the last year, 73-year-old Bernard often found himself spending a lot of time in his room, shielding.

When meeting in-person was not possible, we have provided online music therapy sessions for Bernard, bringing much needed stimulus, comfort, and joy.

Bernard always enjoys the music therapy sessions. He uses his voice expressively and sings the classics, from Frank Sinatra to The Beatles.

You can witness the comforting effect of music in Bernard’s response as he sits singing, with his eyes closed feeling every lyric, following the musical phrasing with his movement. During these moments, it is the presence of music itself that helps Bernard connect with the world around him.”

Working with families, funders, and others, we successfully managed to find everyone who lived in these two services a suitable new home.

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Listening to the people we support

It is important that we measure the impact of our work to make sure we continue to deliver high quality care and services. In April 2022, we piloted an annual satisfaction survey, called ‘Tell us what you think’ , across all our services. It asked the people we support questions about their wellbeing, our staff, where they live, their care and support, how the service they use runs and our response to Covid-19.

The survey found that:

92%of people felt safe[97% ] felt that they were treated with dignity and respect felt treated kindly99%[94%] felt the staff worked well together 90% 90% felt they lived felt their needs comfortably in a were met during homely environment the pandemic

We want to make sure that the people we support are partners in improving our outcomes as a charity. So, next year, we will ask everyone we support to respond to this survey again. This will elevate the voices of those we support and address any changes we need to work on together.

“At first, I found it difficult being at Kerwin Court as I really just wanted to go home. Being in isolation [due to Covid-19 restrictions when I was admitted] was hard. The staff were brilliant though and have really helped me with my thoughts as well as getting me ready for home with everyday skills.”

Angela[*] , who was involved in a road traffic accident in 2019 which left her with a traumatic brain injury. She spent months in hospital and time in an NHS neurological rehabilitation ward before coming to Kerwin Court.

*Not her real name

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The Disabilities Trust

Personalised support for people in prisons living with a brain injury

After only two sessions with our Linkworker, men with a brain injury in a South Wales prison were significantly less likely to be violent and had improved mental health.

Open care plans for prisoners identified as being at risk of suicide or self-harm three months before working with a Linkworker reduced by 95%. Incidents which suggested violent behaviour fell by 93%.

This impact was measured in an audit of our South Wales Linkworker service. It shows how identifying people in the criminal justice system with a brain injury can help to improve their day-to-day wellbeing and behaviour and reduce reoffending.

Linkworkers offer one-to one-support, including education about brain injury and its effects, coping strategies to manage memory and concentration problems, and referrals to other services.

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THE fUTURE Our ambition is to build positive, specialist and co-produced services

Next year, we will work towards the following goals set out in our strategy.

We will:

Become the largest provider of independent brain injury rehabilitation services by 2030. To do this, we will continue to provide highquality services for people living with brain injuries, helping to improve more lives.

Develop a new sales and marketing strategy to position The Disabilities Trust as the number one brain injury charity and increase awareness of our work with commissioners and clinicians to boost referrals.

Design bespoke services for organisations that are working with people with brain injuries so they can support their needs.

Provide people with brain injuries greater choice by offering consistent high-quality care at every stage of their rehabilitation journey. From hospitals to rehabilitation centres and community settings, our range of services across the UK will meet the short, mediumand long-term needs of people with brain injuries and their families.

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“I have been getting more independent”

Keith, 67, is supported by Myland House, our rehabilitation service for people with acquired brain injuries in Colchester.

“I had four strokes which have affected my brain. I can think about what I want to say but sometimes I find it hard to get it out. I speak in single words and short sentences. I have limited use of the right side of my body, particularly my leg, arm and hand, and have needed care for over 30 years.

The staff at Myland House help me with things and encourage me. I have been getting more independent. I can do the activities I like and have my greenhouse. I like fishing, gardening, stamp collecting and playing cards on the computer. I also enjoy going out shopping, looking in charity shops and writing to my pen pal. And sleeping!”

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Improving practice across the sector and building our thought leadership

Evaluating what we do

Rehab mantras

From rehabilitation to long-term care, our brain injury services help people to move forward with their lives. Every year we measure the impact of our brain injury services in our Brain Injury Outcomes Report, which helps us evaluate how we’re doing and how we can improve.

The report looks at how the people we care for who have a brain injury changed and became more independent following rehabilitation. It’s a useful way to measure the impact our services are having on the people we support. It also allows us to look at ways we can continue to improve what we do, so we can support more people through their rehabilitation.

Key findings about our services from the 2020-21 report included:

• Nearly three quarters of people (74%) were discharged as they had met their goals and were able to live more independently – 208 people were admitted to our services and 154 were discharged.

• More than three quarters (77%) of people needed less supervision when they were discharged.

in 2022, we shared one short statement which summarises a key principle of our approach to rehabilitation every month. Freya, an Assistant Psychologist at Osman House, reflects on one of the mantras, “Things take time”.

“People might presume there’ll be a quick fix to the effects of their brain injury. Being told it takes time takes the pressure off. It allows them to focus on their longer-term goals, with the awareness that it will take time.

I work in a ‘slow-stream’ rehab unit, so everything takes time here. We look at goals over months to years, rather than shorterterm ones.

For example, we’re working with someone who’s only just had neuropsychological testing so we can work out their rehabilitation needs in the long-term. But this has happened over a long period of time.”

• Over four in five (82%) were discharged to a more independent setting.

• 94% of people improved their ability to carry out everyday activities.

• Nearly two thirds (64%) of people improved their communication.

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The Disabilities Trust

Raising awareness of brain injury and domestic abuse

There needs to be more training and awareness raising about brain injury for professionals who work with domestic abuse survivors.

That was a key recommendation from our research on domestic abuse practitioners’ understanding of brain injury, called Brain Injury & Domestic Abuse – A Practitioner’s Perception. It builds on our study which found that domestic violence was the leading cause of brain injury in women at Drake Hall Prison and Young Offender Institution.

For the research, around 100 domestic abuse practitioners answered a short online survey to ascertain their perception of the prevalence of brain injury in those they support.

To raise awareness of this issue with professionals, we shared this research at the Women’s Rights in Healthcare conference in October 2021, and also on BBC Radio 4’s Law in Action programme, talking about the impact of brain injury within the criminal justice system.

Key findings from our research with domestic abuse practitioners

• More than four in five (81%) had no previous training in acquired brain injury

• Nearly two-thirds (62%) felt “mostly unprepared” to identify symptoms of brain injury

• One in 10 had heard of, or used, our Brain Injury Screening Index.

“Often, service users aren’t aware they could potentially have a brain injury,” said one respondent. “Therefore, we aren’t in a position to suggest it is a possibility. We signpost to therapy when people disclose cognitive, fatigue and headache symptoms but never explore the potential for suspected brain injury.”

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Research on domestic abuse

The Disabilities Trust continues to raise awareness of brain injury with survivors of domestic abuse. This includes the often hidden behavioural, cognitive and emotional symptoms of a brain injury which may affect their ability to engage with services and increase their chances of being victims again.

To aid our research, we’ve recruited a Domestic Abuse Researcher to lead a ground-breaking new project to understand the impact of domestic violence and brain injury. In a first-of-its-kind study in the UK, we are working with five domestic abuse services. The aim is to estimate how many people who have survived domestic abuse have a brain injury and how it affects their day-to-day lives.

“Our research into the prevalence of brain injuries in domestic abuse survivors across the UK is an exciting and pioneering piece of research. We hope it will provide the evidence to support us to campaign for the change we know is needed. We believe this project will help to develop training and adaptive models to services. This will better equip service providers to ask the right questions, understand the needs of domestic abuse survivors and adapt their work to improve engagement and recovery.”

Steffy Bechelet, Domestic Abuse Researcher at The Disabilities Trust

Reducing rates of reoffending in people with brain injuries

We are using our expertise to design bespoke services for organisations that work with people with brain injuries so they can better support their needs. For example, we’ve been working with police forces in Thames Valley, South Wales, Staffordshire and Devon and Cornwall to create a range of tools which will help stop people with brain injuries reoffending. These include the brain injury pathway tool, a series of questions which help police officers to recognise and understand the impact of a brain injury on someone’s behaviour.

Supporting people who have been in the criminal justice system

Adjusting to life back in the community after time in prison can be challenging. This is why we’re developing an app to support prisoner leavers with a brain injury as they transition back into the community and beyond. The innovative app is being funded by the Ministry of Justice as part of its innovation challenge.

Prison leavers with a history of brain injury can use the app to track their goals, reflect on progress, and change their behaviour in partnership with their probation officer or support network. It will also help to address some of the difficulties associated with acquired brain injury. The app will include interactive animations, guided self-help and meditation, memory games, and tasks to try in day-to-day life.

People who have been in the criminal justice system helped to design the app and it was adapted based on their feedback.

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THE fUTURE

Our ambitions to improve practice across the sector and build our thought leadership

Next year, we will work towards the following goals set out in our strategy.

We will:

Make sure the voices of people with traumatic brain injuries and other acquired brain injury related neuro conditions are rooted in what we do so that we are authentic and people trust what we say.

Build our expertise by making The Disabilities Trust the leading brain injury charity in the UK. This will encourage more people to support our work and help us build new partnerships with other organisations, including universities.

Look at a broad range of themes to influence policy and practice in an authoritative, evidence-based way. This includes research into what it’s like to live with a brain injury.

Become a thought leader by developing policy positions on everything from brain injury in the criminal justice system to rehabilitation, and using our research findings to influence practice for people with brain injuries.

Build our research programme by continuing to involve the people who use our services in our projects. This will allow us to better understand what changes research could bring to people living with brain injuries in the wider community, and further develop our clinical model.

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Drive social action by ramping up our policy, influencing, education and training

3

Raising awareness

Over 500 people have engaged with our campaign on social media to change the narrative for people with complex and challenging disabilities. We encouraged people to get involved in this conversation across Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn using the hashtags #ThroughOurEyes and #TheDisabilitiesTrust.

The #ThroughOurEyes campaign offered people we support, family members, colleagues, practitioners and supporters the chance to tell their stories.

The campaign also aimed to raise awareness and spark conversation. It covered the impact of the pandemic on disabled people and the lack of support to reintegrate into the workplace after a brain injury.

Campaigns like this provide a platform for the people we support, raise awareness and increase our visibility as the leading charity for people living with brain injuries.

Award-winning training for criminal justice professionals

Raising awareness of the impact of brain injuries on people’s lives is a big part of what we do. This is why we produced Invisible Me, an awardwinning film telling the story of Jade, a man who suffered a life-changing stroke in prison. Jade is one of thousands of men who have experienced prison life and returned to their community with a brain injury.

Invisible Me was part of our Ask, Understand and Adapt training for health and criminal justice professionals. Working with partners, we have made it available to 63,000 prison and probation staff and all healthcare staff in prisons.

The film and e-learning programme raise awareness of the potentially long-term health cognitive, behavioural and emotional consequences of brain injury. They are informed by our 10 years of experience and research highlighting the impact of brain injury in the criminal justice system.

The film won two Gold Dolphin Trophies at the Cannes Corporate Media and TV Awards. It also won two golds and two bronzes at the Event and Visual Communication Association awards.

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Campaigning for a consistent strategy for acquired brain injury

As a charity carrying out pioneering brain injury research and rehabilitation, we are privileged to be in a position of influence, earned through years of experience and expertise. We used this influence to successfully support Chris Bryant, Labour MP for Rhondda, in his call for the UK government to commit to developing a ground-breaking strategy on acquired brain injury.

Doctors, campaigners and patients have spoken for years about the varied quality of treatment and support for people living with brain injuries, depending on where they live. The new national strategy will bring a cohesive approach to support for people with brain injuries. The aim is to direct research, change mindsets, provide essential services and close gaps to meet the needs of people with acquired brain injuries.

Providing a platform for the people we support

We are proud to have been a leading partner in this campaign calling on the government to commit to a strategy on acquired brain injury. This has helped to shine a light on the issue and give a platform for people affected by brain injury, including people in the criminal justice system and survivors of domestic abuse who are disproportionately affected by brain injury and can fall through the cracks in the system. We set up two focus groups to support people using our services to respond to the call for evidence to help inform the strategy. We also sent out surveys to staff, the people we support and their families and produced a range of resources to get others affected by brain injury to respond to the call for evidence. This included creating a template letter that people could send to their MP asking them to support the bill by talking it about it on social media and sharing information.

