HERMES_CARE_LTD - Accounts

The directors present the strategic report for the year ended 31 March 2023.

The directors are pleased to present their Strategic Report for the year ended 31st March 2023.

Hermes Care ongoing strategy is to help older people live with kindness and show our residents that they matter. This enables the ladies and gentleman we care for to live a happier, healthier and more fulfilling live.

We aim to achieve this by developing and operating both existing and new care homes.

Well maintained facilities are important to good quality care along with training and technology to deliver timely information to the care givers and respond to the needs with intervention that impacts positively on our residents.

The Group will continue to update existing care homes and develop new homes that exceed to current regulated requirements.

As an organisation we don’t discriminate based on the whether residents are publicly or privately funded. Our focus is on meeting the needs of the residents and providing the best possible care within those resources given.

100% of our homes are rated Good by CQC and we strive for Outstanding especially in the “Care” domain.

2022-2023 was a year of stabilising our staff force and focussed on fee generation maximising individual fee packages to support the workforce requirements.

We re-established occupancies to a greater level and focussed on the challenges of increased costs in labour, food, energy and cost of capital.

We are deeply proud of our staff team for responding and providing the most sympathetic care to residents, families and their work colleagues.

We remain proud of the actions and training to keep staff enthused and retained.

We have seen some of the staff recruited from overseas achieving their higher qualifications and being able to work as Registered Nurses in the UK which continues to provide a good pathway to recruit highly trained individuals.

We are also incredibly grateful to the families who worked in partnership with us, showing incredible patience and support as we collectively navigated our way through the pandemic.

Our turnover for the group increased and average fees were stabilised and the income achieved is allowing us to meet the increased cost of capital.

This has enabled us to maintain a sound capital structure and keep care at the forefront of what we do. We had already invested in technology to support the delivery of care and this investment allowed us to provide better communications and focus on updated and robust infection control strategies.

We have been able to invest in a new care opportunity called the Mount Pleasant Care Village which will provide 39 Luxury Nursing Care Beds, 16 Nursing Apartments and 19 Self Contained Supported Living Units. This investment has resulted in us achieving full planning permission for this new project and we envisage starting on site by the end of 2023.

We are pleased with a intermediate care contract that we were awarded in July 2022 and good feedback has been provided by the commissioners of our first year of provision.

Within our nursing homes we are trying to increase not only fee levels but increasing the percentage split between nursing and residential as this provides a 30% fee increase whilst not increasing staff costs. This work is ongoing but forms part of our strategy to secure additional income when unexpected rising costs are faced.

After reviewing the company’s forecasts, the directors have a reasonable expectation that the business is adequately resourced to operate a kind group of care homes for the foreseeable future. We continue to monitor on a monthly basis and provide quarterly financial updates to the board for strategic discussions.

Our key performance indicators are occupancy levels where we strive for 95%, average fee levels per home and type of service, staffing percentages to be controlled at 70% and our CQC ratings on quality especially in the domain of Care.

On behalf of the board

The directors present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023.

The principal activity of the company and group continued to be that of running of care homes and provision of related services.

The results for the year are set out on page 8.

No ordinary dividends were paid. The directors do not recommend payment of a further dividend.

The directors who held office during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were as follows:

In accordance with the company's articles, a resolution proposing that Hart Shaw LLP be reappointed as auditor of the group will be put at a General Meeting.

The truegroup has chosen in accordance with Companies Act 2006, s. 414C(11) to set out in the group's strategic report information required by Large and Medium-sized Companies and Groups (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008, Sch. 7 to be contained in the directors' report.

So far as each person who was a director at the date of approving this report is aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the auditor of the company is unaware. Additionally, the directors individually have taken all the necessary steps that they ought to have taken as directors in order to make themselves aware of all relevant audit information and to establish that the auditor of the company is aware of that information.

This report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies entitled to the medium-sized companies exemption.

The directors are responsible for preparing the Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations.

Company law requires the directors to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under that law the directors have elected to prepare the financial statements in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards and applicable law). Under company law the directors 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 group and company, and of the profit or loss of the group for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the directors are required to:

•     select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;

•     make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent;

•     state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the ;

•     prepare the on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the group and company will continue in business.

The directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the group’s and company’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the group and company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the group and company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

We have audited the financial statements of Hermes Care Ltd (the 'parent company') and its subsidiaries (the 'group') for the year ended 31 March 2023 which comprise the group statement of comprehensive income, the group balance sheet, the company balance sheet, the group statement of changes in equity, the company statement of changes in equity, the group 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 parent company's affairs as at 31 March 2023 and of the group's profit 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.

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 and parent company 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

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the directors' 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 group's and parent company’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 directors with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

Other information

The other information comprises the information included in the annual report other than the financial statements and our auditor's report thereon. The directors are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. 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 course of 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.

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 strategic report and the directors' report for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and

• the strategic report and the directors' report have been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the group and the parent 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.

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

• adequate accounting records have not been kept by the parent company, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or

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

• certain disclosures of directors' remuneration specified by law are not made; or

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

As explained more fully in the directors' responsibilities statement, the directors 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 directors determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. In preparing the financial statements, the directors are responsible for assessing the parent 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 directors either intend to liquidate the parent company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

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.

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:

At the planning stage we identified areas of laws and regulations that could reasonably be expected to have a material effect on the financial statements from our general commercial and sector experience and through discussion with the directors and other management, as required by auditing standards.

The potential effect of any laws and regulation on the financial statements can vary considerably. The significant laws and regulations directly affecting the financial statements where the consequences of non-compliance could have a material effect on amounts or disclosures in the financial statements include the Care Quality Commission, The Care Standards Act 2014 and The Companies Act 2006 as well as other operational laws and regulations.

Owing to the size, nature and complexity of the organisation and the applicable laws and regulations to which it must adhere, the risk of material misstatement was deemed to be low.

In response, our approach included but was not limited to:

• Communicating identified laws and regulations at planning throughout the audit team to remain alert to any indications of non-compliance throughout the audit.

• Enquiry of management and those charged with governance around actual and potential litigation and claims as well as non-compliance with laws and regulations.

• Reviewing financial statement disclosures and testing to supporting documentation to assess compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

• Reviewing legal and professional costs for any indication of non-compliance with laws and regulations

• Review of Care Quality Commission website for findings from latest inspection.

Management override is the most likely way in which fraud might present itself and as such is inherently high risk on any audit. Management override, which may cause there to be a material misstatement within the financial statements, may present itself in a number of ways, for example:

• Override of internal controls (e.g. segregation of duties)

• Entering into transactions outside the normal course of business, especially with related parties

• Fraudulent revenue recognition, including fictitious sales and sales being recorded in the wrong period.

• Presenting bias in accounting judgements and estimates, particularly ones that are key to the business.

In order to reduce the risk of material misstatement to an acceptable level, numerous audit procedures were performed including:

• Enquiries of management as to whether they had any knowledge of any actual or suspected fraud

• Review of material journal entries made throughout the year as well as those made to prepare the financial statements

• Reviewing the underlying rationale behind transactions in order to assess whether they were outside the normal course of business.

• Substantive testing across all material income streams.

• Assessing whether management’s judgements and estimates indicated potential bias, particularly those disclosed as key in note 2 to the financial statements that are more susceptible to management bias.

• Review of legal fees for any indication of non-compliance with laws and regulations.

• Performing analytical procedures to identify and unusual or unexpected relationships.

Owing to the inherent limitations of an audit, there is an unavoidable risk that we may not have detected material misstatements in the financial statements, even though we have performed our audit in accordance with auditing standards. Furthermore, as with all audits, there is a higher risk of irregularities (especially those relating to fraud) being undetected, as these may involve the override of internal controls, collusion, intentional omissions and misrepresentations etc. We are not responsible for preventing non-compliance or fraud and therefore cannot be expected to detect all instances of such. Our audit was not designed to identify misstatements or other irregularities that would not be considered to be material to the financial statements. The further removed non-compliance with laws and regulations is from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, the less likely we would become aware of it.

A further description of our responsibilities is available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: https://www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor's report.

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the 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 company and the company’s members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions relating to medium-sized groups.

As permitted by s408 Companies Act 2006, the company has not presented its own profit and loss account and related notes. The company’s profit for the year was £566,837 (2022 - £821,866 profit).

