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FY2018 Annual Report · Independence Holding Co.
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Inspiration Healthcare Group plc

2018 ANNUAL

REPORT
& FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Our vision

To improve patient outcomes in critical care.

Our mission

To develop outcome-enhancing products for intensive care patients and to promote these globally. 

We are passionate about improving patient outcomes through innovation, research and life-saving customer service.

Our values

As a company we strive to meet all of these values: 

Patient focused, Outcome changing, Pioneering, Research driven

Operational highlights

Market approval gained for three new products 
in Europe

First use of the rPAP in Austria on a 28 week 
gestation age baby, with a successful outcome

Increased investment in R&D to 6% of revenue

Significant investment in quality and regulatory 
resources to support the Company’s longer-term 
growth objectives

Strengthened group management with 
four senior appointments

New Business Management System implemented 
to enhance Quality Processes and Procedures

New Head Office with better R&D facilities 
opened near Gatwick Airport

inspiration-healthcare.comContents

1 Strategic Report

2 Governance

3 Financial 

Statements

  5   Chairman’s Report

31   Statement of Corporate 

49   Independent 

8  Our Business Strategy

14  Our Business Model

15   Chief Executive 
Officer’s Review

22   Operating and 

Financial Review

27   Principal Risks 

and Uncertainties

Governance

36   Audit Committee Report

38  Board of Directors

40  Directors’ Report

42   Directors’ Remuneration 

Report

47   Statement of Directors’ 

Responsibilities

Auditors’ Report 
 to the Members of  
Inspiration Healthcare Group plc

53   Consolidated Income 

Statement

54   Consolidated and 

Company Statement of 
Financial Position

55   Consolidated and 

Company Statement 
of Changes in  
 Shareholders’ Equity

56  Consolidated Cash 
Flow Statement

57   Notes forming part of 

the Financial Statements

4  Shareholder 

Information

91   Other Shareholder 

Information

  92  Advisers

93   Notice of Annual 
General Meeting

96   Notes to the Annual 
General Meeting

2018 Financial Highlights

Revenue up 8%

International revenue up

Revenue Growth

£15.5m

14% 

14th

consecutive year

Operating Profit up 4%1

EBITDA up 6%1 2

Strong cash position

£1.2m

£1.5m

£2.1m 

1 excluding 2017 exceptional items

2 earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation and share based payments

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 20181

Strategic 
Report

5  Chairman’s Report

  8  Our Business Strategy

 14  Our Business Model

 15  Chief Executive Officer’s Review

 22   Operating and Financial Review

 27  Principal Risks and Uncertainties

Did you know?
Inspiration Healthcare started 

trading as a distributor in the UK 

on 1st August 2003

inspiration-healthcare.comStrategic Report

5

Chairman’s Report

Welcome to the third annual report of Inspiration 
Healthcare Group plc. Again, I am extremely pleased 
to announce that our Group continues to grow and 
evolve as a global supplier of medical equipment.

The Group’s revenue rose to a record £15.5 million 
for the year ended 31st January 2018 (“2018”) 
(2017: £14.3 million) representing a rise of 8% 
over the previous year.

“  Revenue growth was in 

line with expectations 
and was achieved both 
internationally and 

domestically ”

This is the second full year as an enlarged Group 
on the Alternative Investment Market and shows 
the progress made as the Group thrives and 
continues to invest in its staff and infrastructure 
as revenues increase. Having discontinued the 
acquired Inditherm Industrial business when the 
factory was closed at the end of January 2017, 
we are now fully focussed as a medical device 
company. 

Revenue growth was in line with expectations 
and was achieved both internationally and 
domestically, and we are encouraged that the NHS 
continues to choose our products ahead of our 
competitors. We have had particularly good growth 
of our Critical Care products in Europe. 

As we have previously indicated, we expected 
our revenue to grow and our profits to remain 
at similar levels to last year as we invest in our 
business. Our Operating Profit was in line with our 
expectations at £1.2 million (2017: £1.2 million) 
with EBITDA1 improving by 6% from £1.4 million 

1  Earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation, amortisation 

and share based payments

2  EPS before significant prior year tax recoveries in 2018 and 

for 2017, before exceptional items

to £1.5 million. We will continue to invest in the 
areas of our business that fundamentally underpin 
our strategies for growth as we believe this is the 
best use of resources at this stage of the Group’s 
development. Underlying diluted Earnings per 
Share (“EPS”)2 is up 3% to 3.5 pence per share.

We have made significant progress in relation to 
the regulatory changes that are happening within 
the medical device industry. Last year, I mentioned 
that regulatory requirements are becoming more 
stringent in our industry and rightly so – medical 
devices need to be fundamentally safe as well as 
effective. The tightening of these regulations has 
led to some delays in new products coming to 
market. However, with the investment we have 
made in our people and across the business, we 
now have a more robust business management 
system to allow us to develop and launch new 
products which are compliant with the new 
regulatory requirements. We are in a strong 
position to benefit from this investment over the 
next two to three years.

In March we were pleased to be able to have 
Henry Smith MP open our new corporate head 
office in Crawley. The new 4,800 sq ft facility has 
improved areas for R&D and meeting space for 
customers and is close to Gatwick airport allowing 
for easy access for customers, suppliers and staff.

Mark Abrahams  Non-executive Chairman

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018Strategic Report6

Chairman’s Report continued

Employees
Yet again we are indebted to our staff who have 
made a significant contribution in a year of great 
challenge and immense change. To maintain 
revenue growth, as the Group has continued 
to invest and challenge its internal processes, 
is testament to the fantastic people we have in 
the Group. It is very difficult to grow a business 
without losing the ethos of the Group, but I am 
delighted to say that every one of the staff I have 
personally met is completely behind our corporate 
philosophy of putting the patient first. The drive  
to improve outcomes for patients is inherent in  
all our staff and it continues to propel our  
business forward.

We have attracted high calibre staff to join our 
team over the past year and we are seeing 
the benefits of this as we change the business 
processes to align with the new Regulatory and 
Quality Systems that we have to adhere to and to 
our plans for future growth.

Given the changes within the business I would like 
to give, on behalf of the entire Board, my sincere 
thanks to all our employees for their dedication 
throughout the year. 

Outlook
At the end of the year we obtained market approval 
in the European Union for some exciting new 
products and we expect them to gain traction in 
their markets over the next couple of years. Some 
of these innovative and disruptive technologies 
may take longer to fully penetrate the market as an 
evidence base is created for their clinical impact. 
The early signs of acceptance are very good and 
give us an indication of their potential contribution 
to the success of the Group in the future.

Last year we continued to invest in our business 
and its core competencies, including increasing 
our R&D spend by over 40% to approximately 
6% of revenue. We intend to continue to invest in 
R&D and regulatory expertise as we believe that 
this will stand us in good stead going forward to 
create market ready products more efficiently. We 
are evaluating the method and timing for us to 
penetrate the US market once our product offerings 
have gained clearance from the FDA (Food and 
Drug Administration).

The impact of Brexit, as with most companies, 
remains to be fully understood. Based upon 
general practice around the world we believe 
our products are unlikely to incur any trade 
tariffs, but clearly changes in import and export 
documentation and logistics could increase costs. 
We will continually monitor this and develop plans 
for our business as the situation clarifies. 

As previously described the tougher regulatory 
environment will again slow the process of 
product launches however, as the year unfolds, 
we increasingly expect to turn this challenge into a 
competitive advantage. We expect to continue our 
growth trend in the coming year, although it will 
again be characterised by investment in product 
development and strengthening of our resources, 
enabling us to move through the next stages  
of expansion.

We are optimistic about the potential for our 
business over the next few years and, accordingly, 
plan to reinvest the growth in profits to benefit 
future years.

The underlying strength of the business is starting 
to show through improving EBITDA and we expect 
to show some progress in the coming year. In 
future years, as new products are launched we 
anticipate a favourable impact on margins.

Mark Abrahams
Chairman

24 April 2018

inspiration-healthcare.comStrategic Report

77

Research 
driven

“  Working with companies like Inspiration 

Healthcare, who are interested in 
supporting research to help answer 

important clinical questions ”

Making a difference together

When Professor Eugene Dempsey at Cork University Maternity 
Hospital (Ireland) and the INFANT Research Centre, Cork approached 
us to see if we could lend him a LifeStart to enable him to conduct a 
clinical trial into three different cord clamping strategies for premature 
infants, we were delighted to help.

“Understanding the best strategy to manage the pre-term infant 
immediately after birth includes optimising the time when the cord 
should be clamped.” says Professor Dempsey. “We needed a platform 
that could be moved next to the mother and a method of maintaining 
the baby’s temperature, so we were delighted when Inspiration said 
they would lend us a LifeStart and CosyTherm.”

“The trial involved 45 babies of under 32 weeks gestational age and 
concluded that Delayed Cord Clamping with bedside resuscitation 
is feasible without maternal or neonatal adverse effects, and future 
appropriately powered trials are warranted.” continued Professor 
Dempsey. “Working with companies like Inspiration Healthcare, who 
are interested in supporting research to help answer important clinical 
questions shows how academia and industry can together make a 
difference and improve patient outcomes for these very fragile babies.”

Eugene Dempsey is Professor of Neonatal Medicine at University 
College Cork, a Consultant Neonatologist at Cork University 
Maternity Hospital and a Principal Investigator at the INFANT 
Research Centre (www.infantcentre.ie) 

Professor Eugene Dempsey

Cork University Maternity Hospital 

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018Strategic ReportStrategic Report8

Our Business Strategy

“  To supply outcome-enhancing products for 

intensive care patients and to promote these 
globally. We are passionate about improving 
patient outcomes through innovation, research 

and life-saving customer service ”

Our Business 
At Inspiration Healthcare Group plc, we 
differentiate ourselves on our ability to supply 
outcome improving medical devices in the areas 
of neonatal intensive care and patient warming. 
Our products in the UK and Ireland are supported 
by 24/7 Clinical and Technical Support which 
differentiates us from our competitors.

The patient focussed ethos drives our business to 
not only supply these innovative medical devices to 
meet our customers’ needs but also to add value to 
our customers through life-saving customer service 
and Technical Support. Where geographically we 
do not have a direct sales operation, we choose 
distribution partners who have a similar ethos to 
us, bringing together their core values with ours.

Most of our staff are customer facing, in sales, 
marketing, customer service or Technical Support. 
By heavily focussing on our customers’ needs we 
are instantly aligned with not only the current best 
practice in the fields we operate in, but also their 
future needs. With manufacturing outsourced and 
largely self-sustaining, we can use our energies 
and resources to find the latest technologies to 
develop into new products that will become the 
norm of clinical practice in future years.

Our Products
The majority of our own branded products are used 
in the first few days of life. It has been part of our 
strategy to focus on this area of clinical need as we 
feel that it is here where the right technology can 
have the greatest effect on the patient outcome. 

The clinical applications diagram (see page 10) 
shows a representation of where six of our own 
branded products can be used in the acute hospital 

setting and, depending on the progress of the 
baby, our products could have had a profoundly 
positive effect on the child’s outcome within the 
first few days of life. Coupled with this, in the UK 
and Ireland, we complement our products with 
Distributed products which can add to the patient’s 
care pathway and add value to our sales call.

In addition to the neonatal products, we have our 
own brand of patient warming system that can be 
used in other parts of the hospital, mainly in the 
operating theatre. There is a natural overlap in the 
operating theatres for maternity, where pregnant 
mothers can be kept warm prior to and during a 
caesarean section, on our Alpha system. The baby 
can then be delivered onto a LifeStart with a warm 
mattress from the same system. 

The latest design of our patient warming system 
makes it ideal for the entire peri-operative period. 
Keeping patients normothermic whilst they undergo 
surgery is complex as well as vital. Patients 
suffering from hypothermia can have serious 
complications which will lead to lengthened hospital 
stays thus leading to increased costs to the care 
provider and a poorer outcome for the patient. We 
have a pipeline of future developments in this field 
where we feel we can add value in other areas of 
the acute setting to improve patient outcomes.

Our Domestic sales team, covering UK and Ireland, 
has some of the best technology in the world 
available to them that complement and supplement 
each other and our branded products. A broad 
product portfolio that allows the sales team to 
engage with customers on a regular basis, is a key 
advantage. Buying decisions can often take more 
than a year and relationships need to be built over 
time based on trust. Our team works closely with 
all clinical staff to ensure that the products we offer 
meet the needs of their patients.

inspiration-healthcare.com9

Additionally, we distribute a range of infusion 
technology products and have been highly 
successful in the niche area of Parenteral feeding 
for homecare patients in our Domestic market.  
This highly specialised and growing area has 
allowed us to gain invaluable experience in a 
different environment and we are looking to 
leverage the other products in the range.