“I want to start back getting on these two ins of mine” p

Tony Jenkins has been having neurorehabilitation at Ty Aberdafen, our centre in Llanelli, Wales. His story featured in a BBC news article about the Acquired Brain injury Strategy.

“Rehabilitation has given me a lot of positivity and this centre has given me freedom. The staff are all phenomenal. I am very grateful. I wouldn’t be able to do it if it wasn’t for the team.

The reason I transferred to this place was so I could further my rehab. I want to start back getting on these two pins of mine. Eventually, I will. I feel strong. I have a lot of positivity inside me.”

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The Disabilities Trust

Our ambition to drive social action by ramping up our policy, influencing, educating and training

Next year, we will work towards the following goals set out in our strategy.

We will:

Expand our influencing and campaigning work by sharing the experiences of the people we support with policymakers. This will allow us to tailor our campaigning to the needs of people with traumatic brain injuries and other acquired brain injury related neuro conditions. It will also motivate communities to support people with brain injuries and foster a group of committed campaigners.

Involve the people we support in our research, so we develop a deeper understanding of how traumatic brain injuries and other acquired brain injury related neuro conditions affect people.

Offer more training and education opportunities by running extra programmes for professionals working with people who have traumatic brain injuries and other acquired brain injury related neuro conditions. In 2022-2023, we will make our training available to all 60,000 prison and probation staff across England and Wales to give them the skills and knowledge to support people with brain injuries using their services.

“Redford Court should be called ‘miracle house’ because the staff help people with brain injuries get better. The staff are miracle workers. It’s the best place I have been. I had my ups and downs at the beginning but thanks to the work the staff have done, I am a lot better. Redford Court saves lives. I see a future in my new life now. Staff give 100% on everything: when people reach out, they help.” A person with a brain injury at Redford Court

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4

Using the right technology

“JJ was grinning from ear-to-ear when he ' d been using Alexa”

The right technology can transform the lives of people living with brain injuries. It’s why we’re always looking at ways we can use innovative technology to enhance the lives of the people we support.

At West Heath House, our neurobehavioural centre in Birmingham, we’ve been trialling GripAble devices. This is an app-based therapy which tests a person’s hand and wrist movements through a series of games. You can set their personal therapy goals through the app to monitor progress.

Trialling technology

We also trialled smart home assistant technology at Shinewater Court, our service in Eastbourne which supports people with physical disabilities and/or other acquired brain injury related neuro conditions. The ConnectAbility Smart Home Assistant Evaluation Project focuses on devices that improve people’s wellbeing and access to the digital world.

The first devices were tested by JJ, one of the people we support, who trialled an Echo Show, a screen-based version of Amazon’s Alexa, and a smart light bulb. “JJ was grinning from ear-to-ear when he told us he’d been using his Alexa,” says Liz, a Project Manager at Shinewater Court.

“This was great to see as JJ is not usually very smiley,” says Joanne, Activity Coordinator at Shinewater Court. “His aspirations are to use his smart assistant to know the time, the weather forecast, and to manage his diary and set up reminders.”

Building partnerships to make the best use of technology

Our digital working group is committed to building partnerships with technology companies and digital experts to make sure the people we support have access to the latest and most useful assistive technologies. The group includes someone who used to be supported by our services. They offer first-hand experience of the types of technology that can help people with brain injuries to live more independently, and offer a different perspective on what partnerships are most beneficial.

Taking cyber security seriously

Data security is essential to make sure our information about what we do, the people we support, staff and our volunteers, is protected. In February 2022, we partnered with Leeds-based cybersecurity company Airnow to boost our data security and improve the sustainability and green credentials of our IT infrastructure. They will also assist with the IT infrastructure at our new stateof-the-art hospital in York, helping us make it the most secure brain trauma facility in the UK.

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The Disabilities Trust

Paul’s life has improved since he started using assistive technology. He can now send an email to his mum and dad, or research the line-up for a festival, whenever he wants. He can control his environment without staff coming in and out to change the TV channel or switch his light off. He is so motivated to do more and the technology he uses is giving him the freedom to do it.”

Becoming more efficient

To best serve the people we support, we need to make sure we run The Disabilities Trust as efficiently as possible. This has meant investing in our internal IT systems and software and improving the way we do things.

All data is currently being migrated to one system, Microsoft SharePoint, which will make it much easier for staff to manage and access documents, reports and other information. All staff have also been trained in using Microsoft Teams, so we now have one simple and standardised way of communicating with each other.

Ageing and inefficient IT equipment is being replaced and upgraded to fast, secure systems, with priority given to services with out-of-date or unsupported equipment and software. This will improve the security and efficiency of our systems.

Stuart, Paul’s Occupational Therapist at Redford Court in Liverpool who has helped him use a device that controls his environment, which is powered by a knee switch, and a communication aid.

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The Disabilities Trust

THE fUTURE Our ambitions around using the right technology

We will:

Continue to build our digital presence to help us drive social action around brain injury. We’ll partner with leading technology providers to test new ways to improve the lives of people with brain injuries.

Create a new app to complement the written version of our guide to living with a brain injury.

Continue to digitalise the journey of someone through our organisation, from enquiry and referral, to moving on. This will bring data into one place and revolutionise the support we offer people, allowing them to manage their activities, see how they’re progressing towards their rehabilitation goals and feedback on their needs.

Trial new assistive technologies that help people living with brain injuries to be more independent. This will also give them more choice over their care.

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The Disabilities Trust

5

Developing a high-performance organisation – our people approach

Recruiting staff

Our staff are the cornerstone of our organisation. Without them, we couldn’t improve the lives of people living with brain injuries.

With the challenges of Brexit and Covid-19, we’ve upped our efforts to become an employer of choice by investing in staff and improving our recruitment process.

• Annual reviews. Over 100 staff members achieved the maximum performance rating in their annual reviews this year.

• Staff awards, which took place in October 2021 and March 2022. There were nearly 100 nominations for the awards from staff recognising colleagues bringing the organisational values to life in their work.

This year, we successfully recruited over 700 people despite the fact that it was a competitive recruitment market. We did this by introducing a range of recruitment initiatives, including advertising the work we do at university campuses to attract students.

We’re also investing in local recruitment campaigns in key service areas. A review of all our marketing is currently underway to look at further ways we can advertise and attract people to work with us.

“I am honoured to have been nominated, let alone win,” says Charlie, a Team Leader for Myland House and Dovercourt who won a staff award for our ‘We are agile’ value. “I think particularly during the pandemic, we have needed to be agile to adjust to the everchanging guidelines to ensure everyone is kept safe. I am very grateful for receiving the nomination, winning this award and for my fantastic job in times of uncertainty.”

Rewarding staff

According to our staff engagement survey:

Once staff join our organisation, we have retention plans in place for each of our services so we can look after our teams. We also have different ways to recognise the work that our teams do, including:

• A recognition toolkit for managers. Distributed across the organisation, it gives managers ideas to acknowledge the contribution from their teams.

• 100% of staff trust and respect their regional managers, think they are approachable and lead by example.

• More than four out of five (83%) staff said they are kept up to date with news, events and campaigns, an 11% improvement from the last survey in 2018.

• More than eight out of 10 (82%) think The Disabilities Trust values diversity.

• Over three quarters (77%) believe the charity delivers a high-quality service to the people it supports.

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The Disabilities Trust

Taking action on staff feedback

Our staff engagement survey has given us valuable feedback on how employees feel about working for The Disabilities Trust – and we are taking action on what they told us.

For example, over three out of five (61%) staff members said they have good learning and development opportunities. To offer more opportunities, we published a guide to career development for staff on our intranet and are looking at nursing and support worker apprenticeships.

Over two thirds (68%) of staff said they had a good work-life balance. We are delving deeper into this data to see if there are differences depending on where people work in the charity and what initiatives can help improve work-life balance and wellbeing.

integrating equality, diversity and inclusion

We are a member of the Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion (ENEI), the UK’s leading employer network covering equality and inclusion in the workplace. We have used their Talent Inclusion and Diversity Evaluation (TIDE) tool to assess how we are performing as an organisation in this area. This has allowed us to develop a detailed action plan to target areas for improvement.

The Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) committee at The Disabilities Trust organises listening forums to understand the needs and concerns of staff in this area. They look at ways we can better support them when it comes to equality, diversity and inclusion. For example, supporting them to use gender pronouns and improving their accessibility to our online resources.

Tackling discrimination

We have produced various tools for managers to use to support staff if they experience challenging behaviour from the people we support. This provides managers with guidance to be able to respond and support a member of staff, should they disclose that they have experienced discriminatory behaviour.

The toolkit also includes strategies to put in place in our services. This is to make sure every member of staff recognises their responsibility in challenging and stamping out discriminatory behaviour, and that they are supported to do this.

“I’m so happy to work for an organisation that supports the Pride festival and diversity in all its forms. It’s clear that we are better together because of our diverse backgrounds and experience.”

Miles Rogish, our Consultant Clinical Psychologist and member of our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee

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The Disabilities Trust

THE fUTURE

Our ambitions to develop a high-performance organisation – our people approach

We will:

Become an Employer of Choice to enable us to recruit and retain the best people.

Build our talent and expertise by ensuring our staff develop their skills, competencies and careers to help us achieve our organisational objectives.

Develop great leaders in brain injury who will inspire, engage and motivate staff and support our organisation to change.

Create our guiding vision, culture and values to build a collective ambition for The Disabilities Trust where everyone can help us achieve our aims.

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The Disabilities Trust

6

Creating a new brand to underpin our vision

Shaping strategy

In May 2022, we launched our new strategy to position ourselves as the UK’s leading charity for people living with brain injuries.

The strategy will be shaped and developed by our Brain Injury Working Group. This includes Brain Injury Service Managers, Clinical Leadership and other experts, who will review and feedback on our plans and guide what we do.

The findings gave us a snapshot of what it’s like living with a brain injury and helped us to identify unmet need. We will publish the findings soon.

The findings will support our influencing and campaigning and inform our response to the UK government’s acquired brain injury strategy. They will also shape new resources and tools to raise awareness and understanding of brain injury with health professionals and communities.

Our new brand will be launched in 2023 and will help us deliver on the strategy, increasing our profile. How we are seen and heard is vital. Our brand is key to this.

identifying what we need to do

We’re giving people with a brain injury and health professionals the opportunity to help set our policy and campaigning priorities and fundraising propositions.

We launched surveys that will give them the opportunity to do this in May 2022. We wanted to understand how we can quantify the impact that living with a brain injury can have on someone’s life. And we wanted to explore gaps in health professionals’ knowledge about brain injury and how they think these can be filled in.

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THE fUTURE Our ambitions to create a new brand to underpin our vision

We will:

Reach more people through our new brand, helping them to understand the work we do, the support and services we offer, and to provide a platform for people living with brain injuries.

Develop a striking, inclusive brand that builds our expertise and gets as much support as possible for our research from everyone from funders to policymakers.

Create marketing, communications and content strategies that build conversations and help to position us as a thought leader.

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The Disabilities Trust

Fundraising

Voluntary income accounts for around 1% of our income. We generated this amount last year and reached our target. Thank you so much to residents, family members, supporters and staff. You have done everything from running marathons to sailing the seas to raise funds to improve the lives of the people we support. We celebrate you here with some examples of your fundraising from the last year.

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The Disabilities Trust

Themed fair to raise funds for a new sensory room

Brigit, who has cerebral palsy, says the new sensory room at Jane Percy House will help her anxiety and mental health. Theresa, who has visual impairment, thinks the lights in it are amazing.

The room has been paid for by fundraising from family members, residents and staff at Jane Percy House. They organised a country and western themed fair to raise money. It raised over £1,500 for the room at the service for people with physical disabilities and/or other acquired brain injury related neuro conditions and included a display of decorated horseshoes and homemade bug hotels and birdhouses.

The sensory room includes soft seating, projectors for colours and lights, bubble tubes and an explorer wall.

Taking on a challenge for Osman House

In September 2021, Gary Barnes ran 10 kilometres a day to raise money for different charities, including The Disabilities Trust. Gary took on the fundraising challenge in honour of his friend who died. He said the challenge had become “a privilege and an honour”.