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions relating to medium-sized companies.true

Hermes Care Ltd (“the company”) is a private limited company domiciled and incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is Unit 3 Old Brickworks Lane, Chesterfield, S41 7JD.

The group consists of Hermes Care Ltd and all of its subsidiaries.

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with FRS 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland” (“FRS 102”) and the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the company. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention modified to include the revaluation of freehold properties. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.

The company is a qualifying entity for the purposes of FRS 102, being a member of a group where the parent of that group prepares publicly available consolidated financial statements, including this company, which are intended to give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss of the group. The company has therefore taken advantage of exemptions from the following disclosure requirements for parent company information presented within the consolidated financial statements:

• Section 7 ‘Statement of Cash Flows’: Presentation of a statement of cash flow and related notes and disclosures;

• Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instrument Issues: Interest income/expense and net gains/losses for financial instruments not measured at fair value; basis of determining fair values; details of collateral, loan defaults or breaches, details of hedges, hedging fair value changes recognised in profit or loss and in other comprehensive income;

• Section 26 ‘Share based Payment’: Share-based payment expense charged to profit or loss, reconciliation of opening and closing number and weighted average exercise price of share options, how the fair value of options granted was measured, measurement and carrying amount of liabilities for cash-settled share-based payments, explanation of modifications to arrangements;

• Section 33 ‘Related Party Disclosures’: Compensation for key management personnel.

In the parent company financial statements, the cost of a business combination is the fair value at the acquisition date of the assets given, equity instruments issued and liabilities incurred or assumed, plus costs directly attributable to the business combination. The excess of the cost of a business combination over the fair value of the identifiable assets, liabilities and contingent liabilities acquired is recognised as goodwill. The cost of the combination includes the estimated amount of contingent consideration that is probable and can be measured reliably, and is adjusted for changes in contingent consideration after the acquisition date. Provisional fair values recognised for business combinations in previous periods are adjusted retrospectively for final fair values determined in the 12 months following the acquisition date. Investments in subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates are accounted for at cost less impairment.

Deferred tax is recognised on differences between the value of assets (other than goodwill) and liabilities recognised in a business combination accounted for using the purchase method and the amounts that can be deducted or assessed for tax, considering the manner in which the carrying amount of the asset or liability is expected to be recovered or settled. The deferred tax recognised is adjusted against goodwill or negative goodwill.

The consolidated group financial statements consist of the financial statements of the parent company Hermes Care Ltd together with all entities controlled by the parent company (its subsidiaries).

All financial statements are made up to 31 March 2023. Where necessary, adjustments are made to the financial statements of subsidiaries to bring the accounting policies used into line with those used by other members of the group.

All intra-group transactions, balances and unrealised gains on transactions between group companies are eliminated on consolidation. Unrealised losses are also eliminated unless the transaction provides evidence of an impairment of the asset transferred.

Subsidiaries are consolidated in the group’s financial statements from the date that control commences until the date that control ceases.

At the time of approving the financial statements, the directors have a reasonable expectation that the group has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the directors continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.

Turnover is recognised at the fair value of the consideration received or receivable for goods and services provided in the normal course of business, and is shown net of VAT and other sales related taxes. The fair value of consideration takes into account trade discounts, settlement discounts and volume rebates.

When cash inflows are deferred and represent a financing arrangement, the fair value of the consideration is the present value of the future receipts. The difference between the fair value of the consideration and the nominal amount received is recognised as interest income.

Negative goodwill represents the excess of the fair value of net assets acquired over the cost of acquisition of a business. It is initially recognised as an asset at cost and is subsequently measured at cost less accumulated amortisation. Negative goodwill is considered to have a finite useful life and is amortised on a systematic basis over its expected life, which is 10 years..

Tangible fixed assets are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost or valuation, net of depreciation and any impairment losses.

Depreciation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following bases:

The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset, and is recognised in the profit and loss account.

Equity investments are measured at fair value through profit or loss, except for those equity investments that are not publicly traded and whose fair value cannot otherwise be measured reliably, which are recognised at cost less impairment until a reliable measure of fair value becomes available.

In the parent company financial statements, investments in subsidiaries, associates and jointly controlled entities are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost less any accumulated impairment losses.