Our product strategy continues to build upon 
that of previous years; we will actively look for 
therapeutic solutions with an element of capital 
equipment which we can enhance with planned 
preventative maintenance contracts, along with 
complementary consumable medical devices. 

In our product portfolio we have both own branded 
and distributed products:

Inspiration Branded Products 

Inspiration Branded products demonstrate our 
sector expertise and allow us broader market 
access. Here we have a combination of:

Own Intellectual Property:
›   Products where we control the intellectual 

property, know-how, manufacturing rights and 
the design. This gives us control of the product 
design, the costs and the route to market. In the 
year ended 31 January 2018 we invested 6.2% 
(2017: 4.4%) of our revenue in this area.

And

Shared Intellectual Property:
›   Products for which we have exclusive worldwide 

licenses and are manufactured under our 
Inspiration brand. For these products the design, 
IP and regulatory status is owned by a 3rd party 
with whom we have a close partnership.

Develop synergies through Distribution Channels
Existing Products 

Existing Markets

Invest in New Product Development
New Products 

Existing Markets

Gain Regulatory Clearance
Existing Products 

New Markets

Expand Sales Channel & Promote The Brand
New Products 

New Markets

Distributed Products

These are products that do not carry the 
Inspiration brand and for which we have an 
agreed relationship with the manufacturer to sell 
their products in certain territories, mainly UK 
and Ireland. These products may earn lower gross 
margins than our branded products but need 
less capital and typically generate revenue more 
quickly. Distributed products complement our 
own branded product portfolio and add value to 
our customer proposition as we can offer a more 
comprehensive product range. We will continue 
to look opportunistically to add more Distributed 
products into our product portfolio where they can 
add value to the rest of the product range.

All of our products in the UK and Ireland are 
supplemented by our Technical Support team. 
Being able to offer a comprehensive Technical 
Support programme is essential to underpinning 
our value proposition of customer service and 
patient focus. The wide range of products ensure 
that our Technical Support team have all the skills 
required to support our customers. This also gives 
us the flexibility of adding new products into the 
portfolio quickly and efficiently. 

Our Technology 
Our investment in R&D has steadily grown over the 
past few years and we now have a stronger team 
in place to develop the technology that we can take 
to market worldwide. We have concentrated our 
developments in recent years on two key areas: 
patient warming with our new warming system that 
can warm up to five accessories at one time, and 
the first few moments of life with the Inspire rPAP 
and LifeStart. Over the forthcoming years we will 
continue to invest in our Neonatal range to improve 
outcomes of fragile babies and complement this with 
enhancing features of our patient warming offering.

Raising our profile within the research community 
has always been something we have done. It often 
follows that product ideas come from this extremely 
well-informed group of physicians. 

New technology with novel features allows us 
to add to the value proposition of our products, 
helping differentiate from our competitors and 
potentially disrupt the market. We expect to see 
margin improvements through new products and 
increased growth.

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018Strategic ReportStrategic Report10

Our Products – Clinical Applications

Inspiration branded products help patients in the critical care area. The applications below show how 
our products can help from a pregnant mother needing a caesarean section through to the baby being 
assessed, supported, treated and leaving the hospital with a positive outcome.

1

Alpha Patient Warming System
Maintaining the temperature of a pregnant mother 
during caesarean section may improve outcomes.

“A resistive warming mattress reduced  
the incidence of inadvertent perioperative  
hypothermia and attenuated the fall in  
haemoglobin. The use of resistive mattress  
warming should be considered during  
caesarean section.”

The effects of resistive warming mattress during  
caesarean section: a randomised controlled trial.  
Chakladar et al. Int J Obstet Anesth 2014

3

Inspire rPAP
If the baby needs help to 
breathe, air / oxygen must  
be carefully delivered.

“Compared with T-piece systems, 
the new system had a marked 
reduction in iWOB (imposed Work 
Of Breathing) in bench tests. 
The feasibility trial did not reveal 
problems with usability or safety.”

Initial stabilisation of preterm infants: 
a new resuscitation system with low 
imposed work of breathing for use with 
face mask or nasal prongs.  
Donaldsson et al. Arch Dis Child Fetal 
Neonatal Ed. 2017

Caesarean Section

›

Birth

›

Stabilisation / Resuscitation

›

2

LifeStart / CosyTherm
The baby’s health can be 
assessed before the umbilical 
cord is clamped.

“Families were positive about 
neonatal care being provided at the 
bedside, and felt it gave reassurance 
about their baby’s health and care. 
They also reported feeling involved 
as a family.”

Providing immediate neonatal care and 
resuscitation at birth beside the mother: 
parents’ views, a qualitative study.  
Sawyer et al. BMJ Open 2015

inspiration-healthcare.com11

5

Unique CFM / Unique+ CFM
If the baby has had a prolonged resuscitation 
they may need a more comprehensive 
neurological assessment to see whether there 
is a potential for brain damage.

“The implementation of  
amplitude-integrated  
electroencephalography (aEEG)  
has enhanced the neurological  
monitoring of critically ill infants.”

Using amplitude-integrated EEG in  
neonatal intensive care.  
Tao J & Mathur A. J Perinatol 2010

›

Non-invasive Respiratory Support

›

Neurological Assessment

›

›

Treating Brain Injury

›

4

Inspire nCPAP
Once the baby’s breathing is stable, a longer 
term respiratory support system can be used.

“Non-invasive support of preterm infants with 
respiratory distress is an evidenced-based strategy to 
decrease the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia. 
Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the only  
non-invasive strategy with sufficient evidence to 
support its use in acute respiratory distress syndrome.”

Non-invasive Support: Does It Really Decrease  
Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia?  
Wright C & Polin R. Clin Perinatol 2016

6

Tecotherm Neo
If there is a risk of damage to the baby’s 
brain, therapeutic hypothermia can be 
used to reduce the potential injury.

“Induction of moderate hypothermia for 72 hours 
in infants who had perinatal asphyxia did not 
significantly reduce the combined rate of death 
or severe disability but resulted in improved 
neurological outcomes in survivors.”

Initial stabilisation of preterm infants: Moderate 
hypothermia to treat perinatal asphyxia encephalopathy.  
Azzopardi et al. N Eng J Med 2009

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018Strategic ReportStrategic Report12

Our Business Strategy continued

Distribution 
Partner

Own Brand  
Products

End User 
Hospital

Our Markets 
We are privileged to work in markets that involve 
trying to save the lives of some of the most 
fragile patients. Over 15 million babies are born 
prematurely every year (1 in 10 live births) and 
globally this number is rising. Complications from 
preterm births are the leading cause of deaths in 
children under 5 and are estimated to cause over 
1 million deaths in 2015 (Source: World Health 
Organisation). In the European Union and USA a 
combined 9 million babies are born, approximately 
1 in 10 need help breathing at birth and 1 in 9 
are premature. Not all babies who are premature 
need resuscitation and not all babies who are 
resuscitated are premature.

In addition, we have an interesting market of 
patient warming during surgery. According to the 
Royal College of Surgeons there was a 27% rise in 
the number of surgical admissions in the UK over 
the 10 years to 2014 to 4.7 million and according 
to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in 
the USA in 2010 there were around 51 million ‘in 
patient’ surgical procedures. 

These two areas of neonatal intensive care and 
patient warming form our strategic focus for new 
product development. We believe that the markets 
remain strong and attractive to a Group our size 
with good growth potential and a customer base 
that is prepared to pay for products that will reduce 
hospital stays and improve patient outcomes, as 
well as the overall patient experience.

We sell directly into the UK and Ireland 
(“Domestic”) and partner with established 
independent distributors in the rest of the world. 
This model gives us the best of both worlds as 
we can develop and support the direct market, 
giving access to Key Opinion Leaders (“KOL”) 
and first-hand product feedback via a team of 
clinical sales people. In other markets we can 
use local knowledge and expertise of like-minded 
distributors who can sell our products alongside 

others in their portfolio adding value to their 
customers the way we do domestically.

In all international markets, regulations are 
becoming more onerous. It is important that we 
have an expert team to help work with distributors 
so that localisation of products, be that translations 
of instructions, and other labels, or any specific 
regulatory requirements are met. This is an 
important blend of skills and expertise between 
local distributors, to provide intimate market 
knowledge, and our own sales, marketing and 
regulatory team to ensure the products are fit for 
the market and ensure local compliance.

Market Sectors
Inspiration Healthcare has always been able to 
identify products that will fulfil a customer need, 
improve patient outcomes and bring them to 
market. This has led us to be considered a leader 
in technology for many of our customers. 

Over the last few years we have focussed our 
attention on products which improve medical 
outcomes around the first few days of life and 
which are able to help the most fragile of patients: 
premature and sick babies. We have also found 
technology that can cross into different clinical 
areas, such as the patient warming system that 
can be used with premature babies, keeping them 
warm when they cannot truly thermoregulate 
themselves; as well as in the Operating Theatre, 
where the same technology can be used to keep 
patients warm before, after and during surgery.

Inspiration Branded and Distributed products are 
sold in three market sectors as described below. 

Market Sectors

Product Category

Own Brand 

Distributed

Critical Care

Operating Theatre

Home Healthcare

•
•

•
•
•

inspiration-healthcare.com13

“  In the year ended 

31 January 2018 
we invested 6.2% of 
our revenue into new 

product development ”

world which come under increasing pressure 
during economic downturns or uncertain times. 
Our growth is enhanced by introducing new and 
innovative capital products which in turn generate 
further revenue from spares and after-market 
support. In particular, our product range includes:

›   Capital Equipment: Typically, a piece of capital 
equipment will cost in excess of £1,000 and 
used in a hospital for more than 2 years. It 
would be used on many patients during that 
time with appropriate cleaning and disinfection 
between use, as well as planned preventative 
maintenance. Our capital range includes our own 
brand of the Tecotherm, Alpha Patient Warming 
Systems, Unique CFM and LifeStart. These 
products are complemented in the UK and Ireland 
by a range of Distributed products including 
ventilators and infusion pumps.

›   Consumable Medical Devices: Consumable 
products are designed for single use by one 
patient. Sometimes they can stay with a patient 
for a few minutes, sometimes longer than 
a week, but are never used from patient to 
patient and are not reprocessed. Our own range 
of consumables is headlined by the Inspire 
range (both nCPAP and rPAP). We distribute 
a range of other neonatal consumables as 
well as disposables that link directly to our 
capital range. This is most obvious in the 
Micrel parenteral feeding range where a new 
consumable is needed every time the patient 
uses the pump.

›   Technical Support: A range of service options 
from planned preventative maintenance, to ad 
hoc repairs along with the selling of spare parts 
and training courses.

›   Critical Care: our largest business area. 
The main source of revenue comes from 
the Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU). 
Products for premature and sick babies include 
our Inspire range (non-invasive respiratory 
support), Tecotherm Neo (for thermo-regulation) 
and LifeStart (for optimal cord clamping). 
Additionally, in the UK we complement 
these with a range of Distributed products 
including ventilators, incubators and a range of 
consumable products. In adult intensive care we 
have helped pioneer extra-corporeal ventilation 
as well as making available other more novel 
ventilation products.

›   Operating Theatre: We are currently in the 
process of re-developing the entire product 
range to bring it up to date and in line with the 
latest needs for surgical practices. We see this 
as an area with great potential. We complement 
these products in the UK and Ireland with jet 
ventilators, cardiac surgery perfusion products 
and pain management systems.

›   Home Healthcare: This is an important area 

for our business and allows us to gain different 
expertise working alongside the companies that 
help support NHS patients in the community. 
Our mainstay in this area is products for 
parenteral feeding although we also supply 
products that are used in other non-critical care 
areas of the hospital. Last year the Inditherm 
Industrial business was included in the Home 
Healthcare sector (2017 revenue: £0.1 million). 
As mentioned previously the Industrial business 
was discontinued at the end of last year.

The revenue of each of these sectors is discussed 
in the Operating and Financial Review set on pages 
22 to 25.

Revenue Streams
Our business model includes revenue streams 
from the sale of capital items and consumables as 
well as from Technical Support. Both consumable 
and Technical Support are recurring albeit not 
necessarily contractual. Each of our market sectors 
described above has an element of all three 
different revenue streams. 64% of our revenue in 
2018 was recurring. Our business is less reliant 
on capital budgets in health systems around the 

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018Strategic ReportStrategic Report14

Our Business Model

“To supply outcome-enhancing products for intensive care patients and to 
promote these globally. We are passionate about improving patient outcomes 
through innovation, research and life-saving customer service.”