Melanie Spencer, Service Manager at Osman House, which will benefit from the money, says: “We are so delighted that Gary chose us as part of this fantastic challenge”

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THE fUTURE Fundraising ambitions

We will build our fundraising by applying to trusts and foundations and setting up a programme for individual members of the public to donate.

The extra income from trusts and foundations will be used to cover the cost of assistive technology projects that improve the lives of people with brain injuries. It will also be used to fund projects that enable offenders and survivors of domestic violence with brain injuries to get the specific support they need. The money we raise through individual giving will be used to make sure the people we support get the best care possible. It will also be used to fund new research projects such as a study looking at how domestic abuse practitioners can spot the signs of a brain injury and intervene.

Get involved

Your fundraising pays for everything from in-house cafes at services to music therapy and garden makeovers. if you want to find out more about how you can get involved in fundraising for The Disabilities Trust, contact our fundraising team at: [e-mail]

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Looking ahead

We want to create a better world for people with a brain injury.

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The Disabilities Trust

Looking ahead

Our ambition is to extend the reach of our leading-edge services, so – if possible – someone can progress through them, from rehabilitation to living in their local community. We also want to invest in our game-changing research, campaigning, bespoke services and partnerships.

in line with our strategy, next year, we will focus on three key areas, which will allow us to meet the needs of people with a brain injury.

We will:

Extend the reach of our brain injury services in an innovative way, from hospitals to communities.

1 from hospitals to communities. Improve practice by sharing our clinical expertise, applying 2 leading-edge approaches, and using research to drive our thinking. Ramp up our policy, influencing, education and training activity, and 3

Ramp up our policy, influencing, education and training activity, and seek new and innovative partnerships and commercial opportunities.

Our most critical partners will be people with a brain injury themselves. We want to stand shoulder to shoulder with them, building a place in which they can find strength and community. Ultimately, we want to be a place for anyone affected by brain injury to seek support, information, or togetherness.

We will underscore our ambitions with a new identity in 2023. This will be a bold, fresh, and relevant brand to represent a new, modern organisation that shines the light of optimism, hope and confidence.

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The Disabilities Trust Financial review TheDisabilitle5TnJSt | ￿M￿lA￿part&A=(0Unts?O2￿1? 45

The Disabilities Trust

Summary

The Disabilities Trust has moved from a net surplus of £6.5 million in 2021 to a £4.3 million net deficit in 2022, a decrease of £10.8 million.

The 2021/22 financial year was a challenging year for the sector with continued staffing crisis. The Trust has experienced difficulties in both occupancy levels, resulting in lower care fee income, and labour costs as staff shortages continue to limit admissions in some services as well as keeping agency costs high. In addition, the increased cost of living has impacted our results, especially with the large increases seen in energy bills, food, transport, and the national insurance increases.

Work is being undertaken to improve staffing levels as well as a drive to increase occupancy levels by increasing referrals & admissions and reviewing service models. The Trust’s strategy was agreed in March 2022, but none of these changes have come into effect within the 2021/22 financial year.

In 2021 we saw large gains of £5.2 million in our investments with the recovery of the stock market post-pandemic. In 2022, investments have not achieved the same level of gain, and in most cases, due to the post-pandemic global inflation, rising interest rates, lockdowns in China and the war in the Ukraine, investments have seen large losses. With a well-managed portfolio we have seen a small impact on our investments this year with a loss of £23,000.

Due to the above impacting factors, the overall financial results have changed from the 2020/21 financial year to the 2021/22 financial year as follows:

• With the decrease in occupancy, total operating income decreased by £2.3 million from £51.5 million in 2021 to £49.2 million in 2022.

• Despite the lower occupancy levels and income, due to the increased cost of living and agency costs, the total operating expenditure increased by £3.0 million from £51.0 million in 2021 to £54.0 million in 2022.

• Within the 2020/21 accounts the investment portfolio showed a large gain of £5.2million, due to the recovery of the stock market postCovid, which inflated the overall results for the year. During the 2021/22 year the value of the investments decreased slightly by £23,000.

• ■ The total net assets of the Group at 31 May 2022 were £96.0 million, a decrease of £4.1 million from 2020/2021

Here is a summary of our operating and non-operating activities:

	2022	2021
Operating activity	£m	£m
Operating income (excluding investment income)	49.2	51.5
Operating expenditure	(54.0)	(51.0)
Operating (defcits) / surplus	(4.7)	0.5
Non-operating activity	£m	£m
Investment income	0.5	0.7
Investment gains / losses	-	5.3
Non-operating surplus	0.5	6.0
Overall net (defcits) / surplus	(4.3)	6.5

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investments

Our investments have been acquired in accordance with the powers available to the Trustees or by way of legacy. They are subject to an investment policy which is reviewed on an annual basis. The current policy delegates management of investments to firms of investment managers within defined parameters. Trustees also employ an independent investment consultant to assist with financial advice, select investment managers, as well as providing support to define the objectives they are set and monitor their performance.

The present investment managers for the Trust are Rathbones Investment Management Limited, Cazenove Capital and CCLA Fund Managers Limited. Each manager has specific investment objectives and a mandate in line with our investment strategy. The overarching aim is to optimise returns whilst making sure the charity’s liquidity requirements are met. The Trustees also set what asset classes are permissible, the extent to which they are invested and the credit ratings in their selection.

We do not prescribe the nature of companies in which we invest through the stock market. The primary objective is to achieve optimal financial returns in order to deliver on our charitable objectives. In appointing investment managers, we have delegated ethically responsible investment so that we can best meet the needs of the people we support. We will review this position in the forthcoming year

The value of the charity’s investment portfolios at the end of May 2022 was £38.1 million (2021: £37.8 million). Dividend and investment income from our investment portfolios was £0.5 million, consistent with 2021. Losses on our investments were £23,000 in the year (2021: gains of £5.3 million). This performance met the Board’s objectives in relation to delivering returns.

investments held by nominees

Our investments include £15.6 million managed by Rathbone Investment Management Limited, £7.3 million managed by Cazenove Capital and £15.2 million by CCLA Fund Managers Limited. These are held on the charity’s behalf.

For investments managed by Rathbone Investment Management Limited, UK investments are registered in the name of Rathbone Nominees Limited and overseas investments are deposited with The Bank of New York Mellon as nominee.

Investments managed by Cazenove Capital are registered in the name of the custodian or designated nominee. Cash holdings are held in the client’s own name or a designated client account. Schroder & Co. Limited is the custodian of the investment position shown at year end.

Our investments managed by CCLA Fund Managers Limited are held on our behalf in a COIF Charities Ethical Investment Fund and are valued at a mid-market price.

No other people acted as nominee for the charity this year.

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The Disabilities Trust

Reserves

As a charity, our aim is to maximise our impact and the rehabilitation, care and support that we are able to provide to people with brain injuries, or physical disabilities and/or other acquired brain injury related neuro conditions. In order to do this, current reserves must be sufficient to meet the start-up costs of new services or expansion of existing services, agreed by Trustees. Reserves must be sufficient to ensure our existing services are financially viable and mitigate the crystallisation of a financial and reputational risk identified on our corporate risk register. Overall, Trustees consider a minimum reserve of £10 million is required to cover this which is articulated in the Trust’s Reserves policy.

The current level of unrestricted available reserves amounting to £95.8 million is sufficient to meet this policy. We will continue to open new services when appropriate opportunities arise and hold the funds to action this. The Trust is investing in an alternative site, the Chocolate Works, to develop a new, purpose-built site for York House Hospital and this project has a total commitment of £24 million with project completion expected in November 2023. The commitments are fully reflected within designated funds.

Trustees continue to review the level of reserves, with the consideration of the difficulties in maintaining funding levels. They incorporate this into the strategy, which is regularly monitored and modified, as appropriate. The reserves policy is derived from the eight-year strategic review and reflects the charity’s future plans and financial commitments.

Trustees have considered our policy on reserves and designated funds for investing in fixed assets. The total designated fixed asset reserve is currently £71.2 million (2021: £71.5 million).

After taking restricted funds of £0.2 million into account and a surplus on the revaluation reserve of £10.2 million, our total funds amounted to £96.0 million on 31 May 2022.

Trustees consider the assets of each fund (including the revaluation reserve) are sufficient to meet current and future commitments.

Funds held on behalf of others

At year end, the Disabilities Trust Group, as custodian Trustee, held a total sum of £207,000 in its bank accounts, compared to £265,000 at the end of the previous year. This sum was held separately in identifiable bank accounts and was not included in the balance sheet.

Payments to suppliers

Settlement terms are agreed with suppliers as part of our contracts with them. It is the charity’s policy to pay in accordance with those terms. Other creditors are paid in accordance with invoice terms.

Going concern

The Board has reviewed the charity’s activities and financial position, together with factors likely to affect our future strategy as we divest our Learning, Development and Autism services and focus on Brain Injury rehabilitation.

The ongoing cost of business challenges, such as the cost of agency staff, energy, food and transport have been a key element to these assessments. In light of the Chancellor’s “mini-budget on 23 September 2022, it is expected that the charity will benefit financially from the new Energy Bill Relief Scheme.

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We have prepared medium-term forecasts to the end of 2023 which consider our activities, financial position and risk management policies. Specifically, we have considered our plan to increase occupancy levels and sensitivities surrounding the income pipeline.

Additionally, we have prepared five year forecasts, which consider our cash position, sources of income and planned expenditure. These forecasts included a build-up in occupancy as well as including the effects of our agreed strategy. The forecasts include additional costs and savings arising and have considered sensitivities surrounding our income pipeline. Within the forecasts we have include an estimated projected inflationary increase. These have been estimated using the CPI inflation forecast indicated by the British Chambers.

The Board has concluded that the existing level of free reserves, available investment and cash balances, coupled with strong cost control and the implementation of our new strategy, are sufficient to ensure The Disabilities Trust has the resources to continue operating as a going concern, and to meet our obligations as they fall due. Having regard to the above, the Trustees are satisfied that there are no material uncertainties around the decision to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing these financial statements.

Fundraising

We support people and organisations to donate to The Disabilities Trust by promoting individual and regular giving, event fundraising, legacies and corporate support. We welcome requests to volunteer and try and fit people’s skills to different opportunities.

Our local services also carry out fundraising activities to raise money for our assessment and rehabilitation centres, residential and care homes, and supported living accommodation.

We send application forms, fundraising packs and merchandise, and keep in regular contact with fundraisers. We always write to supporters to thank them for their fundraising. All communication with supporters complies with GDPR. This ensures that The Disabilities Trust does not unreasonably intrude on a person’s privacy or is unreasonably persistent.

We are committed to The Code of Fundraising Practice which sets the standards for fundraising carried out by all charitable institutions and thirdparty fundraisers in the UK.

The Disabilities Trust is also an organisational member of the Institute of Fundraising, Fundraising Preference Service and Fundraising Regulator, as well as the Data & Marketing Association.

We have not received any complaints from the Fundraising Preference Service and do not undertake any third-party fundraising. Our fundraising promise sets out our commitment to being honest, keeping contact details safe, and support donors. This helps make sure supporters are not put under pressure to donate and know how to make a complaint.

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How principal risks are managed

The Board of Trustees (“the Board”) acknowledges its responsibility to ensure that the charity’s risk management framework is effective. The Board regularly reviews the charity’s process for identifying, prioritising, escalating, and managing risks and, where applicable, the charity’s system of internal controls to manage these risks. The Board reviews the effectiveness of the charity’s approach to risk at least every year.

The charity regularly monitors and reviews its risks at both a strategic and operational level via a risk management system with a mature risk matrix to determine those risks meeting the threshold for Board reporting. The significant risks to the Trust are regularly reviewed by the Senior Leadership Team and the Audit and Risk Committee on behalf of the Board. The Board has ultimate responsibility for the Trust’s principal risks and the long-term consequence of decisions as well as the interests of all stakeholders.

The principal risks are set out below:

Risk Type: Human Resources

Risk Description: There is a risk that the Trust is unable to recruit and retain key staff due to the changing employment market including the impact of Brexit.

Mitigations:

In addition to extensive controls in place to mitigate this risk, a number of new controls have been implemented to further mitigate this risk. A full end-to-end review of recruitment processes has been completed to drive effectiveness. A pilot of our core recruitment system enhancements is being implemented across the Trust.