A subsidiary is an entity controlled by the group. Control is the power to govern the financial and operating policies of the entity so as to obtain benefits from its activities.

At each reporting period end date, the group reviews the carrying amounts of its tangible and intangible assets to determine whether there is any indication that those assets have suffered an impairment loss. If any such indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset is estimated in order to determine the extent of the impairment loss (if any). Where it is not possible to estimate the recoverable amount of an individual asset, the company estimates the recoverable amount of the cash-generating unit to which the asset belongs.

The carrying amount of the investments accounted for using the equity method is tested for impairment as a single asset. Any goodwill included in the carrying amount of the investment is not tested separately for impairment.

Recoverable amount is the higher of fair value less costs to sell and value in use. In assessing value in use, the estimated future cash flows are discounted to their present value using a pre-tax discount rate that reflects current market assessments of the time value of money and the risks specific to the asset for which the estimates of future cash flows have not been adjusted.

If the recoverable amount of an asset (or cash-generating unit) is estimated to be less than its carrying amount, the carrying amount of the asset (or cash-generating unit) is reduced to its recoverable amount. An impairment loss is recognised immediately in profit or loss, unless the relevant asset is carried at a revalued amount, in which case the impairment loss is treated as a revaluation decrease.

Recognised impairment losses are reversed if, and only if, the reasons for the impairment loss have ceased to apply. Where an impairment loss subsequently reverses, the carrying amount of the asset (or cash-generating unit) is increased to the revised estimate of its recoverable amount, but so that the increased carrying amount does not exceed the carrying amount that would have been determined had no impairment loss been recognised for the asset (or cash-generating unit) in prior years. A reversal of an impairment loss is recognised immediately in profit or loss, unless the relevant asset is carried at a revalued amount, in which case the reversal of the impairment loss is treated as a revaluation increase.

Stocks are stated at the lower of cost and net realisable value.

Cash and cash equivalents are basic financial assets and include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities.

The group has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.

Financial instruments are recognised in the group's balance sheet when the group becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.

Financial assets and liabilities are offset and the net amounts presented in the financial statements when there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.

Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.

Financial assets, other than those held at fair value through profit and loss, are assessed for indicators of impairment at each reporting end date.

Financial assets are impaired where there is objective evidence that, as a result of one or more events that occurred after the initial recognition of the financial asset, the estimated future cash flows have been affected. If an asset is impaired, the impairment loss is the difference between the carrying amount and the present value of the estimated cash flows discounted at the asset’s original effective interest rate. The impairment loss is recognised in profit or loss.

If there is a decrease in the impairment loss arising from an event occurring after the impairment was recognised, the impairment is reversed. The reversal is such that the current carrying amount does not exceed what the carrying amount would have been, had the impairment not previously been recognised. The impairment reversal is recognised in profit or loss.

Financial assets are derecognised only when the contractual rights to the cash flows from the asset expire or are settled, or when the group transfers the financial asset and substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership to another entity, or if some significant risks and rewards of ownership are retained but control of the asset has transferred to another party that is able to sell the asset in its entirety to an unrelated third party.

Financial liabilities and equity instruments are classified according to the substance of the contractual arrangements entered into. An equity instrument is any contract that evidences a residual interest in the assets of the group after deducting all of its liabilities.

Basic financial liabilities, including creditors, bank loans, loans from fellow group companies and preference shares that are classified as debt, are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.

Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.

Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of business from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.

Financial liabilities are derecognised when the group's contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.

Equity instruments issued by the group are recorded at the proceeds received, net of transaction costs. Dividends payable on equity instruments are recognised as liabilities once they are no longer at the discretion of the group.

The tax expense represents the sum of the tax currently payable and deferred tax.

The tax currently payable is based on taxable profit for the year. Taxable profit differs from net profit as reported in the profit and loss account because it excludes items of income or expense that are taxable or deductible in other years and it further excludes items that are never taxable or deductible. The group’s liability for current tax is calculated using tax rates that have been enacted or substantively enacted by the reporting end date.

Deferred tax liabilities are generally recognised for all timing differences and deferred tax assets are recognised to the extent that it is probable that they will be recovered against the reversal of deferred tax liabilities or other future taxable profits. Such assets and liabilities are not recognised if the timing difference arises from goodwill or from the initial recognition of other assets and liabilities in a transaction that affects neither the tax profit nor the accounting profit.