› Empathy

› Clinical Support  
and Service

› Experience and Knowledge  
of the clinical need

› Trusted Supplier

›

› Clinical Need

› Academic Research  
with KoLs

› Staff knowledge

› Regulatory Changes

› Technology leading

›

Differentiate by 
Customer Focus 

Define  
Proposition

£

Income  
Generation

Create  
Proposition

›

› Sale of Equipment

›

› Sale of Consumables

› After Sales Service  
and Spare Parts

› Export to distributors

› OEM to partners

› Offer a Range  
of Products

› Source Products (3rd Party)

› Research & Development

› Regulatory Compliance

› Clinical Advantage

inspiration-healthcare.comChief Executive Officer’s Review

15

“  I would like to thank everyone for coming together 

to realise another year of organic revenue growth. 
This is the 14th year in succession that Inspiration 

Healthcare has grown ”

This year has been a challenging year in many 
ways and I am proud of what we have achieved  
as a Group. An underlying revenue growth of  
9%1 was due to a lot of hard work across the 
Group and a tenacious effort from our sales team. 
I would like to thank everyone for coming together 
to realise another year of organic revenue growth. 
This is the 14th year in succession that Inspiration 
Healthcare (first as a private company and since 
2015 as a public company) has grown. We have 
always been profitable and cash generative from 
operations. Delivering new products from our own 
Research and Development is something relatively 
new to us, and we have market approval in Europe 
for two new products developed in house and 
a third developed with a partner, a tremendous 
achievement in a year of change.

We have considerably strengthened the depth  
and skills of our management team with 4 key  
appointments during the year, all bringing 
experience in medical device technology: Simon 
Travers joined us as Head of Quality Assurance 
and Regulatory Affairs, John Nash is our new Head 
of Marketing, Dr Wei Yu heads up our R&D team 
and Jon Ballard came on board as Group Financial 
Controller. We are pleased to have managed to 
attract these talented individuals to our business 
and look forward to the contribution they will make.

The year started with investing more heavily in our 
Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs function 
due to the rapidly changing regulatory environment 
enveloping the medical device industry. Not 
only has the scrutiny increased considerably 
for placing devices on the market, within the 

1 Excluding 2017 Inditherm Industrial Revenue (£0.1 million)

European framework, we are now in transition for 
compliance to several new pieces of legislation 
over the next two to three years. This investment in 
people and systems, as well as infrastructure, was 
a sound decision and over the past 12 months we 
have developed and implemented robust systems 
which will be a platform for future expansion. We 
expect to see the results of this investment over 
the next two to three years as we obtain market 
approval for new products in new markets and 
they gain traction. 

We have invested heavily in the management 
team, product development and regulatory, quality 
and compliance, whilst still maintaining our profit 
as planned. 

Neil Campbell  Chief Executive Officer

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018Strategic ReportStrategic Report16

Chief Executive Officer’s Review continued

“  We will continue to invest in our Neonatal 

range to improve outcomes of fragile babies and 
complement this with enhancing features of our 

patient warming offering ”

Sales & Marketing
We continue to see strong demand for the products 
we sell in both the UK and in international markets. 
Whilst there is always some risk with new products 
in new markets, it is pleasing that the NHS is 
actively looking for novel technologies to help 
improve outcomes and reduce patient costs. 

In the UK, our revenue was bolstered by capital 
sales of ventilators. These orders had been 
worked on for many months and these came 
across the country from hospitals in London, 
Northern Ireland and Scotland. The UK market 
continues to be strong for our product range and 
although the timing of orders from the NHS can 
be unpredictable, they are our most important 
customer. A real highlight is the continuing 
growth of sales of parenteral feeding products 
in the UK where we lead the market with our 
Distributed products from Micrel Medical Devices 
SA (“Micrel”).

Our international business continues to do well 
despite challenges with competition, increased 
regulatory hurdles and pricing pressures from 
health systems around the world. Our distribution 
partners have worked tirelessly in these 
challenging conditions and we thank them for  
their hard work. Managing to grow by 14% in  
this environment is a tremendous achievement  
by all concerned.

We maintain our relationship with ‘Thought 
Leaders’ in neonatal intensive care by attending 
important scientific meetings such as the Pediatric 
Academic Society (PAS) in the USA and Joint 
European Neonatal Societies (JENS) meeting in 
Europe. These scientific meetings not only act 
as a sales platform for existing products but also 
allow us to understand where our markets are 
moving to. Additionally, meetings like Medica and 
Arab Health offer a different perspective on the 
business to business side where we can meet new 
distribution partners and review opportunities with 
existing partners. We were pleased to be able to be 
the organiser and main sponsor of the NeoResus 
meeting in the UK, an international meeting 
bringing together KOLs in the field of optimising 
cord clamping and resuscitation where we are 
supporting this exciting area of clinical research.

Research and Development
As promised last year, we have significantly 
increased our investment in R&D by over 40% to 
6% of revenue and delivered three new products  
to the market, albeit later than first anticipated 
due to additional verification and validation work 
required for regulatory approvals. This made us 
stop, re-evaluate our technical documentation 
and further challenge ourselves to make the 
processes more robust. Despite these challenges 
we are pleased that working with our development 
partners we gained market approval for new 
products into the European Union. 

inspiration-healthcare.com17

New Product 
Development

Clinical Need
Key Opinion Leaders
Academic Research

Customer Need
User likes/dislikes
Pricing/Value

Regulatory Input
Regulatory Changes
International Standards

Technology Input
Novel Materials
Manufacturing capabilities

Company Expertise
Market knowledge
Skills & Experience

With our Inspire rPAP system and the extra 
features of our latest version of the LifeStart, we 
have aligned the future of new-born resuscitation 
with high quality gas delivery on a stable platform 
that can be used to resuscitate by the mother and 
when the cord is clamped. We can also provide 
warming for a pregnant mother during a caesarean 
section improving the outcome. We look forward  
to building the momentum for these products in 
the market.

We have invested more in the team by recruiting 
people with greater experience of medical device 
research and development engineering. By bringing 
in extra expertise we have improved the processes 

and procedures for design and development, 
transfer to manufacture and project management 
aligning them with future changes to regulatory 
requirements around the world in our key markets.

Our focus on neonatal intensive care and patient 
warming allows us to develop expertise in these 
areas. For example, understanding how a patient’s 
treatment pathway evolves through their stay for 
potentially three months in a Neonatal Intensive 
Care Unit (“NICU”), helps our engineers develop 
products that have an empathy for the environment 
in which they will be used.

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018Strategic ReportStrategic Report18

Chief Executive Officer’s Review continued

Logistics and Operations
Our supply chain and customer service team are 
based in our Leicestershire facility alongside our 
Technical Support centre. Being located towards 
the centre of the country gives us a great place 
from which to offer our 24/7 customer service. 
Delivering Life Support equipment within a matter 
of hours to anywhere in the UK helps differentiate 
us from most medical device supply companies 
and it is especially rewarding when we hear that 
our customer service and technology have helped 
save someone’s life.

Growing the business, including now shipping to 
over 50 countries, has placed increasing demands 
on our supply chain function and I am proud of 
how the team has performed.

Brexit
The impact of Brexit remains to be fully understood. 
The Board has recently undertaken a review and 
feels that whilst there is uncertainty regarding 
the outcome of negotiations, our business should 
be largely unaffected. We await information from 
the UK Government on any changes to the UK’s 
relationship with the European Union with regard 
to medical devices and are planning for various 
outcomes. The Board has put in place a team to 
develop and implement a strategy for Brexit with a 
particular focus on logistics.

Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs
During the year we implemented a new Business 
Management System. It is especially pleasing to see 
the whole Group get behind changes to our quality 
system and ensuring it is adopted comprehensively 
across the business. We also invested in document 
control software which will help with compliance 
as well as making our systems more efficient. This 
system is fully implemented, and we are starting to 
see the benefits from it already.

A strong culture of quality and compliance is key 
to our future. It has been mentioned earlier that 
regulations are becoming more stringent in our 
industry and overall this is probably overdue and a 
good thing. The number of Notified Bodies (those 
companies who can assess products and quality 
management systems to ensure they meet the 
requirements of the European Union) has reduced 
dramatically in recent years, which has constrained 
resources available to all companies to have 
products assessed. We work with TUV Süd, one of 
the largest European Notified Bodies. They regularly 
audit our processes and procedures to determine 
whether they are compliant to the standards we 
need to meet. 

Three major pieces of legislation are being 
brought in at the same time: in the European 
Union, the new Medical Devices Regulation 
replaces the Medical Device Directive (by 2020 all 
medical devices must be compliant to these new 
regulations); we also have the new version of the 
Quality Management Standard ISO13485:2016 
which medical device companies must adopt 
and be certificated to by the end of 2019; and 
finally, the Medical Device Single Audit Programme 
becomes compulsory in some markets by 2019. 
We are working towards compliance to all of 
these pieces of legislation, before they become 
compulsory, giving us competitive advantage over 
companies that are not as prepared as we are.

inspiration-healthcare.comStrategic Report

19

Acquisitions
The Board has a strategic ambition to acquire 
complementary businesses. Given the nature 
of the markets in which we operate there are 
opportunities to acquire both private companies 
from owners who are looking to exit and from 
large multinationals looking to divest non-core 
businesses. The Board has identified a number of 
targets which offer a strategic fit and will continue 
to seek out opportunities in order to add scale to 
our business and improve our product portfolio  
and skill set. Over the past year we have looked  
at a number of targets and will do so on an 
ongoing basis.

Dividend
During the last year we concluded a capital 
reduction relating to the historic losses of the 
Inditherm business. The process, although rather 
‘mechanical’ was vital to be able to clear the way to 
be able to create distributable reserves. No dividend 
is proposed currently as our strategy is to reinvest 
earnings to drive future growth, but this will be kept 
under review.

“  We have invested 

heavily in the 
management team, 
product development 
and regulatory, quality 
and compliance, whilst 
still maintaining our 

profit as planned ”

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018Strategic Report20

Chief Executive Officer’s Review continued

Key Performance Indicators

The Directors have monitored the performance of the Group with particular reference to the relevant key 
performance indicators (KPI’s) which are set out below:

Revenue growth %1

Proportion of revenue from international markets %2

Revenue from Inspiration Healthcare branded products %

Gross margin %

R&D % of Revenue (net of grant income)

Operating margin (before exceptional items) %

Underlying EPS3

Asset turnover ratio (times, total assets)

2018

8

%

31

%

45

%

44

%

6 
8

% 
%

3.5

p

2.1

x

2017

9

%

29

%

45

%

44

%

4 
8

% 
%

3.4

p

2.3

x

1 9% if exclude industrial revenue that was discontinued when the ex-Inditherm factory was closed in January 2017

2 Excludes Ireland as reported in Domestic revenue

3 EPS before significant prior year tax recoveries in 2018 and for 2017, before exceptional items

These Key Performance Indicators have been 
chosen by the Directors as those that measure the 
key elements of the Group’s performance towards 
the achievement of the Group’s strategy.

During 2018 margins were maintained and 
revenue from international markets increased from 
29% to 31%, reflecting strong growth in European 
and Middle Eastern countries. R&D investment 
increased substantially in line with our strategy 
announced last year.

I would like to thank my Board, Executive team 
and all my colleagues across Inspiration Healthcare 
for their continued commitment and hard work 
in supplying life-saving medical devices to the 
NHS and increasing international markets and 
especially for the extra work this year to implement 
new, rigorous regulations. I am confident we 
have the right people, investment approach and 
M&A Strategy to continue to improve patient 
outcomes globally, delivering growth and value 
for colleagues, customers and shareholders in the 
years ahead.

Neil Campbell
Chief Executive Officer

24 April 2018

inspiration-healthcare.com21

Outcome 
changing

“  With such a wide range of products the 

warehouse is always busy, sending small 
products like sucrose to help relieve a 

new-born baby’s pain ”

Logistics and despatch

Tim Blott has worked for Inspiration for 8 years. 
Starting with the Group as the Warehouseman, 
Tim has watched the Group grow, the product mix 
change and now as Warehouse Manager he also 
has responsibility for Quality Control of the goods 
entering and leaving the company.

“Inspiration is a great business to work for,” says 
Tim. “with such a wide range of products the 
warehouse is always busy, sending small products 
like sucrose to help relieve a new-born baby’s 
pain, through to shipping a life-support Ventilator 
to save someone’s life. No two orders are the  
same and to ship our products around the world 
knowing they will help a very sick patient is 
extremely rewarding.”

Tim is also involved in the emergency delivery of 
equipment. “No-one likes getting woken up in the 
middle of the night, but if I can help get a product 
to a patient that will change the outcome and keep 
someone alive then it’s a small price to pay.”

Tim Blott

Warehouse Manager

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018Strategic ReportStrategic Report22

Operating and Financial Review

Revenue
The overall performance of the Group was in line 
with expectations at £15.5 million up from £14.3 
million in 2017.

In a year where the launch of in-house developed 
products was delayed due to increased regulatory 
requirements, it is pleasing to be able to deliver an 
8% growth in revenue, with our sales resources 
focusing on the existing product portfolio. As 
previously reported, revenues were weighted 
towards the second half (“H2”) with the first half 
(“H1”) slightly up on H1 2017, whereas H2 
revenues grew by 15%.

International revenue growth was 14%, partially 
boosted by exchange rate movements, with 
particularly strong growth in Europe and the 
Middle East. Domestic revenue growth was 
stronger than anticipated, being 6% up year 
on year, with sales of capital items within the 
Distributed product range performing well in the 
second half. 

Our revenue grew by 8% during the year ended 
31 January 2018 (“2018”) to £15.5 million with 
good growth being achieved both domestically 
and internationally. Excluding revenue from the 
discontinued industrial business in 2017, the 
growth in 2018 was 9%.

“  In a year where the 

launch of in-house 
developed products 
was delayed due to 
increased regulatory 
requirements, it is 
pleasing to be able to 
deliver an 8% growth  

in revenue ”

Underlying EBITDA1 increased by 6% to £1.5 
million (2017: £1.4 million). Operating profit 
was £1.20 million (2017: £1.16 million, before 
exceptional items) up 4% and marginally ahead 
of expectations. Operating margin for 2018 was 
7.8%, slightly down on prior year (2017: 8.1%) 
as anticipated. Profit after tax was £1.2 million, up 
£0.9 million on 2017. Undiluted EPS was 4.0p 
per share (2017: 1.0p). Underlying diluted EPS2 
was up 3% to 3.5p per share (2017: 3.4p). 

1  Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation and 

share based payments

2  EPS before significant prior year tax recoveries in 2018 and 

for 2017, before exceptional items

Mike Briant  Chief Financial Officer

inspiration-healthcare.com23

72%

Revenue

11%

17%

Critical Care
£11.1m
2017: £10.0m

Operating Theatre 
£1.7m
2017: £1.9m

Home Healthcare
£2.7m
2017: £2.4m

Critical Care  
£11.1 million, +11% year on year

Home Healthcare  
£2.7 million, +12% year on year

Our Critical Care sector grew strongly with 
Domestic revenue increasing by 4% and 
international revenue up 29%. The Domestic 
market is particularly important to us in our 
distribution model, but in the longer term the real 
growth will be attained internationally from our 
Inspiration Branded products. During this financial 
year we had good performances in both Europe 
and the Middle East. Revenue from our Technical 
Support is included within this sector and rose  
3% year on year.

Operating Theatre  
£1.7 million, –11% year on year

Our Operating Theatre business includes our own 
brand of surgical warming products. Revenue 
in this sector showed an anticipated reduction 
whilst we develop the product offerings around our 
upgraded patient warming system (which has been 
delayed due to the regulatory issues referred to 
elsewhere in the Strategic Report). Once regulatory 
clearance for the new products is obtained we 
expect to build the customer base and long-term 
revenue as the products are promoted globally.

Our parenteral feeding product range continues 
to perform well and we are pleased with the mix 
between capital and revenue items in this sector. 
In 2017 we reported Industrial products revenues 
of £0.1 million in this sector, which we have now 
discontinued.

Gross Profit
Gross Profit at £6.8 million increased by 7% 
(2017: £6.4 million) with gross margin at 44%, 
broadly unchanged from the prior year. Revenue 
from Distributed products, which typically generate 
lower gross margins than our Inspiration Branded 
products, increased slightly to 42% of revenue 
(2017: 41%) or £6.5 million. Whilst growing 
by 7% to £6.9 million revenue from Inspiration 
Branded products was broadly the same proportion 
of total revenue as 2017, at 45%, with new 
product launches delayed for the reasons outlined 
above. Adverse exchange rate movements between 
Sterling and the Euro slightly reduced the gross 
margin on Distributed products.

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018Strategic ReportStrategic Report24

Operating and Financial Review continued

Inspiration Branded
45%
2017: 45%

Technical Support
12%
2017: 12%

Other
1%
2017: 2%

Distributed
42%
2017: 41%

45%

Revenue

12%

1%

42%

Operating Expenses
Operating expenses increased year on year by  
£0.4 million or 7% to £5.6 million (2017: £5.2 
million, excluding exceptional items), primarily due 
to additional investment in the management team 
as well as regulatory resources.

Exceptional Items
The Group had no exceptional items in 2018.  
The exceptional items reported in 2017 consist 
of £0.1 million of severance costs following the 
change of Group Finance Director and £0.6 million 
for the closure of the Rotherham facility and 
associated impacts.

Operating Profit
At £1.2 million, Operating Profit was 4% above 
prior year with higher gross profit generated 
from the revenue growth offsetting the increased 
overhead investment.

Taxation 
The Group has recorded an income tax credit of 
£21,000 (2017: £132,000 expense). This is 
net of tax credits for 2017 and 2016 amounting 
to £183,000 arising from revised computations. 
For more detail see note 8 of the Consolidated 
Financial Statements.

Earnings Per Share
EPS as reported was 4.0p per share (basic and 
diluted). Underlying diluted EPS was 3.5p per 
share, up 3% on 2017.

Cash flow
Cash and cash equivalents as at 31 January  
2018 amounted to £2.1 million, down by  
£0.1 million from 2017. Net cash generated from 
operating activities was £1.0 million, £0.4 million 
higher than in 2017. During the year we had a 
net income tax receipt of £0.1 million with prior 
year recoveries more than offsetting current year 
payments on account. 

inspiration-healthcare.com25

Cash flow continued
Investing activities totalled £1.0 million, primarily 
capitalised research and development expenditure 
of £0.7 million on the three new products released 
towards the end of the year, plus the patient 
warming system, which has continued into the 
current financial year. These have led to the 
increase in the value of Intangible Assets to  
£1.2 million (2017: £0.5 million). Property, 
plant and equipment expenditure of £0.3 million 
includes the completion of the new Corporate Head 
Office in Crawley. During the year we took up an 
option to acquire further shares in Neuroprotexeon 
Ltd at a cost of £5,000; for more detail see note 
13 of the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Reserves
At the AGM held on 30 June 2017, a capital 
reduction programme was approved and, following 
the necessary court hearings, this was completed 
in early August. Historical accumulated losses in 
the Company have now been eliminated.

Review of Business and Future 
Developments
On a Group basis the business review and future 
prospects are set out in the Chairman’s Report on 
pages 5 and 6 and the Chief Executive Officer’s 
Report on pages 15 to 20. Key performance 
indicators are provided on page 20. The Board 
believes that overall the Annual Report and 
Consolidated Financial Statements are fair, 
balanced and understandable.

Share Price during the Year
The range of market prices during the year  
1 February 2017 to 31 January 2018 was  
53.0p to 72.0p and the mid-market price of  
the Company’s shares at 31 January 2018  
was 56.0p.

2018 Financial 
Highlights

Revenue up 8%

£15.5m

Revenue Growth

14th 

consecutive year

International revenue up

14% 

Operating Profit up 4%1 

£1.2m

EBITDA up 6%1

£1.5m

Strong cash position

£2.1m

1  excluding 2017  
exceptional items

£15m

£10m

£5m

Mike Briant
Chief Financial Officer

24 April 2018

2016 2017 2018

Revenue Growth

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018Strategic ReportStrategic Report26

Pioneering

“  Knowing how the device could 

dramatically improve the life 
of a premature or sick baby is 

incredibly motivating ”

Research and Development

The Inspire rPAP range was a collaboration 
between Inspiration Healthcare and two 
inventors from Sweden. Dr Kjell Nilsson, who 
invented a revolutionary variable flow nCPAP1 
system in the 1980’s, and his co-inventor 
Dr Thomas Drevhammar, looked at ways of 
enhancing nCPAP to be able to resuscitate 
babies and the Inspire rPAP was born.

Design Engineer David Arneil and 
Development Engineer Will Robards, worked 
with Kjell and Thomas throughout the 
project to understand the intricacies of the 
device and to ensure that performance was 
optimised for this critical group of patients.

“Working with Thomas and Kjell not only 
gave us an understanding as to how they 
came up with this novel concept to improve 
equipment used at resuscitation, but  
also gave a remarkable insight into how  
the device could be used clinically” 
commented David. 

Whereas Will was keen to emphasise the 
human side of what we do. “Knowing how 
the device could dramatically improve the 
life of a premature or sick baby is incredibly 
motivating when faced with the challenges of 
getting a product from the drawing board into 
production.” he said.

1  nCPAP is an acronym for nasal  

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure 

Will Robards

Development Engineer

David Arneil

Design Engineer

inspiration-healthcare.comPrincipal Risks and Uncertainties

27

The principal risks faced by the Group are:

Strategic Risks

Competition

The Group operates in a highly competitive 
market with potential competitors including 
companies which may have substantially greater 
resources than those of the Group. The Group’s 
products may face competition from products 
designed, manufactured, marketed and supplied 
by companies that have greater research, 
development, marketing, financial and personnel 
resources. Increased competition could reduce 
revenue or negatively impact anticipated margins. 
Exceptional customer service and delivery times 
are essential to maintain competitive advantage 
and our strategy is based upon this.

Research & Development

The Group invests in R&D projects in order to 
develop innovative new products. Continued 
growth within existing markets depends upon the 
successful introduction of these new products, 
and their clearance through ever increasing 
regulatory and registration requirements. Product 
developments and country specific registrations 
may get delayed or prove technically challenging to 
achieve, which may lead to slower introduction or 
be more expensive to deliver. The Board regularly 
reviews the Group’s R&D programmes and 
pipeline. The Group has increased its investment 
in experienced medical device R&D and Regulatory 
Affairs & Quality resources to ensure that product 
developments comply with the regulations to 
ensure a timelier product launch. In addition, it 
has invested in quality management software to 
support these teams.

Finding Acquisitions and Integration

The stated strategy of the Group is to grow 
by a mixture of organic revenue growth and 
acquisitions. The Group may not be able to find 
suitable acquisition targets at acceptable prices. 
The Executive Team have an extensive knowledge 
of our target market sectors including a broad 
network of key players which helps keep it abreast 
of developments and opportunities, however 

successfully engaging with other parties to acquire 
products or businesses is not wholly within our 
control. Until an acquisition is fully integrated, the 
Group might not deliver all the synergies identified 
in the business case. The Group has implemented 
business systems and processes that will comprise 
the basis for the integration of future acquisitions.

Loss of Key Distribution or Licence Agreements

The loss of any of the Group’s largest agreements 
to sell medical devices on behalf of third parties 
may have a material impact on the Group’s 
business, prospects, financial condition and 
results of operations. Major account reviews 
take place regularly and plans are mutually 
agreed with our Principals, usually supported 
by long term contracts. Our strategy is based 
upon the added value of our supply chain and if 
necessary alternative product suppliers can be 
sourced. It is the Group’s intention to increase the 
proportion of revenue from products where we 
own the intellectual property as well as seek new 
distribution opportunities to minimise this risk.

Operational Risks

Dependence on Supply by Third Parties

The Group’s business depends on products and 
services provided by third parties.

If there is any interruption to the supply of 
products or services by third parties or those 
products or services are not as scalable as 
anticipated, or there are problems maintaining 
quality standards and delivering product to 
specification, or there are problems in upgrading 
such products or services, the Group’s business 
will be adversely affected and may be unable to 
find adequate replacement services on a timely 
basis, or at all. Sales and Service Management 
meet regularly with the Logistics function, who 
maintain regular contact with suppliers, to ensure 
that customer expectations can be met. The Group 
maintains appropriate stock levels of the most 
critical items to maintain customer service levels 
and mitigate this risk.

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018Strategic ReportStrategic Report28

Principal Risks and Uncertainties continued

Reliance on Key Individuals

Health & Safety

The success of the Group will depend largely 
upon the expertise and relationships of the Board 
and other senior employees. The loss of any of 
the key individuals could have an adverse effect 
on the Group. The Remuneration Committee is 
responsible for setting benefits to attract, reward 
and retain executives. Executive management are 
responsible for remuneration of all other staff and 
review salaries and benefits packages to ensure  
the right talent in the Group is attracted and 
retained. A culture of engagement and recognition 
exists and it is the Group’s policy to maintain a 
safe and pleasant work environment. During  
the year the Group has appointed a number of 
second tier manager positions to strengthen  
overall management.

Meet one of the team

Wei holds a PhD in physics and joined 
Inspiration with more than 15 years’ experience 
in medical device research and development. 
Having worked for both small and  
large companies, Wei brings expertise in  
Project Management, Research  
and Development and a track record  
of delivering new products.

“The products we are developing  
really can make a difference  
to people’s lives”, says Wei.  
“Some of the ideas the  
company has are fantastic and  
it is great to be able to work  
on disruptive technologies that  
really could change the  
outcomes of patients and  
make a huge different to  
patients’ lives. I am really  
excited to be part of the  
management team that will  
drive the Group forward over  
the next few years by  
bringing novel technology  
to patients and healthcare 
around the world and, at  
the same time, improving  
competency of R&D function  
for long-term business needs.”

Dr Wei Yu
Head of Research  
and Development

The Health & Safety of all our staff is a priority 
item for the Board and a Health & Safety report is 
presented at each Board meeting. In addition, the 
Group’s Health & Safety officer provides regular 
briefings to all staff. 

Changes to International Trade 

Whilst the UK’s exit from the European Union 
(“Brexit”) continues to be negotiated and 
trade deals with other countries are potentially 
established, there will be uncertainty over 
future selling and purchasing of goods across 
borders. It is possible the free trade of medical 
devices may change, as well as the processes 
and documentation required for the cross-border 
movement of any goods, which may then become 
more expensive or time consuming. The Group 
operates in broad global markets with products 
both sourced and sold across the world, providing 
a good spread of sales opportunities. We have 
never experienced tariffs being applied to neonatal 
intensive care products and do not expect that to 
change post Brexit. 

Financial & Compliance Risks

Foreign Exchange Risk

As the Group operates globally, it is exposed to 
foreign exchange gains and losses which may 
have an adverse effect on the Group’s profits. The 
volatility in currency movements since Brexit has 
heightened the uncertainty of short-term revenue 
and supply prices. However, the balance of imports 
and exports, which provides a degree of natural 
hedge, is constantly monitored, as is the Group’s 
hedging policy to ensure that risk is minimised. 
From 2018 this is typically via forward  
currency contracts.

Changes in legislation and regulation

The medical device industry is highly regulated 
and each territory in which the Group operates 
is subject to its own robust legal and regulatory 
regime. The Board notes regulations are becoming 
ever more stringent, particularly within Europe. 
Regulatory approvals are required to market and 
sell medical devices into both the UK and key 
export markets. There can be no guarantee the 
Group will be able to retain its certificates and 

inspiration-healthcare.com29

other licences required to sell its products. If such 
loss were to occur, it would restrict the Group’s 
ability to service its customers or sell certain 
medical devices which could have an adverse 
impact on its business, prospects, financial 
condition and results of operations.

The Group has increased its investment in its 
Regulatory Affairs and Quality Department during 
2018 which is dedicated to liaising with the 
regulatory authorities to monitor any changes in 
conditions and ensure continuing compliance with 
existing and new conditions.

IP & Data

The Group has Intellectual Property that it needs 
to protect. This can be in the form of innovative 
ideas, marketing specifications, customer 
requirements and financial data. Our patents 
and other intellectual property may not prevent 
competitors from independently developing 
or selling products and services similar to or 
duplicative of ours, and there can be no assurance 
that the resources invested by us to protect our 
intellectual property will be sufficient or that our 
intellectual property portfolio will adequately 
deter misappropriation or improper use of our 
technology. We could face competition in some 
countries where we have not invested in an 
intellectual property portfolio. 

We also face attempts to gain unauthorised 
access to our IT systems or products for the 
purpose of improperly acquiring our trade secrets 
or confidential business information. The theft 
or unauthorised use or publication of our trade 
secrets and other confidential business information 
as a result of such an incident could adversely 
affect our competitive position and the value of our 
investment in research and development. 

New legislation, General Data Protection 
Regulations (“GDPR”) comes into effect in the UK 
and Europe from May 2018. This updates the 
law that govern how we handle, use and protect 
personal data and includes severe penalties for 
failure to comply. We are currently taking steps to 
update our policies and procedures to comply.

Litigation

Legal proceedings may arise from time to time 
in the course of the Group’s business, including 
through potential product failure which may lead 
to claims and reputational damage. The Board 
maintains product and public liability insurance 
to comply with the requirements of the NHS in 
the UK. In addition, the Group seeks protection 
of IP and does not intentionally infringe the IP of 
others, but there can be no guarantee that legal 
proceedings will not arise from a potential conflict 
in areas of key intellectual property.

Risk Appetite
Risk appetite can be defined as ‘the amount and 
type of risk’ that the Group is willing to take in 
order to meet their strategic objectives. The Board 
have applied a differentiated risk appetite to each 
major category of risk, i.e. Strategic, Operational, 
Financial & Compliance. Levels of risk were 
considered against the following categories:

0  – Avoid risk – zero tolerance

1  – Minimal risk – as little as reasonably possible

2  –  Cautious – prepared to accept some limited loss

3  –  Open – prepared to consider balance between 

risk and reward, invest for future return

4  –  Seek – prepare to be innovative in pursuit of 

higher returns

5  –  Mature – confident of setting high levels 
of risk appetite underpinned by rigorous 
processes and controls

Our Strategic risks appetite is assessed as level 4 
(Seek) as we aim to be innovative in our specialist 
areas. For Operational risks we adopt level 2 
(Cautious) as our customer service is integral to 
our business model. Our risk appetite for Financial 
& Compliance is level 1 (minimal) as we work in a 
highly regulated industry.

Neil Campbell
Chief Executive Officer

24 April 2018

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018Strategic ReportStrategic Report2

Governance

 31   Statement of Corporate Governance

 36   Audit Committee Report

 38  Board of Directors

 40  Directors’ Report

 42   Directors’ Remuneration Report

 47   Statement of Directors’ Responsibilities

Did you know?
Inspiration Healthcare has grown 

its turnover every year since 2003

inspiration-healthcare.comStatement of Corporate Governance

31

The Board
As Chairman of the Board it is my responsibility 
to ensure that the Group has both an effective 
corporate governance and Board leadership. As 
our Company’s shares are listed on AIM, we are 
not required to, and do not, comply with all the 
requirements of the UK Corporate Governance 
Code published by the Financial Reporting 
Council in 2014. The Group follows the Corporate 
Governance Code for Small and Mid-size Quoted 
Companies 2013 recommendations on corporate 
governance for AIM companies (the ‘QCA Code’) 
issued by the Quoted Companies Alliance (‘QCA’) 
and this report follows the structure of these 
guidelines and explains how we have applied the 
guidance. Our primary objective is to present an 
Annual Report and Financial Statements that are 
fair, balanced and understandable.

QCA Principles

Setting out the vision and strategy 

The Group’s vision, mission and values are stated 
on page 2 of this report and our strategy and 
business model are explained in detail in our 
strategic report on pages 4 to 29. 

Managing risk and internal control
The Board formally reviews its risks and mitigating 
actions each quarter and the principal risks are 
outlined in our strategic report on pages 4 to 29. 
During the year the Group has invested significantly 
in Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs and 
have introduced more rigorous quality control 
systems and processes to meet the increasing 
needs of the stringent legal and regulatory regimes, 
both in the European Union and globally. Our 
system of internal control is described in the audit 
committee report on pages 36 and 37.

Articulating strategy externally 

The Group has a range of institutional and private 
investors and ensures high quality, consistent 
communication of strategy and progress. 
Shareholder presentations, which include 
information on our markets and strategy, are 
available to all stakeholders on the Group’s website. 
An investor open day was held in August 2017. In 
addition to statutory reporting of material matters 

the Group publishes general news on products, 
appointments and attendance at trade shows both 
on social media and the Group’s website.

Meeting the needs of shareholders 

Relationships with our shareholders are 
important to us and we seek to provide effective 
communications through our Interim and Annual 
Reports along with Regulatory News Service 
announcements. We also use the Group’s website, 
www.inspiration-healthcare.com for both financial 
and general news relevant to shareholders. The 
Chief Executive Officer supported by the other 
Executives meet shareholders and other investors/
potential investors from time to time.

Meet one of the team

Simon originally trained as a 
software engineer and has now 
spent more than 20 years working 
in medical devices in various 
roles with Quality Assurance 
and Regulatory Affairs with both 
large multinationals and smaller 
companies. Simon is also a Black 
Belt in six sigma.

“I was thrilled to be offered the 
opportunity to join Inspiration; the 
work represents a great challenge 
as we move on our journey from 
being solely a distributor to global 
supplier of products developed 
in house. The rapidly changing 
regulations around the world 
have meant a lot of hard work 
to re-engineer our processes and 
systems but we are on top of this 
and look forward to introducing 
new products into global markets.” 

Simon Travers
Head of Quality Assurance 
and Regulatory Affairs

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018GovernanceGovernance32

Statement of Corporate Governance continued

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) is regarded 
as an opportunity to meet, listen and present to 
shareholders and their participation is encouraged; 
all Directors attend the AGM and are available to 
meet shareholders individually or as a group. All 
2017 AGM resolutions were passed comfortably.

The Senior Independent Director, Bob Beveridge, 
is available to meet shareholders who wish to raise 
any concerns that they have been unable to resolve 
through other channels and to attend meetings 
between management and major investors.

During the year the Board was updated on 
shareholder expectations by its NOMAD, 
Cenkos. In August 2017 the equity capital was 
restructured, providing the flexibility to distribute 
future profits to shareholders as dividends  
as appropriate.

Meet one of the team

Jon, a qualified Chartered 
Accountant, joined Inspiration 
from a large multi-national medical 
device company. Jon has over 
15 years’ experience in both 
practice and industry having also 
worked in SMEs and has a wealth 
of experience in planning and 
budgetary control. 

“Being the Group Financial 
Controller of a plc on the London 
Stock Exchange is a fantastic 
opportunity for me personally,” 
comments Jon, “but the really great 
thing is that it is in medical devices 
where I have some experience and 
something I was keen to remain in.  
Knowing the finances are under 
control and properly reported for the 
Group is key for me, but knowing 
the products we supply save lives 
and improve outcomes of very sick 
patients is the icing on the cake.”

Jon Ballard
Group Financial Controller

Meeting stakeholder and social responsibilities 

The Group has a strong social purpose, to improve 
patient outcomes in critical care, particularly with 
respect to the new-born. Its main customers are 
NHS hospitals in the UK and, via distributors, 
equivalent hospitals in other countries. The highest 
level of ethics and social responsibility is integral 
to the achievement of our strategy. We are a Living 
Wage employer, accredited by the Living Wage 
Foundation. We offer equal opportunities regardless 
of race, gender, gender identity or reassignment, 
age, disability, religion of sexual orientation. 

Using cost effective and value-added 
arrangements 

The Group has a single ERP system, covering 
procurement, logistics, customer service and 
sales and this is complemented by our Quality 
Management system, QPulse. The Executive 
Directors are closely involved in the day to day 
operations and report in detail to the Board. 

Developing structures and processes 

The Board believes that corporate governance is 
more than just a set of guidelines; rather it is a 
framework which underpins the core values for 
running the business in which we all believe. The 
Board has formal responsibilities and agendas and 
three sub-committees; in addition, strong informal 
relations are maintained between Executive and 
Non-executive Directors. Non-executive Directors 
meet with other senior managers and give 
advice and assistance between meetings. Board 
dinners are held four times per year to provide 
opportunities for broader discussions. 

Being responsible and accountable 

The role of the Board is to ensure the Group 
delivers long term value for shareholders and 
stakeholders. The Board is also charged with 
establishing the governance, values and strategic 
aims of the Group and is responsible for its 
management, direction and performance.

The Board provides entrepreneurial leadership 
within a framework of prudent and effective 
controls for risk assessment and management. 
The Chairman takes a strong lead on corporate 
governance matters and there is a clear split of 

inspiration-healthcare.comGovernance

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responsibilities between the Chairman and Chief 
Executive, which is documented in writing and 
approved by the Board.

without Executives present and maintain ongoing 
communications with Executives between  
formal meetings. 

The Board has a formal list of matters reserved for 
its decisions and these include:

›	 overall business strategy;

›	 	review of key operational and commercial 

matters;

›	 	review of key finance matters, including approval 
of financial plans, changes to capital structure, 
acquisitions and disposals of businesses, 
material capital expenditure and dividends;

›	 	governance, including the appointment and 
removal of Board members, remuneration of 
Directors, set up and delegation of matters to 
committees and the reviewing of reporting  
back thereof;

›	 	approval of financial statements;

›	 	stock exchange related issues including the 

approval of communications.

Having balance on the Board 

The Board is made of up three Executive Directors 
and three independent Non-executive Directors 
and is chaired by Mark Abrahams who has held 
this post for 16 years, including time served at 
Inditherm plc. Our Senior Independent Non-
executive Director, Bob Beveridge, acts as a 
sounding board to the Chairman and other 
Directors when necessary.

The Board is not dominated by one person or 
group; there is a good balance with two founders, 
an experienced CFO, two independent Non-
executive Directors and the well-respected plc 
Chairman who is regarded as independent as 
Inspiration Healthcare Group plc is substantially 
larger and different to Inditherm plc. Meetings 
are open and constructive, with every Director 
participating fully. 

Having appropriate skills and capabilities on 
the Board 

The Non-executive Directors are considered by 
the Board to be independent of management 
and have both a breadth and depth of skills 
and experience to fulfil their roles. Details of the 
Directors’ experience and areas of expertise are 
outlined on page 39. They met during the year 

Terms of reference for the committees are 
published on the Group’s website. The committees 
have the necessary skills and knowledge to 
discharge their duties effectively.

Board performance 

The Chairman is responsible for the leadership 
of the Board and ensuring its effectiveness in 
all aspects of its role. He is also responsible for 
creating the right board dynamic and for ensuring 
that all important matters, in particular strategic 
decisions, receive adequate time and attention 
at Board meetings. The Executive Directors are 
responsible for the day-to- day running of the 
business and developing corporate strategy 
while the Non-executive Directors are tasked 
with constructively challenging the decisions of 
Executive management and satisfying themselves 
that the systems of business risk management and 
internal financial controls are robust.

The open nature of board relations has enabled 
board effectiveness to develop during the year. 
The Board met 15 times in the year; a calendar of 
meetings and principal matters to be discussed is 
agreed at the beginning of each year. In addition 
to regular agenda items, in 2017 the Board has 
reviewed in depth plans and actions to strengthen 
the Group’s Quality Management Systems and has 
met regularly with the Head of Quality Assurance 
and Regulatory Affairs. It has discussed in depth 
strategic options and acquisition opportunities. 
Development plans have been agreed for the  
Group Sales Director and Chief Financial Officer. 

Providing information and support 

Comprehensive Board papers, covering Health 
& Safety report, Management Accounts, Sales 
report, CEO report, R&D report are circulated one 
week before meetings, allowing time to consider 
and clarify key matters in advance of meetings 
if necessary. There is a positive, constructive 
relationship between Non-executive and Executive 
Directors, and Non-executive Directors have access 
to a broad range of people and information inside 
the Group.

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 201834

Statement of Corporate Governance continued

Internal Control
The system of internal control is structured around 
an assessment of the various risks to the business 
and is designed to address those risks that the 
Board considers to be material, to safeguard assets 
against unauthorised use or disposition and to 
maintain proper accounting records which produce 
reliable financial and management information.

The key features of the Group’s system of internal 
control are as follows:

›   An ongoing process of risk assessment to 

identify, evaluate and manage business risks.

›   Management structure with clearly defined 

responsibilities and authority limits.

›   A comprehensive system of reporting financial 

results to the Board.

›   Quality Management Systems certified to ISO 

13485 and CMDCAS.

›   Appraisal and authorisation of capital 

expenditure and research & development 
projects.

›   Dual signatories on all bank accounts.

Going Concern
The Group has prepared a budget for the year ended 
31 January 2018 and financial projections for the 
following two years. Having due consideration of 
these projections and available cash at 31 January 
2018 of £2.1 million, it is the opinion of the Board 
that the Group has adequate resources to continue 
to trade as a going concern.

Mark Abrahams
Chairman

24 April 2018

If required, the Directors are entitled to take 
independent legal advice and if the Board is 
informed in advance the cost of the advice will be 
reimbursed by the Group. Due to the current size 
of the Group the roles of Chief Financial Officer 
and Company Secretary are carried out by  
one person.

Board Committees
The Board delegates authority to three committees 
to assist in meeting its business objectives while 
ensuring a sound system of internal control 
and risk management. The committees meet 
independently of Board meetings.

Audit Committee

The Audit Committee has two members, Bob 
Beveridge (Chairman) and Brook Nolson. The 
Chief Financial Officer and external auditors attend 
meetings by invitation. The Audit Committee’s 
responsibilities include the review of the scope, 
results and effectiveness of the external audit, the 
review of half-year and Annual Financial Statements 
and the review of the Group’s risk management and 
internal control systems. The committee met twice 
during the year with full attendance. A separate 
report of the Audit Committee activities is outlined 
on pages 36 and 37.

Remuneration Committee

The report of the Remuneration Committee is 
set out on pages 42 to 46. The Remuneration 
Committee has two members, Brook Nolson 
(Chairman) and Bob Beveridge. The Committee 
is responsible for setting the remuneration 
arrangements, including short term bonus and 
long-term incentives, for Executive Directors as 
well as approving, the remuneration principles for 
senior staff. The committee met four times during 
the year.

Nominations Committee

The Nominations Committee has four members, 
Mark Abrahams (Chairman), Bob Beveridge, Brook 
Nolson and Neil Campbell. The Nominations 
Committee considers succession planning, reviews 
the structure, size and composition of the Board 
and nominates candidates to fill Board vacancies. 
It did not meet this year.

inspiration-healthcare.comGovernance

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Patient 
focused

“  Being part of a business that offers truly 

life-saving customer service is great as our 
customers really appreciate the help we 

can give to them and their patients ”

24/7 Service Cover

At Inspiration we have always differentiated ourselves on our level 
of customer service. In the UK and Ireland we offer a 24/7 service, 
covering repair and loan of essential equipment along with on-site 
support for clinicians using equipment.

One of the most recent recruits to the Inspiration Healthcare team 
experienced this first hand. Leanne McKeag had only been with 
Inspiration a few months when she was asked to help a patient at a 
Scottish hospital at a few hours’ notice. “It was a bit nervy at first as 
the patient was only 16 years old and extremely unwell. My colleague, 
Gordon Machray and I helped set the equipment up and train the 
nursing and medical staff as to how it functions.” 

Leanne continued, “Watching the medical team use it for the first time 
and helping guide them to optimise the treatment was an incredible 
experience, but the most rewarding thing about it was knowing that 
without our help the patient may not have survived. Being part of  
a business that offers truly life-saving customer service is great as  
our customers really appreciate the help we can give to them and  
their patients.”

Leanne McKeag

Area Sales Manager – Scotland

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 201836

Audit Committee Report

The Audit Committee has an important role to 
play in effective reporting to our stakeholders 
and ensuring high standards of quality and 
effectiveness in the external audit process. For the 
first time, the committee has provided a separate 
report on its activities focusing on matters relevant 
to Inspiration Healthcare Group plc and the work 
of the committee during the year.

Membership

The Audit Committee comprises Bob Beveridge and 
Brook Nolson and is chaired by Bob Beveridge, 
whom the Board considers has both recent and 
relevant financial experience. Bob is a Chartered 
Accountant, portfolio Non-executive Director and a 
former plc Finance Director.

Meetings

The committee met formally twice during the year. 
The external auditors and Chief Financial Officer 
also attended the meetings at the invitation of the 
committee chairman. After each of its meetings, 
the committee met with the external auditors 
without the presence of Executive Directors or 
management. The committee met informally on  
a frequent basis during the year to discuss  
and review progress on systems, treasury and 
people matters.

Main activities

The committee supports the Board in carrying out 
its responsibilities in relation to financial reporting, 
risk management and assessing internal controls.

Specific issues considered by the committee 
included finalising the integration of the Priority 
ERP financial system, a review of the key financial 
controls and ideas for improving the quality and 
content of the following year’s Annual Report.

The committee also oversees the relationship with 
the external auditor including the effectiveness of 
the external audit and the provision of non-audit 
services by the external auditor.

Financial reporting

The committee has recently concluded that the 
Annual Report and Financial Statements for year 
ended 31st January 2018, taken as a whole, are 
fair, balanced and understandable and provide the 

information necessary for shareholders to assess the 
Group’s business model, strategy and performance. 
The committee reviewed the process for preparing 
the Annual Report. This process included the 
following key elements: 

›   Review of new regulations and reporting 

requirements; papers outlining the impacts of 
IFRS 15 and IFRS 9 were specifically considered 
and the committee concurred that neither 
standard is expected to have a material impact 
on the Group’s financial results.

›   Monitoring of the integrity of the financial 

statements and other information provided to 
shareholders to ensure they represented a clear 
and accurate assessment of the Group’s financial 
performance and position.

Meet one of the team

John has over 30 years of sales and 
marketing experience of medical devices 
in sectors similar to Inspiration. Having 
worked for companies selling capital 
and consumable items in Operating 
Theatres and Critical Care, John’s 
experience of driving novel products  
into these markets will be invaluable  
to the Group. John holds an MBA and  
a diploma from Chartered Institute  
of Marketing.

“I love the product range we  
have and feel that we are on  
a great journey,” says John.  
“As I have travelled around  
the world working for  
other companies I often  
heard from distributors and  
clinicians about Inspiration  
Healthcare and how high a  
regard the brand was held  
in for a relatively small company.  
Being able to bring my skills,  
expertise and market knowledge  
to help take the Group to the  
next level is something I am really  
looking forward to.”

John Nash
Head of Marketing

inspiration-healthcare.com37

›   Review of matters of accounting judgement 
and the underlying rationale in each case 
including specifically: capitalisation of research 
& development spend, deferred tax related to 
brought forward historical losses and whether 
or not any expenses should be analysed as 
exceptional. On all these matters the committee 
reviewed papers prepared by management and 
agreed with the accounting treatment.

›   Review of significant accounting policies and 

amortisation rates.

›	  Review of a paper outlining the three-year 

business plan and cash forecast as the basis of 
the going concern assessment.

The committee reviewed the full-year and half-
year results announcement, Annual Report and 
financial statements and considered reports from 
the external auditors identifying the accounting 
or judgmental issues requiring its attention. The 
committee also reviewed the Strategic Report and 
concluded that it presented a fair, balanced and 
understandable addition to the Annual Report.

External audit

In the year ended 31 January 2018 fees for non-
audit services amounted to £6,130. 

Due to the change in Audit partner and team to the 
East Midlands office of PwC the committee decided 
not to formally evaluate the effectiveness of the 
external auditor following the completion in 2017. 
The committee was satisfied with the quality of the 
audit, the degree of challenge and review of the 
report and accounts and will revert to this matter 
later in 2018.

Risk management and internal control

The committee reviewed a paper from the CFO 
on the Group’s internal control system, the 
purpose of which is to safeguard investment and 
the Group’s assets, embracing material controls 
and key financial risks. The control system is 
operated as an integral part of the organisation of 
executive responsibilities and accountabilities, and 
is designed to manage rather than eliminate the 
risk of failure to achieve business objectives and 
to provide reasonable assurance that assets are 

safeguarded against unauthorised use or material 
loss, and to ensure that its transactions are 
properly authorised and recorded.

Key control procedures are as follows:

›   Management responsibility and authorisation 

controls; an established management structure 
operates throughout the Group with a single 
common finance system, clearly defined levels of 
responsibility and delegation of authorities which 
are built into the Priority financial system. 

›   Corporate planning process – an annual plan 

and three- year strategic plan is updated each 
year and approved by the Board. The plan 
focuses on the external environment, strategy 
and objectives, actions to achieve them and 
implementation plans across the organisation. 
Following approval of the annual budget by 
the Board financial performance and variances 
against budget are monitored monthly and 
challenged centrally. 

›   Key performance indicators (KPIs) – a set of 

operational, financial and non-financial KPIs is 
reported each month to the Board.

Given the small size of the Group currently the 
committee does not require an internal audit 
function to carry out its responsibilities. The 
committee deemed these controls adequate but 
agreed to review these again in the forthcoming 
year. It was satisfied with the actions in place to 
manage financial risks. 

Overview 

The Committee considers that it has acted in 
accordance with its responsibilities. The Chairman 
of the Audit Committee will be available at the 
Annual General Meeting to answer any questions 
about the work of the Committee. We would 
welcome feedback from shareholders on this report.

Bob Beveridge
Chairman – Audit Committee

24 April 2018

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018GovernanceGovernance38

Board of Directors

Mike Briant

Toby Foster

Bob Beveridge

Neil Campbell

Mark Abrahams

Brook Nolson

inspiration-healthcare.com39

Neil Campbell
Chief Executive Officer

Toby Foster
Group Sales Director

Mike Briant
Chief Financial Officer

In 2003, Neil became CEO and founding 
partner of Inspiration Healthcare Limited, 
leading them through the reverse 
acquisition of Inditherm plc and onto 
AIM in June 2015. Neil has spent 27 
years in the Medical Device sector. 
After beginning his career in medical 
devices at Smiths Medical, Neil held 
several sales and marketing positions at 
Eschmann and Electro Medical Equipment 
Limited (“EME”). Neil’s commitment to 
perinatology has been recognised by 
him being invited to be an industry and 
scientific committee member at the Infant 
Centre in Ireland, a position he has now 
held for several years. 

Neil is also a Non-executive Director of 
Neuroprotexeon Limited, a drug-discovery 
and biotechnology company, in which the 
Group is a shareholder.

Toby joined EME in 1992 having previously 
run his own small business in the 
construction/property industry. During 
his time at EME, he was instrumental in 
launching new products including neonatal 
ventilators, neonatal nCPAP, adult high 
frequency oscillation and developmental 
care. He then moved to international sales 
management before heading up the UK 
sales team. In 2003 he was a founding 
Director of Inspiration Healthcare Limited; 
responsible for all sales activities, the 24/7 
clinical support service and patient first 
philosophy, launching several innovative 
technologies including the Novalung 
extracorporeal lung assist into the UK 
critical care market.

Mike is an experienced Finance Director 
with over twenty years’ track record of 
driving growth in international businesses. 
A Chartered Accountant, Mike spent over 
ten years in senior financial roles within 
Thorn plc and then joined Quadriga 
Worldwide as Finance Director and In 
2002 he moved to LMA International NV 
(“LMA”), a global anaesthesia company, 
which he helped to IPO on the Singapore 
Stock Exchange and double in size to 
an £80 million company, completing a 
number of acquisitions. Mike was CFO of 
LMA until its acquisition by Teleflex Inc. 

Key Areas of Expertise

Key Areas of Expertise

Key Areas of Expertise

Medical device market, market 
development, product development, 
regulatory affairs, strategic planning.

Medical device market, sales management, 
market development, international sales, 
product launch.

All aspects of financial management, cost 
control, mergers & acquisitions, public 
company reporting, risk management.

Mark Abrahams
Non-executive Chairman 

Bob Beveridge
Non-executive Director  
and Senior Independent Director

Brook Nolson
Non-executive Director 

Mark Abrahams became Chairman of 
Inspiration Healthcare following the reverse 
acquisition transaction in June 2015 and 
prior to that was Chairman of Inditherm plc 
since 2001. Mark has recently announced 
his retirement from Fenner Plc, where 
he has been both Chairman and Chief 
Executive Officer for 25 years, during 
which time he led a strategy of converting 
the group from a power transmissions 
manufacturer to a world leader in 
reinforced polymers. Mark was Vice Chair 
of Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust and 
was Non-executive Chairman of the Darby 
Group Plc. He is a Chartered Accountant 
and a Companion of the Institute of 
Management. He is a member of the 
Economics Growth Board of the CBI.

Bob Beveridge FCA joined the Board on 
3 August 2015 and is Chairman of the 
Audit Committee. Bob has wide ranging 
Non-executive Director and public 
company experience; he is currently Senior 
Independent Director and Chairman of the 
Audit Committee of Brady plc and Finsbury 
Food Group plc. Previously he was Non-
executive Director of Hampshire Hospitals 
NHS Foundation Trust and InternetQ plc, 
and before that Group Finance Director of 
McBride plc, Marlborough Stirling plc and 
Cable and Wireless Communications plc.

Brook joined the Board as Non-executive 
Director on 23 June 2015 and is Chairman 
of the Remuneration Committee. Brook 
has considerable experience in developing 
and implementing strategic business 
development plans; he is a commercial 
marketing and strategic business 
development expert with a track record of 
designing, leading, and executing business 
transformation strategies through customer 
centric business models. Previous senior 
management roles include, Balfour Beatty 
plc, Birse Group plc, Willmott Dixon Group 
and Morgan Sindall plc, Brook remains 
an advisor to a number of organisations 
across various industries globally.

Key Areas of Expertise

Key Areas of Expertise

Key Areas of Expertise

Strategy, corporate governance, 
international M&A, financial management, 
operational management, investor relations, 
international business risk management.

Senior financial skills relating to M&A, 
investor relations, risk management, 
financing, audit committees and corporate 
governance. Digital technology and 
financial strategy.

Strategy, business transformation, M&A, 
Turnaround, sales growth, leadership 
development, international business.

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018GovernanceGovernance40

Directors’ Report

for the year ended 31 January 2018

The Directors present their report on the Group and 
Company, together with the audited Consolidated 
Financial Statements of the Group and Company 
for the year ended 31 January 2018.

Political donations
The Group made no political donations during the 
year (2017: £nil).

Financial instruments and  
risk management
Disclosures regarding financial instruments 
are provided within the Principal Risks and 
Uncertainties on pages 27 to 29 and note 20 to 
the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Capital structure
Details of the Company’s share capital, together 
with details of the movements therein, are set 
out in note 23 to the Consolidated Financial 
Statements. The Company has one class of 
Ordinary Share which carry no right to fixed 
income.

Research and development
The Group continues to invest in research and 
development, in order to extend its product 
offerings and improve the effectiveness of its 
technology. During the year, the Group incurred 
costs totalling £955,000 (2017: £634,000) 
including expenditure capitalised in accordance 
with IAS38. 

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc is incorporated 
under the laws of England and Wales as a public 
limited company and its registered office and 
principal place of business is 2 Satellite Business 
Village, Crawley, West Sussex RH10 9NE. The 
Company’s Ordinary Shares are admitted to and 
traded on AIM (Alternative Investment Market), a 
market operated by the London Stock Exchange.

Cautionary statement
The review of the business and its future 
development in the Strategic Report has been 
prepared solely to provide additional information to 
shareholders to assess the Group’s strategies and 
the potential for these strategies to succeed.

It should not be relied on by any other party 
for any other purpose. The review contains 
forward-looking statements which are made by 
the Directors in good faith based on information 
available to them up to the time of the approval  
of the reports and should be treated with caution 
due to the inherent uncertainties associated with 
these statements.

Results and dividends
The results of the Group are set out in detail on 
page 53. The results of the Company are set out 
on page 54.

Business review and future developments
Details of the business activities during the  
year can be found in the Strategic Report on  
pages 4 to 29.

inspiration-healthcare.com41

The Directors of the Company who served 
during the year and up to the date of 
signing the financial statements were:

Director 

Position

M S Abrahams  Non-executive Chairman

N J Campbell 

Chief Executive Officer 

T Foster 

B Nolson 

Group Sales Director 

Non-executive Director

R J Beveridge 

Non-executive Director

M J Briant 

 Chief Financial Officer

Further information relating to the Board is detailed 
on pages 38 and 39.

Directors’ interests in shares and contracts
Directors’ interests in shares of the Company at 
31 January 2018 and 31 January 2017 and 
any changes subsequent to 31 January 2018 are 
disclosed in the Director’s Remuneration Report on 
page 46.

Directors’ interests in contracts of significance to 
which the Group was a party during the financial 
year are disclosed in note 29 of the Consolidated 
Financial Statements.

Indemnification of Directors
The Directors’ Contracts of Employment and  
Letters of Appointment do not indemnify Directors. 
The Group provides Directors and Officers 
Insurance cover and is contractually committed  
to provide cover for the period of service and six 
years thereafter.

Substantial interests
At 19 April 2018 the Company had been notified 
of the following interests which amounted to 3% 
or more of the issued capital of the Company.

Shareholder

N J Campbell

S G Motley

Lombard Odier  
Managers Group plc

T Foster

Miton Group plc

M J Oxley

W G Walls

D G Steward

Cavendish Asset 
Management

Number  
of shares

Percentage 
holding

4,536,271

4,354,453

3,988,726

3,899,908

3,438,364

2,536,271

1,558,934

1,505,000

14.8%

14.2%

13.0%

12.7%

11.2%

8.3%

5.1%

4.9%

1,000,000

3.3%

Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) will be held 
at the Company’s offices, Unit 2 Satellite Business 
Village, Crawley, West Sussex RH10 9NE at 11:30 
on 15 June 2018. The notice of the AGM in section 
4 contains the full details of the business to be 
conducted and the resolutions to be proposed.

Re-appointment of independent auditors
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP have expressed their 
willingness to continue in office and a resolution to 
re-appoint them is proposed for consideration at the 
Annual General Meeting. 

By order of the Board

Mike Briant
Company Secretary

24 April 2018

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018GovernanceGovernance 
 
 
 
42

Directors’ Remuneration Report

This report covers the financial year ended 31 January 2018.

Responsibilities
The Remuneration Committee has 2 members, Brook Nolson (Chairman) and Bob Beveridge and they 
have met regularly during the year. The Committee is responsible for setting the remuneration packages 
for Executive Directors as well as approving, where appropriate, the remuneration of senior staff. The 
Committee sets incentive schemes for the Executive Directors to align their interests with those of the 
shareholders and to encourage the strategic development of the business.

Directors’ Service Contracts
The details of the service contracts in relation to the Executive Directors and letters of appointment in 
relation to the Chairman and Non-executive Directors are:

M S Abrahams

Chairman

N J Campbell

Chief Executive Officer

T Foster

R J Beveridge

B Nolson

M J Briant

Group Sales Director

Non-executive

Non-executive

Chief Financial Officer

Unexpired term at 
24 April 2018

Notice period

11 months

6 months

6 months

3 months

1 month

6 months

6 months

6 months

6 months

6 months

6 months

6 months

The Non-executive Directors, including the Chairman, each have a letter of appointment for a three year 
term. Under the terms of these letters either party can serve 6 months written notice to terminate the 
arrangement and the maximum compensation payable in the event that appropriate notice is not given will 
be the equivalent of 6 months of the Director’s fees. 

The Executive Directors, including the Chief Executive Officer, each have a rolling 6-month contract. There 
are no provisions in these contracts for compensation if there is a change of control. The service contracts 
do not contain any provision for compensation on early termination other than the notice period. In the 
event of any early termination, the Committee would seek to mitigate cost to the Group whilst dealing fairly 
with each individual case. The Board have agreed to extend the contracts of Bob Beveridge and Brook 
Nolson for three years upon the expiry of the term of their existing contracts.

inspiration-healthcare.com 
43

Executive Remuneration Policy
The Committee endeavours to offer competitive remuneration packages which are designed to attract, 
retain and incentivise Executive Directors and senior members of the management team with the 
experience and necessary skills to operate and develop the Group’s business to their maximum potential, 
thereby delivering the highest level of return for the shareholders.

Consistent with this policy, the benefits packages awarded to Executives are intended to be competitive 
and comprise a mix of contractual and performance related remuneration that is designed to incentivise 
them; but not to detract from the goals of corporate governance.

The remuneration packages for the Executive Directors were entered into on 24 June 2015; or the date 
of their appointment if later. The composition of each Director’s remuneration is based on a maximum 
payment under the terms of an annual performance related bonus. Remuneration packages are reviewed 
each year to ensure that they are in line with the Group’s business objectives. No Director participates in 
decisions about their own remuneration package.

The main components in determining pay are as follows:

Basic salary/fees and benefits
The basic annual salary is subject to an annual review, which takes into account the performance of the 
Group and the individual as well as market factors. Benefits comprise the provision of a vehicle allowance, 
private healthcare insurance and a death in service insurance scheme.

The annual basic salaries of the Executive Directors as at 31 January 2018 is as follows:

N J Campbell

T Foster

M J Briant

£144,000

£120,000

£120,000

No increases in salary were awarded during the year ended January 2018.

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018GovernanceGovernance44

Directors’ Remuneration Report continued

Annual performance related bonus
Demanding annual performance targets, which are consistent with both the short and long-term objectives 
for the Group, are set for Executive Directors which must be achieved before the bonus is payable. The 
Executive Bonus scheme for 2018 continued to be the same as the previous year, however; the bonus for 
exceptional performance was dropped thus restricting the bonus to a maximum of 50% of salary; this is 
in line with the intention to reduce cash bonuses and promote longer term investment schemes. All bonus 
calculations are excluding benefits in kind and pension contributions.