The introduction of a Colleague forum to hear from colleague representatives about key issues impacting staff to enable two-way dialogue with the Senior Leadership Team. A number of further controls are being developed and the risk is currently deemed to remain high and will continue to be monitored monthly.

Risk Type: Fire

Risk Description: Risk of fire spread due to building compartmentation issues There is a risk of fire spread due to building compartmentation issues which has been identified but not yet rectified a small number of services

Mitigations:

Limited availability of suitable contractors had initially delayed generation of quotes to address survey reports. Additional companies have been engaged to provide quotes that demonstrate financial due diligence while avoiding further delay in conducting works. Additional resources have been put in place, particularly around night staff to assure effective risk assessment mitigation. Fire compartment surveys have been completed for all Services Trustwide. Action plans have been raised for each Service to ensure oversight of mitigation and accelerate the remedial building activity required by Property and Estates. These continue to be monitored and the risk reviewed on a monthly basis.

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The Disabilities Trust Directors, report TheDisabilitle5TnJSt | ￿M￿1R￿Part￿, 51

The Disabilities Trust

Constitution

As a registered charity, The Disabilities Trust is regulated by the Charity Commission (England and Wales) and the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) in Scotland. The charity is incorporated as a Company Limited by Guarantee and governed by a Memorandum and Articles of Association, which were last modified on 13 July 2020.

The Disabilities Trust owns a subsidiary, the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Trust Limited which is dormant.

On the 22 September 2021, York House Ventures Limited moved from being a joint venture to a wholly owned subsidiary of the Trust. The trade and net liabilities of the subsidiary were transferred to the Disabilities Trust in the year. Further details are shown in note 15.

Public Benefit

The principal beneficiaries of the work of The Disabilities Trust are people living with a brain injury, supported in a variety of settings, from hospitals to community. Secondary beneficiaries of the work of The Disabilities Trust are families, people living with a brain injury beyond our services and those in particular populations, including offenders and survivors of domestic abuse who are disproportionately affected by brain injury, and the general public via our campaigning, training and innovation work and bespoke services.

Our research, policy and innovation work allows us to invest resources into improving the lives of people with a brain injury who may not have access to statutory-funded services. External grants support initiatives that would be difficult to attract mainstream or traditional sources of funding for.

The Board of Trustees review the charity’s aims and objectives each year to make sure our purpose and activities are aligned. The charity’s achievements and activities are discussed in full in the strategic report.

The Trustees have referred to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the aims and objectives and planning future activities. In particular, the Board considered how planned activities contribute to the Trust’s aims and objectives, exploring:

• what we have achieved

• the outcomes of our work in the previous 12 months

• the success of each aspect of our work

• ■ the benefits to, and impact on, the people we support.

All Trustees give their time voluntarily and receive no benefits from the charity. Expenses claimed from the charity are set out in Note 10 of the financial statements.

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Section 172 (1) statement

The Trustees as Directors of The Disabilities Trust, are aware of their duty under s.172 of the Companies Act 2006 to act in the way which they consider, in good faith, would be most likely to promote the success of the Company for the benefit of its members as a whole and, in doing so, to have regard (amongst other matters) to:

• The likely consequences of any decision in the long term

• The interests of the Company’s employees

• ■ The need to foster the Company’s business relationships with suppliers, service users and others

Communities

The Disabilities Trust works in partnership with communities, promoting inclusion through its campaigning work, research, local charity initiatives, training and bespoke services. Recent projects include successfully campaigning to ensure the Government introduces a strategy on acquired brain injury, training to thousands of NHS England staff about the signs of brain injury and a report into the role practitioners in the domestic abuse sphere can play in spotting the signs of a brain injury and making the right interventions for survivors. We work in partnership with multiple organisations, including the NHS, commissioners, the police and other charities and voluntary membership organisations.

• The impact of the Company’s operations on the community and environment

• The desirability of the Company maintaining a reputation for high standards of business conduct

• The need to act fairly as between members of the Company.

As a charitable company, the Directors of The Disabilities Trust promote the success of the charity to achieve its charitable purposes:

To relieve the needs of people with developmental, learning, physical or acquired disabilities or conditions, in particular but not exclusively by the provision of care, special housing units, facilities and supported living services.

The Directors of The Disabilities Trust consider that they have fulfilled their duties in accordance with section 172(1) of the UK Companies Act 2006 and have acted in a way which is most likely to promote the success of the Group for the benefit of its stakeholders as a whole in the following ways:

Engagement with Stakeholders

In the reporting period, we co-produced a satisfaction survey for people who use the Disability Trust’s services. The Quality Assurance (QA) Team worked with people from different services across all regions to identify the best survey tool, formats, and platforms to ensure we enabled as many people as possible to take part.

There was a great response rate of 62% (229/408 people we support, took part in the survey from 32 services), which indicated a high level of interest, support, and motivation to take part in the survey. The outcome report is being developed in conjunction with The Disability Trust’s Foundation team and early indications identified high satisfaction rates. The outcome reports will be finalised and published in a range of formats to meet the needs of people supported across the Trust alongside initial recommendations to improve satisfaction. We plan to offer people supported the opportunity to co-produce initiatives to address areas for improvement.

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The Disabilities Trust

The feedback process, which includes capturing compliments, concerns, complaints, and whistleblowing reports is being embedded. We identified an overall increase in all feedback captured since the new process was implemented. We continue to improve the process by enhancing colleagues’ abilities to identify, capture, investigate and respond more effectively to improve stakeholders experience and support a customer focussed process. In Autumn 2022, we will roll-out Complaints management training via workshops with Regional Operational teams, to offer advice, guidance, and support, which encourages and acts on feedback and demonstrates learning. This will ensure the Senior Leadership Team, and Board can continue to capture and monitor stakeholder views centrally.

The Trustees consider and discuss information from across the organisation to understand the impact of the Trust’s operations and the interests and views of key stakeholders. The Trustees also review financial, clinical, and operational performance, as well as information covering areas such as key risks, quality assurance and regulatory compliance. This information is provided to the Board of Trustees through regular performance reports within meeting packs circulated in advance of each Board of Trustees meeting and via in person presentations.

The Board therefore possess an overview of the organisation’s engagement with stakeholders enabling them to comply collectively with their duties under section 172 of the Companies Act 2006.

Engagement with employees

The long-term success and performance of The Disabilities Trust is directly linked to the talent, skills and engagement of our employees, and we understand the importance of developing a high performing organisation through our people. We recognise the contribution of our dedicated workforce who work hard to support people with complex needs, and we continue to review and improve the experience our employees have working for the Trust.

We aim to have a two-way dialogue with our people by keeping them appraised of what is happening across the organisation, as well as seeking their feedback and input on a variety of topics, from our new strategy to the culture we want to build. This is done using a variety of channels, including team meetings, our magazine and newsletters, digital channels, such as Connect our intranet and Yammer, and we have just launched our Colleague Forum which will enable us to seek the views of a cross section of our workforce who will represent colleagues’ ideas and suggestions for improving the Trust. Our annual employee engagement survey also provides people with the opportunity to have a voice and provide feedback on a range of topics

The Disabilities Trust operates across England, Scotland and Wales so it is important that all staff feel connected. We use a range of technology and face to face events, including a CEO and SLT webinar and an annual Managers’ Strategy Conference, to share the latest news, but also to engage staff in aspects of strategy, culture and delivery. We also engage staff in specific projects, alongside the people we support. For instance, someone we support at our brain injury service, Victoria House, sits alongside members of the SLT and the Board, as well as his Support Worker, on a steering group to feed into the process to develop our new brand. Their input is absolutely invaluable. The Trustees

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The Disabilities Trust

receive regular qualitative and quantitative updates on employee matters from the Director of People and Organisational Development including analysis received through the employee engagement surveys, regular EDI updates and quarterly performance reports on a number of people metrics to understand any workforce trends. This provides the Board with assurance that there are effective mechanisms to link engagement and performance and the continued strength of the Trust’s culture. For further details on how The Disabilities Trust is supporting staff.

Governance and decision making

The Disabilities Trust continues to adopt and apply the principles of the Code of Governance for larger charities, updated in December 2020 supporting the Board’s aim to develop high standards of governance. The charity is governed by a Board of Trustees which meets at least four times a year and is supported by several Board Committees to provide assurance and dedicated oversight to the matters for which is it responsible. As well as Board meetings, all trustees are expected to contribute to those committees where their individual skills can be most benefit, in discussion with the Chair. The Trustees have delegated the day-to-day management of the charity to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) who is supported by the Senior Leadership Team in delivering the agreed strategic objectives.

The Disabilities Trust objective is to support people with an acquired brain injury to lead their best lives. This objective is delivered, but not exclusively, through the provision of high-quality care and support, specialised homes for people and community based supported living services.

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The Disabilities Trust | Annual Report & Accounts 2021-22
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The Disabilities Trust

The Trustees have several committees with specific areas of focus and who each review their scope and Terms of Reference annually:

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Meetings
Committee Focus Members
per year
Audit & Risk ■ Internal Audit ■ Richard Wilson (Chair) 4
Committee ■ External Audit ■ Themis Sara Livadeas
■ Annual Report & Accounts (Resigned)
■ Financial compliance ■ Heather Eve Castel
■ Internal controls ■ Caroline Reid
■ Risk management
■ Business Continuity
finance & ■ Financial performance ■ Heather Eve Castel (Chair) 4
Investment ■ Capital Investment ■ Richard Wilson
Committee ■ Investment Fund management ■ Matt James
■ Reserves & cashflow ■ Caroline Drugan (Resigned)
■ Property & Estates
■ Fundraising
Quality & ■ Quality Assurance ■ Themis Sara Livadeas (Chair) 4
Governance ■ Clinical effectiveness (Resigned)
Committee ■ User outcomes ■ Christopher Philipsborn
■ User experience and engagement (Resigned)
■ Safeguarding ■ Matthew James
■ Regulatory reporting and compliance ■ Stephen Waring (SG Lead)
■ Health & Safety ■ Marianne Waite
■ Information governance ■ Caroline Reid
■ Whistleblowing
Remunerations ■ CEO & SLT remuneration ■ Kathryn Greenberg (Chair) 2
& Nominations ■ Staff pay awards ■ Richard Wilson
Committee ■ Stakeholder awards ■ Stephen Waring
■ Employee benefits structures ■ Marianne Waite
■ Board composition ■ Caroline Reid
■ Trustee recruitment
■ Succession planning
Research ■ Clinical and applied research ■ Caroline Drugan (Chair) 4
Development ■ Research development (Resigned)
Policy & ■ Research governance framework ■ Stephen Waring
Influencing ■ Partnership and funding ■ Matthew James
Committee opportunities ■ Christopher Philipsborn
■ National and local influencing and (Resigned)
campaigning opportunities ■ Marianne Waite
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Trustee recruitment and term of office

Trustees are a critical resource and give their time freely in support of The Disabilities Trust. They are elected to the Board by Trustees for a term of three years. Each Trustee may serve a maximum of three terms. Recruitment of new Trustees is overseen by the Remuneration and Nominations Committee who undertake an open recruitment process, recommending new candidates for appointment when necessary and ensuring appropriate recruitment and succession plans are in place for elected Trustees.

On appointment, each Trustee agrees to comply with a Code of Conduct and the Fit and Proper Person policy and declares any interests which are held within a register of interests and which is monitored and updated on a regular basis and reviewed annually.

Once appointed, Trustees undertake a comprehensive onboarding and induction programme led by the Chair and CEO and take part in a colleague buddying system. New Trustees are provided with key information about the Trust and its strategic objectives, corporate policies and copies of the Code of Governance for larger charities and the independent guidance from the Charity Commission on trustee duties. Any training needs are identified through the annual effectiveness reviews so that trustees are able to successfully discharge their duties. Covid-19 has prevented visits to the Trust’s specialist services, though meeting staff and those we support is a compulsory part of the usual induction.

This year was a timely opportunity to further the Board’s commitment to diversity, reviewing current trustee skills and board composition, and undertaking a trustee recruitment campaign seeking to increase Board diversity. Green Park supported the successful trustee recruitment and Chair recruitment processes, positively resulting in the recruitment of four new, diverse and skilled trustees joining the Board in 2021.