The costs of short-term employee benefits are recognised as a liability and an expense, unless those costs are required to be recognised as part of the cost of stock or fixed assets.

The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.

Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the company is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.

Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due.

Leases are classified as finance leases whenever the terms of the lease transfer substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership to the lessees. All other leases are classified as operating leases.

Assets held under finance leases are recognised as assets at the lower of the assets fair value at the date of inception and the present value of the minimum lease payments. The related liability is included in the balance sheet as a finance lease obligation. Lease payments are treated as consisting of capital and interest elements. The interest is charged to profit or loss so as to produce a constant periodic rate of interest on the remaining balance of the liability.

Government grants are recognised at the fair value of the asset received or receivable when there is reasonable assurance that the grant conditions will be met and the grants will be received.

A grant that specifies performance conditions is recognised in income when the performance conditions are met. Where a grant does not specify performance conditions it is recognised in income when the proceeds are received or receivable. A grant received before the recognition criteria are satisfied is recognised as a liability.

In the application of the group’s accounting policies, the directors are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.

The estimates and assumptions which have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amount of assets and liabilities are as follows.

Land and buildings are stated at fair value based on a valuation provided by an independent professional. The valuer used observable market prices adjusted as necessary for any difference in the future use or condition of the specific asset. Further details are included in the fixed asset note.

The average monthly number of persons (including directors) employed by the group and company during the year was:

Their aggregate remuneration comprised:

The actual charge for the year can be reconciled to the expected charge for the year based on the profit or loss and the standard rate of tax as follows:

In addition to the amount charged to the profit and loss account, the following amounts relating to tax have been recognised directly in other comprehensive income:

The fair value of the land and buildings has been arrived at on the basis of a valuation carried out by Knight Frank (commercial property consultants) in June 2023, who are not connected with the company. The valuation was made using the profits method as this is the basis on which such properties are commonly bought or sold.

Under this method an estimate is made of fair maintainable trade using an estimated EBITDA and this is multiplied by an appropriate multiplier which has been selected based on multipliers used in sales of similar properties.

The nature of care homes is such that occupancy levels, residents needs and hence average fee levels and staff costs can fluctuate on a day to day basis. Assumptions have been made in the valuation as to what income is considered maintainable to allow for these fluctuations but by nature these assumptions are subject to estimation uncertainty.

Should the estimate of fair maintainable trade be out by 5% then the valuation would also be out by 5%.

The following assets are carried at valuation. If the assets were measured using the cost model, the carrying amounts would be as follows:

Details of the company's subsidiaries at 31 March 2023 are as follows:

Bank borrowings are secured by a charge on the company's freehold property and by a fixed and floating charge over the company's other assets.

At the year end, the group has 4 loans outstanding with the bank.

The group has drew down £2,368,535 over a term of 15 years. The interest rate is 2.10% above Bank of England rate and monthly repayments of £27,161 are due to be made.

The group has drew down £252,268 over a term of 15 years. The interest rate is 3.00% above Bank of England rate and monthly repayments of £5,401 are due to be made.

The group has drew down £359,835 over a term of 15 years. The interest rate is 2.10% above Bank of England rate and monthly repayments of £4,126 are due to be made.

The group has drew down £634,855 over a term of 15 years. The interest rate is 2.90% above Bank of England rate and monthly repayments of £7,343 are due to be made.

Finance lease payments represent rentals payable by the company or group for certain items of plant and machinery. Leases include purchase options at the end of the lease period, and no restrictions are placed on the use of the assets. The average lease term is 5 years. All leases are on a fixed repayment basis and no arrangements have been entered into for contingent rental payments.

The following are the major deferred tax liabilities and assets recognised by the group and company, and movements thereon:

The deferred tax liability set out above is expected to reverse in the next few years and relates to accelerated capital allowances that are expected to mature within the same period. The deferred tax due on the revaluation of the properties is expected to mature when the properties are sold.

A defined contribution pension scheme is operated for all qualifying employees. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the group in an independently administered fund.

The shares particulars allow the holders to full rights with regards to voting, participation and dividends.

Amounts contracted for but not provided in the financial statements: