ABBEYFIELD & WESLEY
Annual Report 2023-24 PERFORMANCE AND SUMMARY FINANCES
OUR ETHOS
ABBEYFIELD GUIDING PRINCIPLES
Older people have an important role to play amongst their families, friends and in the community
Overcoming loneliness and insecurity can make all the difference to an older person’s well-being and quality of life
Local people have an essential part to play in helping older people in the community
From the formation of the Abbeyfield movement in 1956, there has been a recognition that older people should maintain their social connections and close links with the local community in order to prevent and alleviate loneliness that can come with later life and which can have such an impact on health and wellbeing.
Formed in 2013 through the merger of Abbeyfield UK (NI) and Wesley Housing Association, Abbeyfield & Wesley is a registered non-profit making housing association specializing in the provision of a range of housing a s support services for older people across Northern Ireland.
Our Abbeyfield Vision is for a world that ends loneliness in later life
Our Abbeyfield Mission is to create communities that keep more people connected in later life
We are residents and neighbours, trustees, employees, volunteers and partners, working together to make a difference to people in our neighbourhoods and society
Our
Abbeyfield Beliefs
Our Abbeyfield Beliefs guide our actions, our interactions and the decisions we make
We believe in the Power of Home We believe in the Potential of Community
We believe in Positivity in Later Life
Action
Working together we will create homes which foster community and alleviate loneliness in later life
We aim to provide a service which meets the highest possible performance standards whilst at the same time managing resources effectively and efficiently
Welcome from the Chair and Chief Executive
We are delighted to present our Annual Report 2023-24.
The past year remained a period of recovery for the Association and again has proved to be a challenging time attempting to return to prepandemic occupancy levels. We are delighted to report that Sheltered Housing and the Care Home occupancy has stabilised around precovid levels, and remain hopeful that the Supported Sheltered Housing will follow with improved occupancy in the coming year.
This year saw the retirement of our long-serving Chief Executive, Geraldine Gilpin and we welcomed our new Chief Executive, Patrick Thompson in July 2023. It has been a smooth transition and Patrick has spent considerable time meeting the staff and teams that make Abbeyfield & Wesley unique amongst housing associations. With his previous housing experience, Patrick has quickly understood the challenges of turning around our occupancy levels, dealing with the unprecedented cost of living increases, and the difficulties in recruitment currently being felt throughout the housing and health sectors.
The Association is delighted to report that our residents and tenants have continued to experience a return to “normality” after the pandemic, and we were enthused by their appetite to do what may appear simple things, such as leaving the supported sheltered houses for a Christmas lunch for the first time in a number of years.
Community engagement activities has always been an important part of what the Association does and during the year we have continued to create opportunities for engagement and to foster a sense of belonging for residents through our volunteers and dedicated staff. It is that ability to continue to create a community spirit and a high level of engagement in and beyond Abbeyfield & Wesley, that helps our residents, tenants and staff to thrive.
In commending this Annual Report, we close by saying a heartfelt thank you to our Board Members, Committee Members, Management Team, and staff and volunteers for walking with us through the challenges of the past year and previous years. We continue to make time for older people and continue in our efforts to return the Association to a firm financial footing after the challenges of the pandemic and rampant inflationary cost of living pressures which we have been exposed to since 2020.
The housing that we provide at Abbeyfield & Wesley covers a wide spectrum of types uniquely focused on providing the right type of accommodation at the right time for older people. From general needs properties for active over 55s, though traditional sheltered housing with support services on hand, to supported sheltered housing providing that extra bit of support and companionship, with fresh, home cooked meals, cleaning and laundry included as well as overnight staffing. In our residential home we can cater for dementia sufferers in a friendly and supportive environment. We are proud that our housing focuses on, and meets the needs of older people.
OUR PROPERTIES 293 units
owned and managed across Northern Ireland, comprising a 39-bed residential home, supported sheltered housing in 18 locations and sheltered & general needs housing across five locations.
TENANT AND RESIDENT SATISFACTION
97% feel safer living in an Abbeyfield & Wesley Supported Sheltered House
100% very satisfied or satisfied with the care in Palmerston Residential Home
85% of sheltered residents would recommend Abbeyfield & Wesley 7 complaints received (all resolved at stage 1). Down from 13 in 2022-23
RENTAL INCOME
Rent collected
£4,071,950 Rent arrears: 0.45% (non-technical arrears)
Rent increase 2023-24 9.7% - 11%*
*depending on accommodation type
HEALTH & SAFETY COMPLIANCE
Gas safety: 100% Oil safety: 100% Fire Risk: 100% Electrical Systems: 100% CO detectors: 100%
100% OF HOMES MET DECENT HOMES STANDARDS
MAINTENANCE
1,285 repair requests Completed within target: 77.2% Emergency Repairs 67.7% Urgent Repairs 69.7% Routine Repairs
Total Maintenance Spend: £522,103 Planned/Cyclical: £369,609 Reactive: £152,494
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“genuine sense of
community”
“any repairs needed have been
carried out on time and well”
“I have peace of mind
here”
“staff are very friendly and ap-
proachable”
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GOVERNANCE
The work of Abbeyfield & Wesley is overseen by a voluntary Management Board and executed via the Chief Executive and Senior Management Team. The Management Board is responsible for ensuring that the association is effectively and properly run and it met on six occasions in 2023-24. The Board is also served by a Property Committee, Finance Committee and Governance & Audit Committee.
Member’s attendance at board meetings during the course of the year were as follows:
| Board Member | Meetings attended | Possible Attendance |
|---|---|---|
| Eileen Stewart (Chair) | 6 | 6 |
| Celia Worthington | 2 | 2 (retired 24/08/23) |
| David Capper | 5 | 6 |
| Ken Gordon | 6 | 6 |
| Billy Graham | 4 | 6 |
| Glenn Montgomery | 1 | 6 (retired 27/03/24) |
| Paula Sands | 4 | 6 |
| Malcolm Beattie | 5 | 6 |
| Kevin McParland | 6 | 6 |
| Heather Taylor | 4 | 6 (retired 25/03/24) |
| Dr Gillian Turner | 4 | 6 |
| Margaret Bunting | 3 | 6 |
ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE
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TOTAL EMPLOYEES
141
Admin 12
Housing & Support 83
Care 46
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FINANCIAL POSITION
| 2024 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover | 4,454,404 | 4,398,307 |
| Operating Costs | (4,664,757) | (4,296,487) |
| Operating Surplus (Defcit) | (210,353) | 101,820 |
| Other Income Receivable | ||
| Interest and Investment Income | 43,660 | 18,509 |
| Unrealise defcit on revaluation of properties held for | (55,000) | (65,000) |
| resale | ||
| Fair Value adjustment on investments | 19,781 | (22,020) |
| Gain on disposal of property held for sale | - | 40,387 |
| Surplus for year (Before tax) | (201,912) | 73,696 |
| 2024 | 2023 | |
| Fixed Assets | ||
| Housing Properties | 14,942,307 | 15,186,046 |
| Other Tangible Assets | 131,836 | 140,328 |
| Investments | 305,936 | 286,155 |
| 15,380,079 | 15,612,529 | |
| Current Assets | ||
| Debtors | 64,875 | 373,409 |
| Cash and Bank Balances | 608,605 | 415,469 |
| Investments | 806,205 | 852,975 |
| Properties held for sale | 380,000 | 435,000 |
| 1,859,685 | 2,076,853 | |
| Current Liabilities | ||
| Creditors | (440,176) | (504,015) |
| Net Current Assets | 1,419,509 | 1,572,838 |
| Creditors Due After More Than One Year | (10,234,949) | (10,418,816) |
| Total Assets Less Current Liabilities | 6,564,639 | 6,766,551 |
| Financed By | ||
| Share Capital | 8 | 8 |
| Capital Reserves | 42 | 42 |
| Revenue Reserves | 6,564,589 | 6,766,501 |
| Total Reserves | 6,564,639 | 6,766,551 |
2022-23
DfC REGULATORY JUDGEMENT: 2
“meets the regulatory standard”
“Based on a review of the evidence submitted, Housing Regulation Branch has determined that Abbeyfield and Wesley has demonstrated that it meets the Regulatory Standards for Governance, Finance and Consumer in respect of the 2022/23 year.” “Meets the requirements but needs to improve in some areas in order to ensure continued compliance.”
Internal Audit Findings 2023-24 HR Policies and Procedures Cyber Security
Satisfactory Assurance Limited Assurance
Secretary & Registered Office Patrick Thompson Abbeyfield & Wesley 2 Wesley Court Carrickfergus BT28 8HS
Registered Auditor Sumer Northern Ireland Glendinning House 6 Murray Street Belfast BT1 6DN
Solicitor DWF (Northern Ireland) LLP 42 Queen Street Belfast BT1 6HL
Internal Auditor Wylie Bisset LLP 168 Bath Street Glasgow G2 4TP
Bankers Danske Bank Ltd. Donegall Square West Belfast BT1 6JS
Registered with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland: NIC106288 Registered as an Industrial & Provident Society in Northern Ireland: IP244 Registered with the Department for Communities: No.46
Abbeyfield & Wesley 2 Wesley Court Carrickfergus BT28 8HS 02893 363 558 info@abbeyfieldandwesley.org.uk web: abbeyfieldandwesley.org.uk