November 2021 sees the last of the agreed Board member transitions with the resignations of three members and full compliance with the recommended nine-year term.

In very exceptional circumstances, the Board may use their discretion by asking a Trustee in a key role, for example, a Committee Chair or the Board Chair, to serve an extra term of three years. If Trustees use this discretion, the matter will be documented in the Board minutes. From 2023, the exception will be removed.

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The Disabilities Trust

Remuneration policy

Equality statement

We are proud of our diverse workforce which reflects the breadth of people we support. We work with staff to support their wellbeing and Managers to support their understanding of individual needs to ensure that we can support staff in the workplace who may have or develop a disability, including those which may be unseen. The Disabilities Trust’s Equality and Diversity committee meet regularly to discuss and review the Trust’s equality, diversity and inclusion agenda with the aim of making our organisation one that is fully inclusive and which celebrates our diversity. There are a number of activities and actions that seek to encourage inclusivity and diversity across the Trust, including being Disability Confident and a member of the Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion.

The Remuneration & Nominations Committee meet at least once a year and are responsible for overseeing the charity’s pay and reward structures, approving annual pay uplifts for the workforce and to review the remuneration package for the CEO. The Chief Executive is responsible for setting the remuneration packages for other SLT members, subject to a maximum increase of 10% (for over 10% CEO requires Committee approval) of the starting salary in any financial year. SLT salaries are reviewed every two years to ensure consistency with external benchmarks.

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The Disabilities Trust

Trustees

The following Trustees held office during the year:

Ms K M Greenberg	Elected 27 Sept 2021,Appointed Chair 29 Nov 2021
Ms H E Castel
Dr C S Drugan	Resigned 18 August 2022
Mr M Green	Resigned 29 November 2021
Mr R A Hoyle	Resigned 29 November 2021(Chair)
Mr S Howell	Resigned 29 November 2021
Mr M James
Ms T S Livadeas	Resigned 18 August 2022
Mr C E Philipsborn	Resigned 18 August 2022
Ms C E Reid
Ms M C Waite
Mr S H Waring
Mr R W Wilson

Senior Leadership Team

The Trustees have delegated the day-to-day management of the charity to the Chief Executive Officer who appoints the Senior Leadership Team:

Mrs I Sobowale	Chief Executive Officer
Mrs A Bygrave	Director of Operations(Resigned 4July2021)
Ms N Carey	Director of People and Organisational Development
Mr W Chidgey	Director of Corporate Services(Resigned 1 November 2022)
Mr G fisher	Director of Digital
Ms L Lovatt	Director of Operations – Learning/Autism Disabilities, Physical Disabilities and Education(Resigned 28 February2022)
Mrs V Pilkington	Director of Governance andQualityAssurance(Resigned 14 September 2022)
Ms V francis	Director of Communications and Foundation(Resigned 9 September 2022)
Mrs L Robertson	Director of Business Development & Programme Management
Dr R Coetzer	Director of Clinical Services(Appointed 6 Sep2021)
Ms K Mitchell	Director of Brain InjuryOperations(Appointed 26Jul 2021)
Ms K Shields	Director of Legal(Appointed 4 May2022)

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The Disabilities Trust

Streamlined energy and carbon reporting

Energy consumption

Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) is the new legislative reporting requirement in the financial review for the year ending on or after 31 March 2020. It mandates that all large organisations must report on the operational energy consumption and associated emissions. CO2e, or carbon dioxide equivalent, is a standard unit for measuring carbon footprints (where “kg” is kilograms and “t” is thousands of kilograms). The high-level breakdown is as follows:

2022

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Gas Electricity Transport Total
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	Gas	Electricity	Transport	Total
kWh	9,857,202	3,270,558	905,838	14,033,898
Mileage			796,341	796,341
kgCO2e	1,813,751	1,347,633	236,866	3,398,250
tCO2e	1,814	1,348	237	3,398

2021

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Gas Electricity Transport Total
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	Gas	Electricity	Transport	Total
kWh	7,038,655	1,888,152	616,379	9,543,187
Mileage			542,414	542,414
kgCO2e	1,295,091	778,013	162,486	2,235,590
tCO2e	1,295	778	162	2,235

Energy and associated carbon emissions

The Disabilities Trust total CO2 emission from grid electricity is 1,348 tCO2e (2021: 778 tCO2e) and 1,814 tCO2e (2021: 1,295 tCO2e) for emissions from natural gas. This is used for operational buildings and care homes. There were higher emissions over the winter months which is due to increased heating demands.

The primary reason for the significant increase is electricity usage is a direct result of end of the COVID-19 pandemic as staff return to our various premises.

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The Disabilities Trust

intensity metric

An intensity metric gives The Disabilities Trust an indicator of carbon performance based on an operational figure. In this case, we have used the number of people we support to indicate this performance with 545 people (2021: 567) we support emitting an average of 6,235.3 kgCO2e each (2021: 3,942.80 kgCO2e). This will be measured annually and compared against previous years.

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2022 2021
Number of people we support 545 567
kgCO2e 3,398,250 2,235,590
KgCO2e per person 6,235.3 3,942.8
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DT initiatives

This section highlights energy and carbon improvement projects undertaken during the year and those that are currently underway:

• Smart meters: In order to obtain an accurate and detailed picture of each building’s consumption, we are changing all of our meters to smart ones.

Energy sources

We are measuring the scope one and two emissions. All energy data was collated by our main energy suppliers SSE and E.ON. Transport data and the number of people we support was collated internally. We obtained energy usage for a number of sites for cold and warm months. These figures were extrapolated over the year for all of our services. The number of people we support at each unit was used as the basis for calculating the energy usage for units. Scope one: Transport and vehicles Scope two: Electricity and gas supply.

Calculations

The following figures were used to convert energy to CO2 figures.

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Litre kWh Co2e
Gas N/A 1 0.183997
Electricity N/A 1 0.41205
Petrol 1 9.1 2.31
Diesel 1 10 2.68
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The Disabilities Trust

Legislative and administration information

name of the charity:

The Disabilities Trust

Company registration number:

2334589

Country of incorporation :

United Kingdom

Charity registration number:

England and Wales: 800797 Scotland: SCO38972

Registered office:

First Floor, 32 Market Place, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, RH15 9NP

Auditors:

Crowe UK LLP, 55 Ludgate Hill, London, EC4M 7JW

Bankers:

Barclays Bank plc, Level 28, 1 Churchill Place, London, E14 5HP

Solicitors:

DAC Beachcroft LLP, 100 Fetter Lane, London, EC4A 1BN Trowers & Hamlins LLP, 3 Bunhill Road, London, EC1Y 8YZ

investment Managers:

Rathbone Investment Management Limited, 8 Finsbury Circus, London, EC2M 7AZ Cazenove Capital, 1 London Wall Place, London Wall, Barbican, London, EC2Y 5AU CCLA Investment Management, Senator House, 85 Queen Victoria St, London, EC4V 4ET

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Trustees’ responsibilities statement

The Trustees (who are also Directors of The Disabilities Trust for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations.

Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under that law, the Trustees have elected to prepare the financial statements in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards and applicable law), including FRS 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Under company law, the Trustees must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and the Group and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the Group for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to:

• Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently

• Observe the methods and principles set out in the Charities SORP (FRS 102)

• Make judgments and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent

• State whether applicable UK Accounting Standards, comprising FRS 102, 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 Group will continue in business.

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The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the charitable company’s and Group’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and the Group and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006, the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended) and the provisions of the trust deed. The Trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and the Group and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The Trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

Each of the Trustees confirm that:

• So far, as each Trustee is aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the charitable company’s auditor is unaware

• The Trustees have each taken all the steps that they ought to have taken as Trustees in order to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the charitable company’s auditor is aware of that information.

The Trustees’ report (including the Strategic Report) has been approved by the Board of Trustees of The Disabilities Trust on 28th November 2022 and signed on their behalf by:

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Ms K M Greenberg Chair of Trustee Board

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The Disabilities Trust

Auditor’s report

Independent Auditor’s Report to the Members and the Trustees of The Disabilities Trust

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of The Disabilities Trust (‘the charitable company’) and its joint venture (‘the group’) for the year ended 31 May 2022 which comprise The Consolidated Statement of Financial Activities, Group and Charity Balance Sheets, Consolidated statement of Cash Flows and notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice). In our opinion the financial statements:

• give a true and fair view of the state of the group’s and the charitable company’s affairs as at 31 May 2022 and of the group’s income and expenditure, for the year then ended;

• have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and

• have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 and the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and Regulations 6 and 8 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (amended).

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the group in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern

Conclusions relating to going concern In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charitable company’s or the group’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

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Other information

The trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. The other information comprises the information included in the annual report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.

Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact. We have nothing to report in this regard.

• the strategic report and the directors’ report included within the trustees’ report have been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

In light of the knowledge and understanding of the group and charitable company and their environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the strategic report or the directors’ report included within the trustees’ report.

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

• adequate and proper accounting records have not been kept; or

• the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or

• ■ certain disclosures of trustees’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or

• we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

In our opinion based on the work undertaken in the course of our audit

• the information given in the trustees’ report, which includes the directors’ report and the strategic report prepared for the purposes of company law, for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and

Responsibilities of trustees

As explained more fully in the trustees’ responsibilities statement, the trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

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In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

We have been appointed as auditor under section 44(1)(c) of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and under the Companies Act 2006 and report in accordance with the Acts and relevant regulations made or having effect thereunder.

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: www. frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.

Extent to which the audit was considered capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We identified and assessed the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements from irregularities, whether due to fraud or error, and discussed these between our audit team members. We then designed and performed audit procedures responsive to those risks, including obtaining audit evidence sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

We obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory frameworks within which the charitable company and group operates, focusing on those laws and regulations that have a direct effect on the determination of material amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. The laws and regulations we considered in this context were the Companies Act 2006, the Charities Act 2011, The Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, together with the Charities SORP (FRS 102). We assessed the required compliance with these laws and regulations as part of our audit procedures on the related financial statement items.

Details of the extent to which the audit was considered capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations are set out below.

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In addition, we considered provisions of other laws and regulations that do not have a direct effect on the financial statements but compliance with which might be fundamental to the charitable company’s and the group’s ability to operate or to avoid a material penalty. We also considered the opportunities and incentives that may exist within the charitable company and the group for fraud. The laws and regulations we considered in this context for the UK operations were, CQC Regulations for service providers and managers, taxation legislation, employment legislation and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Auditing standards limit the required audit procedures to identify non-compliance with these laws and regulations to enquiry of the Trustees and other management and inspection of regulatory and legal correspondence, if any.

We identified the greatest risk of material impact on the financial statements from irregularities, including fraud, to be within the timing and recognition of contract income, recording the impact of CQC regulatory reviews and the override of controls by management. Our audit procedures to respond to these risks included enquiries of management and the Audit & Risk Committee about their own identification and assessment of the risks of irregularities, sample testing on the posting of journals, reviewing accounting estimates for biases, reviewing regulatory correspondence with the Charity Commission, and reading regulatory reports and minutes of meetings of those charged with governance.

