Charitable Funds Committee Assurance Report - February 2025
Meeting: Trust Board – Public Meeting (Corporate Trustee)
Date: 12 February 2025
Report Title: Charitable Funds Committee Assurance Report
Agenda Item: CT25/02/8.2
Committee Date: 22 January 2025
Meeting Chair: Chris Brook, Non-Executive Director & Committee Chair
Meeting Quorate YES
Purpose: Assurance
Recommendation: The Board is asked to receive assurance from the business discussed at the meeting and to review the matters for escalation and referral.
Link to Strategic Objective:
- Be an exceptional place to work, volunteer and learn
- Provide outstanding quality of care and performance
- Be excellent collaborators and innovators as system partners
- Be an environmentally and financially sustainable organisation
Summary of Items Considered at the Meeting:
| Issue | Consideration | Resolution/Outcome | Assurance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charitable Funds Governance and Effectiveness | The committee had previously authorised the commencement of a governance and effectiveness review to ensure that the Charity and the Trust was delivering its legal and regulatory responsibility. The committee reviewed several new/amended policies, including Governance, Code of Conduct, Complaints Procedure, Investment Policy, Reserves Policy, Risk Management Policy and Delegated and Reserves Power. | It was recommended that there was a meeting at Board to review the progress and future direction of the Charity, whilst also specifically reviewing the Code of Conduct. The Trust was accountable for the Charity and therefore all Board members needed to be comfortable with the expectations within the Code of Conduct and other governance documents. The other documents received minor comments and were agreed in principle to be reviewed formally at the next stage of the process. | Good |
| Charity Activity Update | The Committee reviewed the latest progress and activities that the Charity team had been progressing. | A summary of the key items: The Trust faced numerous financial challenges, with budgets across the NHS being tight. The committee emphasised that the team played a crucial role in launching new initiatives, which may otherwise struggle to secure funding. However, the team must demonstrate the value they brought to the organisation in order to secure ongoing Trust budget support for these initiatives. Additionally, the team was reminded of the process to follow for submitting ideas to be evaluated and reviewed. New finance system was being embedded. The charity would move forward with participating in the Forever Thank You campaign, which aimed to gently encourage individuals to make a will and consider leaving a charitable donation to the Ambulance Service. The team was preparing, reviewing or progressing several grant award possibilities – all on track. They also shared a report to NHS Charities Together on the Unmet Needs Navigator Project. Welfare Wagons continued to provide good service to the Trust, with only Herts & West Essex and Bedfordshire & Luton below the usage target. Quantitative feedback was ahead of target for those who had used the service and provided feedback. They were particularly useful over the festive season. | Good |
| Communications and Engagement | Communication and engagement played an important role in raising the profile of the charity. | Work continued on building the charity brand and spreading charity awareness. The new Ambulance bicycle scheme had received traction within the media. | Good |
| Charity Finance Update Report | The committee was updated on the monitoring and management of the charitable funds. | The general fund balance stood at £415k. Income of £249k had been received against spend of £453k. Total reserves stood at £1515k. | High |
Matters for escalation or referral:
| Issue | To | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Code of Conduct | Board | Board to review the Code of Conduct to be satisfied with their accountabilities and responsibilities. |