Owing to the inherent limitations of an audit, there is an unavoidable risk that we may not have detected some material misstatements in the financial statements, even though we have properly planned and performed our audit in accordance with auditing standards. For example,

the further removed non-compliance with laws and regulations (irregularities) is from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, the less likely the inherently limited procedures required by auditing standards would identify it. In addition, as with any audit, there remained a higher risk of non-detection of irregularities, as these may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal controls. We are not responsible for preventing non-compliance and cannot be expected to detect non-compliance with all laws and regulations.

use of our report

This report is made solely to the charitable company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006, and to the charitable company’s trustees, as a body, in accordance with Regulation 10 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company’s members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company’s members as a body and the charitable company’s trustees as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Tim Redwood

Senior Statutory Auditor For and on behalf of Crowe U.K. LLP Statutory Auditor London

13 December 2022

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The Disabilities Trust Financial statements TheDisabilitle5TnJSt | ￿M￿lA￿part&A=c0￿ntSl02l-1? 69

The Disabilities Trust

Financial statements

Financial statements

Consolidated Statement of Financial Activities – Incorporating Income and Expenditure Account for the year ended 31 May 2022

Income from Note	Total unrestricted fund £’000	Total restricted funds £’000	Total funds 2022 £’000	Total funds 2021 £’000
Donations and grants 3 Charitable activities: Improving the lives of people with disabilities 4 Investment income 5 Other income 6 Total income Expenditure on: Raising funds 7 Charitable activities: Improving the lives of people with disabilities 8(i) Share of deficit of joint venture Other Total expenditure net (expenditure)/income before gains on investments 11 (Losses)/gains on investment assets net (expenditure)/income before transfers, gains and losses Transfers between funds 19&20 net movement in funds Total funds brought forward Total funds carried forward 19&20	- 50,984 500 494 51,978 188 55,773 211 - 56,172 (4,194) (23) (4,217) - (4,217) 100,011 95,794	1,061 - - - 1,061 - - - 1,191 1,191 (129) - (129) - (129) 292 163	1,061 50,984 500 494 53,039 188 55,773 211 1,191 57,363 (4,323) (23) (4,346) - (4,346) 100,303 95,957	1,439 48,473 712 1,752 52,376 106 49,315 153 1,539 51,113 1,263 5,232 6,495 - 6,495 93,808 100,303

All gains and losses recognised in the current and preceding financial year are included in the consolidated statement of financial activities. The accompanying accounting policies and notes form an integral part of these financial statements.

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Consolidated and charity balance sheets

As at 31 May 2022

Note	Group Charity 2022 2021 2022 2021 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000	Group Charity 2022 2021 2022 2021 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000	Group Charity 2022 2021 2022 2021 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000
Fixed assets: Intangible assets 13 Tangible assets 14 Investments 15 Net (deficit) in joint ventures 15 Total fixed assets Current assets: Debtors 16 Cash at bank and in hand Total current assets Creditors: amounts falling due within one year 17 net current assets Total assets less current liabilities Provisions for liabilities 18 net assets The funds of the charity: Restricted income funds 19 Unrestricted funds 20 - revaluation reserve - designated funds - general funds Total unrestricted funds Total funds	1,754 50,187 38,091 - 90,032 6,380 6,861 13,241 (6,810) 6,431 96,463 (506) 95,957 163 10,201 71,224 14,369 95,794 95,957	1,523 1,754 46,948 50,187 37,807 38,091 (129) - 86,149 90,032 6,741 6,380 14,352 6,861 21,093 13,241 (6,629) (6,810) 14,464 6,431 100.613 96,463 (310) (506) 100,303 95,957 292 163 10.224 10,201 71,471 71,224 18,316 14,369 100,011 95,794 100,303 95,957	1,523 47,203 37,807 - 86,533 6,669 14,352 21,021 (6,629) 14,392 100,925 (310) 100,615 292 10,224 72,159 17,939 100,323 100,615

The net expenditure incurred by the charity was £4,658k in 2022 (2021: net income £6,647k).

These financial statements were approved and authorised for issue by the Board of Trustees on 28 November 2022 and were signed on its behalf by:

Ms K M Greenberg – Chair

Company number: 2334589

The accompanying accounting policies and notes form an integral part of these financial statements.

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Consolidated statement of cash flows

For the year ended 31 May 2022

Note

2022 2021 £’000 £’000

Cash fows from operating activities Net cash (used)/provided by operating activities 22 Cash fows from investing activities Acquisition of York House Ventures Limited Dividends & interest from investments Proceeds from the sale of property, plant and equipment Purchase of property, plant and equipment Purchase of intangible fixed assets Proceeds from the sale of investments Purchase of investments Gift aid received from joint ventures Movement in cash within investment portfolio Net cash (used)/generated by investing activities (Decrease)/Increase in cash and cash equivalents in the year Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the reporting year Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the reporting year

(1,789) 1,665 (183) - 500 712 6 3,935 (4,801) (2,299) (917) (448) 4,390 4,834 (5,521) (5,517) - 174 824 (170) (5,702) 1,221 (7,491) 2,886 14,352 11,466 6,861 14,352

The accompanying accounting policies and notes form an integral part of these financial statements.

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notes to the financial statements

for the year ended 31 May 2022

1

Principal accounting policies

Our principal accounting policies are set out below.

Basis of preparation

The following accounting policies have been applied consistently in dealing with items which are considered material in relation to the Group’s financial statements.

The Disabilities Trust is a public benefit entity incorporated as a Company Limited by Guarantee and governed by a Memorandum and Articles of Association, which were last modified on 13 July 2020. It is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales. The charity registration number is 800797. The Trust is also registered with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator. The registration number is SC038972. The registered office is 32 Market Place, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, RH15 9NP.

The financial statements of the Trust have been prepared under the historical cost convention, in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102), the Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (Charities SORP (FRS 102)) and the Companies Act 2006.

The functional and presentational currency of the Group is £ sterling.

Going concern

The Board has reviewed the charity’s activities and financial position, together with factors likely to affect our future strategy as we divest our Learning, Development and Autism services and focus on Brain Injury rehabilitation.

The ongoing cost of business challenges, such as the cost of agency staff, energy, food and transport have been a key element to these assessments. In light of the Chancellor’s “minibudget” on 23 September 2022, it is expected that the charity will benefit financially from the new Energy Bill Relief Scheme.

We have prepared medium-term forecasts to the end of 2023 which consider our activities, financial position and risk management policies. Specifically, we have considered our plan to increase occupancy levels and sensitivities surrounding the income pipeline.

Additionally, we have prepared 5 year forecasts, which consider our cash position, sources of income and planned expenditure. These forecasts included a build-up in occupancy as well as including the effects of our agreed strategy. The forecasts include additional costs and savings arising. Within the forecasts we have include an estimated projected inflationary increase. These have been estimated using the CPI inflation forecast indicated by the British Chambers of Commerce.

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The Board has concluded that the existing level of free reserves, available investment and cash balances, coupled with strong cost control and the implementation of our new strategy, are sufficient to ensure The Disabilities Trust has the resources to continue operating as a going concern, and to meet our obligations as they fall due. Having regard to the above, the Trustees are satisfied that there are no material uncertainties around the decision to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing these financial statements.

Subsidiary undertakings and joint ventures

The consolidated statement of financial activities and Group balance sheet incorporate the financial statements of the charity and its subsidiary undertakings on a line by line basis, adjusted for the elimination of all intergroup transactions and balances.

On the 22 September 2021, York House Ventures Limited moved from being a joint venture to a wholly owned subsidiary of the Trust. Details of the acquisition are disclosed in note 27.

income

Voluntary income including donations, gifts, legacies and grants, is recognised where there is entitlement, probability of receipt and the amount can be measured with sufficient reliability. Such income is only deferred when:

• The donor specified that the grant or donation must only be used in future accounting periods, or

• The donor has imposed conditions which must be met before the charity has unconditional entitlement.

The following specific policies apply to certain categories of income:

• Income from fees is recognised as services are provided. Any amount received in advance of services being provided is included as deferred income. The majority of our funding is received from local authorities.

• Donated goods or services are included in the financial statements at an estimate based on the value of the donation to the group.

• Grants are included in the statement of financial activities when the conditions for receipt have been complied with.

• Investment income is included in the statement of financial activities when receivable, including recoverable tax.

Expenditure

Expenditure has been charged to the statement of financial activities on an accrual basis. Costs are shown inclusive of any related value added tax. Expenditure categories noted below are analysed in the various notes to the financial statements:

• Raising funds

Costs of raising funds are the costs incurred in attracting voluntary income.

• Charitable activities

These are the costs involved in activities where the aim is the objectives of the Group. They include direct costs, support costs and governance costs as detailed below.

• Direct costs

These include the cost of direct service delivery including all staff and other directly attributable costs.

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■ Support costs

Support costs include the costs of the central support office functions such as central management, financial administration, human resources, information systems and finance costs. They have generally been allocated to cost categories on the basis of staff costs and staff numbers, which, in turn, is judged to allocate costs on a reasonable basis consistent with the activity’s usage.

■ Governance costs

Governance costs include those incurred in the governance of the charity and its assets and are primarily associated with constitutional and statutory requirements.

Lease contracts

Operating lease rentals are charged to the statement of financial activities on a straight-line basis over the life of the lease.

freehold buildings Short leasehold improvements Computers fixtures and fttings Motor vehicles Motor vehicles	2%per annum
	over period of lease
	25%per annum
	15%per annum
	33.3% per annum on high mileage vehicles
	15% per annum on people carriers

No depreciation is provided on freehold land.

Impairment reviews are only carried out if there is an indication that the recoverable amount of a tangible fixed asset is below its net book value.

Properties under construction are stated at cost. Cost comprises directly attributable costs and borrowing costs. Such properties are not depreciated until they are reclassified after completion.

intangible fixed assets and amortisation

Intangible fixed assets represent development costs capitalised in accordance with FRS 102. These are stated at historical cost and amortised on a straight line basis over their useful lives (four years).

Amortisation is recognised in the statement of financial activities under expenditure on charitable activities.

Tangible fixed assets and depreciation

Tangible fixed assets are capitalised at cost at the acquisition date. Depreciation is calculated to write down the cost less estimated residual value of all tangible fixed assets other than freehold land by equal annual instalments over their expected useful lives. The rates generally applicable are:

There is a de minimis capitalisation limit of £5,000.

investments

Investments are stated in the balance sheet using the mid-price at market value. All realised and unrealised gains and losses are taken to the statement of financial activities and are reflected in “(losses)/gains on investment assets”. Realised gains and losses are calculated as the difference between market value at the beginning of the year and sale proceeds. Unrealised gains are derived from movement in market value during the year.

Debtors

Trade and other debtors are recognised at the transaction amount, net of trade discounts and are reduced by amounts which are not considered to be recoverable.

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Cash at bank and in hand

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

Creditors

Creditors and provisions are recognised where the group and the charity have a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are normally recognised at their settlement amount after allowing for any trade discounts due.

Employee benefits

Short term employee benefits and contributions to defined contribution plans are recognised as an expense in the period in which they are earned.

Redundancy costs are recognised as an expense in the period in which the charity becomes irrevocably committed to incurring the costs and the main features of the plans have been announced to affected employees.

Foreign currency

Transactions in foreign currencies are translated at the exchange rate ruling at the date of the transaction. Monetary assets and liabilities in foreign currencies are translated at the rates of exchange prevailing at the balance sheet date. Exchange differences are included in the consolidated statement of financial activities for the period in which they are incurred.

Fund accounting

We have various types of funds for which we are responsible, and which require separate disclosure. These are as follows:

■ Restricted income funds

Donations or legacies are earmarked by the donor for specific purposes. From these funds, the donation and income deriving therefrom may be used in accordance with the specific purposes.

• Unrestricted funds

Designated funds

The trustees may at their discretion, set aside funds for specific purposes which would otherwise form part of the general funds of the organisation. Specifically, the charity sets aside funds for the following:

• The amount which represents the investment made in intangible and tangible fixed assets for use by the charity.

• Sums for use by The Disabilities Trust Foundation which is a fund that has been set up to allow the charity to support and work with new and existing initiatives which would otherwise struggle to attract mainstream or traditional funding.

• The amount of the revaluation reserve on investments held by the charity which represents cumulative investment gains on investments.

General funds

Funds are expendable in furtherance of the objectives of the charity.

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2

Judgements in applying accounting policies and key sources of estimation uncertainty

In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees have made the following judgements:

Leases

The classification of leases entered into by the Group either as a lessor or a lessee as operating leases or finance leases. These decisions depend on an assessment of whether the risks and rewards of ownership have been transferred from the lessor to the lessee on a lease by lease basis.

impairment

The determination of whether there are any indicators of impairment applicable to the Group’s tangible assets. Factors taken into consideration in reaching such a decision include the economic viability and expected future financial performance of the asset and where it is a component of a larger cash-generating service, the viability and expected future performance of that service.

Tangible fixed assets

Dilapidation provisions

Dilapidation provisions have been provided in these financial statements reflecting the Group’s estimate of repair costs which will need to be undertaken when returning leased properties back to their original state. The provisions are based on the average provision required for each property leased.

Payroll accruals

Payroll accruals have been provided in these financial statements as the compensation owed to employees to the end of the period plus any payroll taxes related to those unpaid wages. The May payroll is used and any salaries etc for the month of May are removed (because these are actuals) along with any backpay, stakeholder or one off payments are removed, leaving those elements that would be characteristic of the May pay These are divided by 31 and multiplied by 26 days which were the remaining days after the cutoff date. A provision is made for the NI and Pension.

Tangible fixed assets, other than investment properties, are depreciated over their useful lives taking into account residual values, where appropriate. The actual lives of the assets and residual values are assessed annually and may vary depending on a number of factors. In reassessing asset lives, factors such as technological innovation, product life cycles and maintenance programmes are taken into account. Residual value assessments consider issues such as future market conditions, the remaining life of the asset and projected disposal values.

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3

Donations and grants

Group

Group
	Total funds 2022 £’000	Total funds 2021 £’000
Grants COVID-19 grant income Other donations and gifts	167 857 37 1,061	151 1,106 182 1,439

4

income from charitable activities

Improving the lives of people with disabilities

Group

Group
	Total funds 2022 £’000	Total funds 2021 £’000
fee income: Physical disabilities Autism Brain injury Education Community services COVID-19 Fee income Ancillary services to joint ventures: Management charges to joint ventures	5,236 7,492 25,185 4,975 7,897 29 170	4,892 8,633 21,985 4,560 7,212 641 550 48,473
	50,984

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5 investment income

Group

Group
	Total funds 2022 Total funds 2021 £’000 £’000
Bank deposit interest receivable Dividend income from listed investments	11 90 489 622 500 712

6

Other income

Group

Group
	Total funds 2022 Total funds 2021 £’000 £’000
Surplus on sale of fixed assets Other income	4 1,379 490 373 494 1,752

Other income is comprised of various sources including rent and service charges receivable, insurance claim settlements, external clinical supervision services, profit on the disposal of fixed assets and sundry income.

7

Expenditure on raising funds

Group

Group
	Total funds 2022 Total funds 2021 £’000 £’000
Fundraising costs Investment management costs	89 44 99 62
	188 106

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8 Charitable activities

(i) Group

improving the lives of people with disabilities

Total funds

	Activities undertaken directly Support costs Total funds 2022 Activities undertaken directly Support costs Total funds 2021 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000
Physical disabilities Autism Brain injury Education Community services The DT Foundation Total charitable activities	6,441 1,129 7,570 5,794 1,190 6,984 7,645 1,541 9,186 7,720 1,574 9,294 21,876 5,310 27,185 17,887 305 18,192 2,977 478 3,455 2,831 1,384 4,215 6,575 1,455 8,031 5,947 4,420 10,367 286 60 346 256 7 263
	45,800 9,973 55,773 40,435 8,880 49,315

2022 Support costs allocation

	Physical disabilities £’000	Autism £’000	EducationCommunity Services £’000 £’000	EducationCommunity Services £’000 £’000	Brain injury £’000	The DT foundation	Total 2022 Basis of allocation £’000
Central support costs Staff and training Other Governance	534 586 9	729 800 12	226 248 4	688 755 12	2,512 2,756 43	28 31 -	4,717 Staff nos. 5,176 Staff nos. 80 Staff nos. ~~9,973~~
	~~1,129~~	~~1,541~~	~~478~~	~~1,455~~	~~5,311~~	~~59~~

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2021 Support costs allocation

	Physical disabilities £’000	Autism £’000	Education £’000	Community Services £’000	Brain injury £’000	The DT foundation	Total 2021 Basis of allocation £’000
Central support costs Staff and training Other Governance	600 574 16	793 759 22	154 147 4	698 668 19	2,227 2,132 61	3 3 -	4,475 Staff nos. 4,283 Staff nos. 122 Staff nos. ~~8,880~~
	~~1,190~~	~~1,574~~	~~305~~	~~1,385~~	~~4,420~~	~~6~~

The allocation of support costs has been made on the basis of the Trustees’ best estimate of time spent on supporting each activity during the year. The Group prepares individual budgets and management accounts for each accommodation unit and costs are directly attributed during the year; the amounts included above for “unit costs” are the support costs allocation of these directly attributable costs.

The central support costs are the costs borne by the charity for central office services including quality control, business development, communications, management accounting, payroll administration, budgeting, information technology, people services and learning & development.

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9 Staff number and costs

Staff costs during the year were as follows:

	Group 2022 £’000	Group 2021 £’000
Wages and salaries Social security costs Cost of defined benefit pension schemes Other employee benefits Payments made to independent third parties for the provision of staff Total payroll and staff related costs	31,081 2,848 1,670 24 35,623 6,673 42,296	30,194 2,495 1,556 345
		34,590 4,400
		38,990

Payments made to independent third parties for the provision of staff relate to costs incurred as a result of staff vacancies and cover being required pending recruitment. They also include costs arising as a result of cover being required during sickness or holiday.

Wages and salaries shown above include the following which have been fully provided in the accounts and fully funded by the Group.

	Group 2022 £’000	Group 2021 £’000
Redundancy costs & termination payments	273	331

Redundancy and termination payments in 2022 amounted to £273k (2021: £331k). These payments were made in light of a review of the resources required to support the future structure and strategy.

At the year end, £53k (2021: £nil) has been recognised in accrued liabilities for redundancy payments.

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The average number of persons engaged in the provision of welfare services to residents of the Group and the charity during the year, analysed by category, was as follows.

	rou 202 Numbe	p rou 2 202 r Numbe
Provision of care Administration	1,31 19	7 1,38 8 18
	1,51	5 1,57

The number of employees paid over £60,000 (excluding pension contributions) during the year was as follows:

	Group	Group
	2022	2021
	Number	Number
£60,001 to £70,000	11	8
£70,001 to £80,000	5	7
£80,001 to £90,000	2	2
£90,001 to £100,000	2	1
£100,001 to £110,000	3	1
£110,001 to £120,000	-	1
£120,001 to £130,000	-	1
£130,001 to £140,000	1	-
£160,001 to £170,000	-	1
£190,001 to £200,000	1	-

The Trustees consider that, along with themselves, members of the Senior Leadership Team (as detailed in the Trustees’ Report) are the Group’s and the charity’s key management personnel. The total amount of employee benefits paid to members of the Senior Leadership Team in respect of their services to The Disabilities Trust (including remuneration, employer’s pension contributions, employers National Insurance and other benefits) was £1,310,887 (2021: £1,124,618) for the Group.

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10 Remuneration of Trustees

No Trustee received any form of remuneration during the year (2021: £nil). Travel expenses incurred in the course of attending the charity’s affairs and amounting to £2,223 (2021: £193) for the Group and the charity were reimbursed to 5 Trustees during the year (2021: 1).

During the year the cost of Trustees’ meetings amounted to £8,350 (2021: £253). The cost was significantly lower in the prior year as meetings were held remotely during the pandemic. This year the cost is higher due to a return to face to face meetings.

Recruitment and retainer fees expensed during the year totalled £11,100 (2021: £45,300) as a result of a Board recruitment phase resulting in 1 new Chair (2021: three new trustees and new Chair).

The Trustees have used funds of the charity to purchase indemnity insurance at a cost of £2,693 (2021: £2,095).

11 net (expenditure)/income before gains on investments

Group Group 2022 2021 £’000 £’000

The net (expenditure) income for the year is stated after charging/(crediting) Auditor’s remuneration for statutory audit services - parent - subsidiaries Auditor’s remuneration for taxation services Auditor’s remuneration for other assurance services Depreciation and other amounts written off tangible fixed assets Amortisation and other amounts written off intangible fixed assets Loss/(profit) on disposal of intangible and tangible fixed assets Hire of other assets - operating leases

50 45 3 3 3 2 1 1 1,834 1,619 643 840 65 (1,327) 1,097 837

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12 Tax

The company is registered as a charity and its income is applied solely for charitable purposes. As a result, it is entitled to rely upon the relevant taxation exemptions and reliefs as set out in the Corporation Taxes Act 2010. Any profit generated by York House Ventures Limited (YHV), the joint venture company, is paid to the joint venture parties under the Gift Aid Scheme, following the year-end and is subject to corporation tax until then. As a result, the income from joint ventures of the Group for the year includes the impact of tax charged on the results for YHV for the year.

13 intangible fixed assets
	Group and Charity Computer software £’000	Software work in progress £’000	Total £’000
Cost At 1 June 2021 Additions Disposals Completed software At 31 May 2022 Amortisation At 1 June 2021 Provided in the year Disposals At 31 May 2022 Net book value At 31 May 2022 Net book value At 31 M 2021	4,621 337 (166) 846 5,638 3,434 643 (122) 3,955 1,683 1187	336 581 - (846) 71 - - - - 71 336	4,957 918 (166) - 5,709 3,434 643 (122) 3,955 1,754 1523

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14 Tangible fixed assets

Group

----- Start of picture text -----
freehold Short Motor fixtures Computers Assets Total
property leasehold vehicles and under
improvements fittings construction
£’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000
Cost
At 1 June 2021 59,932 221 227 6,073 1,879 36 68,368
----- End of picture text -----

dditions dditions - assets ransferred to parent ompany from ubsidiary isposals onstruction complete t 31 May 2022 epreciation t 1 June 2021 harge for the year mpairment isposals t 31 May 2022 et book value at 1 May 2022 et book value at 1 May 2021	404 - - 98 60,434 14,576 1,132 148 (252) 15,604 44,829 45,356	- - - - 221 152 33 - - 185 36 70	15 9 (22) - 230 181 12 - (22) 171 59 46	497 38 (385) - 6,224 5,203 328 - (366) 5,165 1,059 870	70 - (577) - 1,372 1,308 181 - (569) 920 451 571	3,815 - - (98) 3,753 - - - - - 3,753 36	4,801 47 (984) - 72,232 21,422 1,686 148 (1,209) 22,047 50,187 46,948

All tangible fixed assets are utilised for the Group’s and charity’s charitable purposes.

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Land and buildings

		Group 2022			Group 2021
	Cost	Depreciation	Net book	Cost	Depreciation	Net book
			value			value
	£’000	£’000	£’000	£’000	£’000	£’000
Freehold	60,434	(15,604)	44,829	59,932	(14,576)	45,356
Short leasehold	221	(185)	36	221	(152)	70
Total	60,655	(15,789)	44,865	60,153	(14,728)	45,425

Charity

All tangible fixed assets are utilised for the charity’s charitable purposes.

----- Start of picture text -----
freehold Short Motor fixtures Computers Assets Total
property leasehold vehicles and under
improvements fittings construction
----- End of picture text -----

	£’000	£’000	£’000	£’000	£’000	£’000	£’000
Cost or valuation At 1 June 2021 Additions Additions - assets transferred to parent company from subsidiary Disposals Construction complete At 31 May 2022 Depreciation At 1 June 2021 Charge for the year Disposals Impairment At 31 May 2022 Net book value at 31 May 2022 Net book value at 31 May 2021	60,016 403 - - 98 60,517	221 1 - - - 222	227 15 9 (22) - 230	6,073 497 38 (385) - 6,224	1,879 71 - (577) - 1,373	38 3,813 - - (98) 3,753	68,454 4,800 47 (984) - 72,317
	14,407 1,132 - 148	153 33 - -	181 12 (22) -	5,202 328 (366) -	1,309 181 (569) -	- - - -	21,253 1,686 (957) 148
	15,688	187	171	5,165	921	-	22,130
	44,829	36	59	1,059	451	3,753	50,187
	45,609	68	46	871	570	38	47,202

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15 Fixed asset investments

Group and charity

	Listed securities £’000	Cash on deposit £’000	Total £’000
Market value at 1 June 2021 Disposals Additions at cost Movement in cash held as part of investment portfolio Net (losses) on revaluation Market value at 31 May 2022	35,420 (4,390) 5,521 - (23)	2,387 - - (824) - 1,563	37,807 (4,390) 5,521 (824) (23)
	36,528		38,091

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The Disabilities Trust

investment portfolio

	Group and charity 2022 £’000	Group and charity 2021 £’000
Market value Listed securities Fixed Interest investments Infrastructure and operating assets Other Cash and Near Cash in CCLA portfolio Cash	25,180 6,978 1,212 1,499 1,660 1,562 38,091	25,997 6,228 1,184 1,299 712 2,387 37,807

Subsidiaries

The charity’s subsidiaries at 31st May 2022, all of which are directly controlled by the charity were as follows:

Principal activity

Brain Injury Rehabilitation Trust Limited (‘BIRT’’) Dormant York House Ventures Limited (‘YHV’) The provision of rehabilitation services to people with brain injuries

On 21 September 2021, the charity took 100% control of York House Ventures Limited (YHV) (Company registration number: 04735561), a company in which the charity previously had a 50% shareholding as a joint venture partner. The remaining activities and net liabilities were transferred to the Trust on 31 October 2022. Further details are disclosed under notes 27 and 29.

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The Disabilities Trust

Joint ventures

York House Ventures Limited

Profit and loss for the period to the date of acquisition by the Trust

	2022 (113 days period) Group’s share Total (50%)	2022 (113 days period) Group’s share Total (50%)		2021 (full year) Group’s share Total (50%)	2021 (full year) Group’s share Total (50%)
Turnover Cost of sales Administrative expenses Net interest receivable Loss before tax Tax on profit on ordinary activities Share of loss	£’000 1,599 (1,644) (377) (1) (423) - (423)	£’000 799 (822) (188) -		£’000 5,923 (5,512) (717) - (306) - (306)	£’000 2,962 (2,756) (359) -
		(211) - (211)			(153) - (153)

Net assets/(liabilities) at 31 May 2022 were £nil (2021: net liabilities of £258k).

16 Debtors
	Group and charity 2022 £’000	Group and charity 2021 £’000
Falling due within one year Trade debtors Amounts owed by joint ventures Other debtors Prepayments and accrued income	4,587 - 10 1,783 6,380	4,461 866 62 1,352 6,741

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17 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

	Group and charity 2022 £’000	Group and charity 2021 £’000
Trade creditors 1,441 Taxation and social security 751 Accruals and deferred income 3,635 Other creditors 340 Bank overdraft 643 6,810 Accruals and deferred income includes deferred income as follows:		966 706 4,630 327 - 6,629
Fees received for care to be provided after 31 May 2022 Deferred grants	Group and charity 2022 £’000 837 230 1,067	Group and charity 2021 £’000 1,996 307 2,303

The deferred income at 31 May 2022 will be credited to the 2023 Statement of Financial Activities. Deferred income at 31 May 2021 was credited to the 2022 Statement of Financial Activities. Accruals and other creditors include pension contributions of £203,000 (prior year £207,000) for the Group and the charity.

18 Provisions for liabilities

Group and Charity

Group and Charity
	Total £’000	Dilapidations provision £’000
At 1 June 2021 Amounts provided for in the year Amounts released in the year At 31 May 2022	310 219 (23)	310 219 (23)
	506	506

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19 Restricted income funds

Group 2022	Balance at 1 June 2021 £’000	Balance at 1 June 2021 £’000	Movement in resources Income Expenditure £’000 £’000	Movement in resources Income Expenditure £’000 £’000	Movement in resources Income Expenditure £’000 £’000	Movement in resources Income Expenditure £’000 £’000		Balance at 31 May 2022 £’000
COVID-19 grants Sundry Total group restricted funds	- 292			857 204		(857) (334)		- 163
	292			1,061		(1,191)		163
Group 2021	Balance at 1 June 2020 £’000	Movement Income £’000		in resources Expenditure £’000		Transfers unrestricted funds (note 21) £’000		Balance at 31 May 2021 £’000
Other grants COVID-19 grants ConnectAbility appeals Sundry Total group restricted funds	218 - 118 489	- 1,106 - 333		- (1,106) - (433)		(218) - (118) (98)		- - - 292
	826	1,439		(1,539)		(434)		292

Other grants are comprised of donations made covering projects for spend at services.

ConnecAbility appeals relate to funds raised for a hub at Shinewater and other funds for equipment.

The COVID-19 grants were provided to assist with infection control and rapid testing.

Sundry is comprised of grants provided to Heathermount school to improve the conditions and facilities for the pupils.

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20 unrestricted funds

Group 2022

	Balance at 1 June 2021 £’000	Income and gains/ (losses) £’000	Outgoing resources £’000	Other transfers £’000	Balance at 31 May 2022 £’000
Revaluation reserve Net surplus/(deficit) on revaluation of investments Designated funds Investment in intangible and tangible fixed assets Investment in Chocolate Works Total designated funds General funds Total unrestricted funds	10,224 48,471 23,000 71,471 18,316	- - - - 51,978	(23) - - - (56,172)	- 3,470 (3,717) (247) 247	10,201 51,941 19,283 71,224 14,369
	100,011	51,978	(56,195)	-	95,794

The purpose of the designated funds is explained in the accounting policies.

The investment in intangible and tangible fixed assets represents funds spent on capitalised assets, as disclosed in notes 13 and 14.

The investment in Chocolate Works represents funds set aside for construction. The funds are expected to be spent by 31 May 2023.

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The transfers shown above are as follows:

	Group
	£’000
Transfers from unrestricted general funds to fixed asset general fund	247
Transfers from Chocolate Works designated fund to fixed assets designated fund	(3,717)

Group 2021
	Balance at 1 June 2020 £’000	Income resources £’000	Outgoing resources £’000	Transfers restricted funds (note 20) £’000	Other transfers £’000	Balance at 31 May 2021 £’000
Revaluation reserve Net surplus/(deficit) on revaluation Designated funds Investment in tangible and fixed assets The DT Foundation Total designated funds General funds Total unrestricted funds	5,746 49,878 - 49,878 37,358 92,982	4,479 - - - 51,538 56,017	- - - - (49,421) (49,421)	- - - - 434 434	- (1,407) 23,000 21,593 (21,593) -	10,224 48,471 23,000 71,471 18,316 100,011

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21 Analysis of net assets between funds

Group 2022

Group 2022
		Intangible fxed assets £’000		Tangible fxed assets £’000		fixed assets investments £’000		Net current assets £’000		Provisions for liabilities £’000		Total £’000
Restricted Unrestricted Revaluation reserve Designated funds General funds Group 2021		- - 1,754 - 1,754		- - 50,187 - 50,187		- 10,201 - 27,890		163 - 19,283 (13,015)		- - - (506) (506)		163 10,201 71,224 14,369 95,957
						38,091		6,431
	Intangible fxed assets £’000		Tangible fxed assets £’000		fixed assets investments £’000		Net current assets £’000			Provisions for liabilities £’000		Total £’000
Restricted Unrestricted Revaluation reserve Designated funds General funds	- - 1,523 - 1,523		- - 46,948 - 46,948		- 10,225 - 27,453		292 - 23,000 (8,828)			- - - (310) (310)		292 10,225 71,471 18,316 100,303
					37,678		14,465

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Reconciliation of net (expenditure)/income 22 to net cash flow from operating activities

	2022 £’000	2021 £’000
Net (expenditure)/income for the reporting period Adjustments for: Depreciation, impairment and amortisation charges Impairment of investment in York House Ventures Limited Losses/(gains) on investments Loss/(profit) on sale of intangible and tangible fixed assets Decrease/(increase) in debtors Increase in creditors Increase in provisions Dividends and interest received Share of loss in joint venture Other non-cash adjustments Transfer of assets, liabilities and trade from subsidiary Net cash (used)/provided by operating activities	(4,346) 2,478 524 23 65 361 182 195 (500) 211 (255) (727) (1,789)	6,495 2,459 - (5,232) (1,314) (340) 126 29 (712) 153 - - 1,665

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23 Capital commitments

Capital commitments at the end of the financial year for which no provision has been made:

	Group and charity 2022 £’000	Group and charity 2021 £’000
Authorised but not contracted Contracted for but not provided in these financial state- ments	230 20,470 20,700	23,000 - 23,000

24 Commitments as lessee

The total of future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases is as follows:

Group and Charity	2022 Land and Buildings £’000	2022 Other £’000	2021 Land and Buildings £’000	2021 Other £’000
Within one year Between one and five years In five years or more	467 297 - 764	159 244 6 409	250 268 852 1,370	68 91 - 159

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25 Pension costs

Defined contribution schemes

The charity makes payments to individual employees’ personal pension plans. There is also a defined contribution pension scheme for the benefit of employees. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the charity in an independently administered fund. There were no prepaid contributions at either the beginning or the end of the financial year.

Group contributions amounted to £1,669,000 (2021: £1,556,000) during the year of which £203,000 (2021: £207,000) had not been paid at the year end.

26

Funds held as custodian Trustees

At the year end, the Group held monies totaling £207,000 (2021: £265,000) on behalf of its clients and the charity held monies totaling £207,000 (2021: £255,000). These monies are not included within the balance sheet and are held separately in clearly identifiable bank accounts.

27

Transactions with Trustees and other related parties

As disclosed in note 15, on 21 September 2021 the Group and charity took 100% control of York House Ventures Limited. Up until this date, York House Ventures Limited was a 50:50 joint venture company. Consideration of £182,500 was paid to acquire the remaining 50% share capital, resulting in 100% control. The Group has previously subscribed for 50% share capital on incorporation of the subsidiary, at a cost of £500. The transaction has been accounted for as an acquisition. It was considered that the book value of net liabilities of York House Ventures Limited were not materially different to the fair values at the date of acquisition.

After taking control of York House Ventures Limited, the assets, liabilities and trade of the subsidiary were transferred to The Disabilities Trust at fair value on 31 October 2022. The subsidiary had net liabilities at the date of transfer of £680,492 (see below). The amount was recorded as an expense within the Charity statement of financial activities.

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Balance sheet at date of acquisition

	£’000
fixed assets Tangible Current assets Debtors Cash at bank and in hand Creditors Due within one year Net liabilities	47 29 4 (760) (680)

Up until the point of transfer the Charity and Group made recharges to York House Ventures Limited (“YHV”), the joint venture company in respect of:

	2022	2021
	£’000	£’000
The Disabilities Trust
Staff costs	1,383	3,480
Management charge	170	550
Other charges	74	87

At 31 May 2022, the following balance was owed to the charity by the subsidiary York House Ventures Limited (prior year a 50:50 joint venture company):

	2022	2021
	£’000	£’000
Owed to parent company	-	203

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28 Comparative SOFA

Income from:	Total Unrestricted funds £’000	Total Restricted funds £’000	Total funds 2021 £’000
Donations and legacies Charitable activities: Improving the lives of people with disabilities Investment income Share of surplus of joint ventures Other income Total income Expenditure on: Raising funds Charitable activities: Improving the lives of people with disabilities Other Total expenditure Net income/(expenditure) before gains on investments Gains on investment assets Net income/(expenditure) before transfers, gains and losses Transfers between funds Total funds brought forward Total funds carried forward	- 48,473 712 (153) 1,752 50,784 106 49,315 - 49,921 1,363 5,232 6,595 7,029 92,282 100,011	202 - - - - 1,439 - - 1,539 1,539 (100) - (100) (534) 826 292	202 48,473 712 (153) 1,752 52,223 106 49,315 1,539 50,960 (1,263) 5,232 6,495 6,495 93,808 100,303

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29 Post balance sheet events

On 6th September 2022 the Trust transferred its LD&A services (with the exception of Heathermount School) for the consideration of £4,182,000. Income and expenditure connected to these services in the year to 31 May 2022 was £4,668k and £4,742k respectively. Tangible fixed assets with a net book value of £1,087k were transferred under the agreement.

Further to the transfer of our LD&A services, on 31 October 2021 we disposed of our School, Heathermount, which provides education to children with a diagnosis of Audit Spectrum Condition (ASC). The consideration on sale was £17,775,000. Tangible fixed assets with a net book value of £3,447k were transferred under the agreement. The School generated £2,355k income and incurred £1,738k costs in the five months to 31 October 2021.

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About The Disabilities Trust

We are a charity that works alongside people with an acquired brain injury, autism, and learning or physical disabilities to help them live as independently as possible. For over 40 years, our high-quality services across the UK have supported people to move forward with their lives. These include: brain injury assessment and rehabilitation centres, hospitals, care homes, supported living accommodation, care in people’s homes and a school.

Our services support around 750 people each year. We are the largest not-for-profit brain injury service provider in the UK.

We also campaign, conduct research and pilot new ideas to amplify the voices of people who can’t access our core services.

Our dedicated teams of specialists provide the individual support people need to live as full a life as possible. They work closely with those we care for, their families and friends, local and health authorities, housing associations and others.

The Disabilities Trust

Find out more at www.thedtgroup.org