The Remuneration Committee has awarded bonuses to the Executives for the year ended 31 January 
2018 as follows:

N J Campbell

T Foster

M J Briant

£36,000

£30,000

£30,000

This equates to 50% of the potential bonus and reflects achievement of specific performance criteria.

Pensions
Executive Directors receive pension contributions of 5% of basic salary to a stakeholder or money 
purchase scheme on a matched contribution basis.

Share Options Scheme
Share options can be granted to Executive Directors to encourage them to deliver sustained, long term 
growth. Except in exceptional circumstances, the value of options granted in any year will not exceed one 
third of basic salary.

During 2018, we implemented an LTIP (Long term Incentive Plan) for Executives and Senior Management. 
This is consistent with the Share Scheme as described in the submission document 2015. During the 
year nil cost options over 135,338 were issued to Mike Briant pursuant to his contract of employment on 
commencement; these options are not subject to performance conditions.

inspiration-healthcare.com45

Directors’ Detailed Emoluments (audited)

The emoluments of the Directors of the parent Company for the year in accordance with the basis of 
preparation were as follows:

M S Abrahams

N J Campbell

T Foster

R J Beveridge

B Nolson

M J Briant 2

I D Smith 1 

Salary
£’000

Pension
Contribution
£’000

Bonus
£’000

Benefits
in kind
£’000

2018
Total
£’000

2017
Total
£’000

35

144

120

24

24

120

–

467

–

36

30

–

–

30

–

96

–

7

6

–

–

6

–

19

–

10

9

–

–

10

–

29

35

197

165

24

24

166

–

611

35

146

122

24

24

61 

33

445

1  Ian D Smith left the Company on 13 May 2016. In addition to the emoluments reported above Mr Smith received £93,000 in 

respect of loss of office upon his leaving the Company.

2 Mike Briant was appointed on 19 September 2016.

No Directors exercised share options during the current or previous financial year.

Share Scheme (audited)

As part of its strategy for Executive and key employee remuneration, the Company established on re-
admission to AIM on 24 June 2015, a new Share Option Scheme under which share options may be 
granted to officers and employees or members of the Group. Under the rules of the new Share Option 
Scheme, the Company may grant both options that qualify as enterprise management incentives under 
schedule 5 of the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003 and unapproved options over Ordinary 
Shares to any employee of the Group and any of its subsidiaries (including Executive Directors), subject to 
various scheme and individual limits.

No option may be granted under the Share Option Scheme if, as a result, the aggregate nominal value of 
ordinary shares in the capital of the Company issued or issuable pursuant to options granted during the 
previous ten years under the Share Option Scheme or any other discretionary employees’ share scheme 
adopted by the Company would exceed 5% of the ordinary share capital of the Company in issue on that 
date. The Remuneration Committee has the discretion to exceed this 5%, in exceptional circumstances up 
to a maximum of 10%.

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018GovernanceGovernance46

Directors’ Remuneration Report continued

After an initial three-year qualification period options are exercisable at any time up to the tenth 
anniversary of the date of grant subject to a performance criterion that requires the Group to have 
achieved a three-year cumulative growth of between 30% and 50% in Earnings Per Share. There are also 
provisions, which may allow exercise of the Options in the event of a change of control, subject to the 
agreement of the Remuneration Committee.

During the year 150,000 approved enterprise management scheme options were issued to certain key 
employees. These options are exercisable at nil cost to the employee and are subject to a performance 
condition, to be measured over a three-year period ending on 31 January 2020, of growth in earnings per 
Ordinary Share in issue (“EPS”) of 40% or more compounded over the three-year period. If the growth in 
EPS is less than 40% but greater than 35% the number of Option Shares available for exercise will be 
capped at 75%. If the growth in EPS is less than 35% but greater than 30% the number of Option Shares 
available for exercise will be capped at 50%. If the growth in EPS is less than 30% the Options will lapse.

Directors’ interests in shares (audited)

The Directors’ interests in the 10p Ordinary Shares of the Company at the end of the period were:

M S Abrahams

N J Campbell

T Foster

24 April
2018
Number

155,154

4,536,271

3,899,908

31 January
2018
Number

155,154

4,536,271

3,899,908

31 January
2017 
Number

155,154

4,536,271

3,899,908

The only interests of Directors in share options as at all dates are set out above under Share Option Scheme. 

More information can be found on page 41 setting out substantial interests in the Company. 

Brook Nolson
Chairman – Remuneration Committee

24 April 2018 

inspiration-healthcare.com47

Statement of Directors’ Responsibilities

in respect of the financial statements

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

Company law requires the directors to prepare 
financial statements for each financial year. 
Under that law the directors have prepared the 
group financial statements in accordance with 
International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) 
as adopted by the European Union and company 
financial statements in accordance with United 
Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice 
(United Kingdom Accounting Standards, comprising 
FRS 101 “Reduced Disclosure Framework”, 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 and company for 
that period. In preparing the financial statements, 
the directors are required to:

›   select suitable accounting policies and then 

apply them consistently;

›   state whether applicable IFRSs as adopted by 

the European Union have been followed for the 
group financial statements and United Kingdom 
Accounting Standards, comprising FRS 101, 
have been followed for the company financial 
statements, subject to any material departures 
disclosed and explained in the financial 
statements;

›   make judgements and accounting estimates that 

are reasonable and prudent; and

›   prepare the financial statements 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 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 and, as 
regards the group financial statements, Article 4 of 
the IAS Regulation.

The directors 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.

The directors of the ultimate parent company are 
responsible for the maintenance and integrity of 
the of the ultimate parent company’s website. 
Legislation in the United Kingdom governing 
the preparation and dissemination of financial 
statements may differ from legislation in  
other jurisdictions.

The directors consider that the annual report and 
accounts, taken as a whole, is fair, balanced and 
understandable and provides the information 
necessary for shareholders to assess the group  
and company’s performance, business model  
and strategy.

Each of the directors, whose names and functions 
are listed in Directors’ Report on page 41 confirm 
that, to the best of their knowledge:

›   the company financial statements, which have 

been prepared in accordance with United 
Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting 
Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards, 
comprising FRS 101 “Reduced Disclosure 
Framework”, and applicable law), give a true 
and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial 
position and profit of the company;

›   the group financial statements, which have been 
prepared in accordance with IFRSs as adopted 
by the European Union, give a true and fair view 
of the assets, liabilities, financial position and 
profit of the group; and

›   the Strategic Report, on pages 4 to 29, 

includes a fair review of the development 
and performance of the business and the 
position of the group and company, together 
with a description of the principal risks and 
uncertainties that it faces. 

In the case of each director in office at the date  
the Directors’ Report is approved:

›   so far as the director is aware, there is no 

relevant audit information of which the group 
and company’s auditors are unaware; and they 
have taken all the steps that they ought to have 
taken as a director in order to make themselves 
aware of any relevant audit information and to 
establish that the group and company’s auditors 
are aware of that information. 

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018GovernanceGovernance3

Financial 
Statements

 49   Independent Auditors’ Report 

 to the Members of Inspiration Healthcare Group plc

 53   Consolidated Income Statement

 54   Consolidated and Company  

Statement of Financial Position

 55   Consolidated and Company  

Statement of Changes in  
Shareholders’ Equity

 56  Consolidated Cash  
  Flow Statement

 57   Notes forming part of the  
Financial Statements

Did you know?
Inspiration came on to the Alternative 

Investment Market on 24th June 2015 

through the ‘reverse acquisition’ of 

Inditherm plc

inspiration-healthcare.com 
49

Independent Auditors’ Report

to the Members of Inspiration Healthcare Group plc

Report on the audit of the financial statements

Opinion

In our opinion:
›    Inspiration Healthcare Group plc’s group financial statements and company financial statements (the “financial statements”) give 
a true and fair view of the state of the group’s and of the company’s affairs as at 31 January 2018 and of the group’s profit and 
cash flows for the year then ended;

›   the group financial statements have been properly prepared in accordance with IFRSs as adopted by the European Union;
›    the company financial statements have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting 
Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards, comprising FRS 101 “Reduced Disclosure Framework”, and applicable law); and

›   the financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

We have audited the financial statements, included within the Annual Report and Financial Statements (the “Annual 
Report”), which comprise: the group and company statements of financial position as at 31 January 2018; the  
consolidated income statement and consolidated statement of comprehensive income, the consolidated statement of cash 
flows, and the group and company statements of changes in shareholders’ in equity for the year then ended; and the notes  
to the financial statements, which include a description of the significant accounting policies.

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (“ISAs (UK)”) and applicable law. Our 
responsibilities under ISAs (UK) are further described in the Auditors’ responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements  
section of our report. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for  
our opinion.

Independence

We remained independent of the group in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the 
financial statements in the UK, which includes the FRC’s Ethical Standard, as applicable to listed entities, and we have 
fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements.

Our audit approach

Materiality

Audit  
scope

Overview
›   Overall group materiality: £155,000 (2017: £150,000), based on 1% of total revenues.
›   Overall company materiality: £71,000 (2017: £14,565), based on 1% of total assets (2017: revenue).

›   Full scope audit procedures were performed over the company and Inspiration Healthcare Limited.

Key audit  
matters

›   Carrying value of capitalised development costs.
›    Recognition of deferred tax asset. 

The scope of our audit

As part of designing our audit, we determined materiality and assessed the risks of material misstatement in the financial 
statements. In particular, we looked at where the directors made subjective judgements, for example in respect of significant 
accounting estimates that involved making assumptions and considering future events that are inherently uncertain. 

As in all of our audits we also addressed the risk of management override of internal controls, including evaluating whether 
there was evidence of bias by the directors that represented a risk of material misstatement due to fraud. 

Key audit matters

Key audit matters are those matters that, in the auditors’ professional judgement, were of most significance in the audit of  
the financial statements of the current period and include the most significant assessed risks of material misstatement 
(whether or not due to fraud) identified by the auditors, including those which had the greatest effect on: the overall audit 
strategy; the allocation of resources in the audit; and directing the efforts of the engagement team. These matters, and any 
comments we make on the results of our procedures thereon, were addressed in the context of our audit of the financial 
statements as a whole, and in forming our opinion thereon, and we do not provide a separate opinion on these matters.  
This is not a complete list of all risks identified by our audit. 

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018Financial StatementsFinancial Statements50

Independent Auditors’ Report continued
to the Members of Inspiration Healthcare Group plc

Key audit matter

How our audit addressed the key audit matter

Carrying value of capitalised development costs

Refer to Note 11 (Intangible assets) and Note 1 
(Accounting policies).

The Group begun capitalisation of research  
and development costs in FY17 due to significant 
activities relating to four specific projects.

Further R&D activities have taken place during FY18 
(£688k) as these projects have either been taken to 
market or are in the final stages of development. 

Recognition of development costs is prescribed by 
accounting standards (IAS 38). The carrying value of 
these costs is an important area of judgement and as 
such has been treated as a key audit matter.

Recognition of deferred tax asset

Refer to Note 22 (Deferred Tax).

The Group has unrecognised tax losses of £1,291,000 
(gross: £7,596,000) arising from the historic trading 
of Inditherm plc prior to the reverse acquisition by 
Inspiration Healthcare in 2015.

Management have performed an exercise to stream 
revenue and costs relating to the legacy trade of 
Inditherm. No taxable profits are forecast in the next 
two years and management therefore deem the level of 
uncertainty too high to be able to recognise a deferred 
tax asset.

We have reviewed correspondence with regulators to 
understand the likelihood of products being brought  
to market;

We have understood management’s process for monitoring 
progress of projects;

We have obtained management’s assessment of the projects 
and considered future sales plans;

Capitalised costs have been tested to supporting 
documentation; and

We have considered the appropriateness of recognition of 
development costs in line with accounting standards.

Based on the results of our audit work, we concluded the 
capitalisation of development costs is appropriate and 
consistent with the requirements of IAS 38.

We have obtained and reviewed management’s assessment 
of the use of historic losses against the ‘streamed’ trade of 
the group;

We have considered the appropriateness of the streaming 
exercise performed, including the costs and revenues 
included in management’s forecasts;

We have performed a sensitivity analysis on the key 
estimates within management’s forecasts. We found the 
inputs to the model to be appropriate and consistent with our 
knowledge of the business;

We have considered the advice received by management 
from their tax advisers; and

This is an important area of judgement in the accounts 
and as such has been treated as a key audit matter risk.

We have considered the impact of research and development 
tax credits on future profits.

Based on the results of our audit work, we have concluded 
management’s assessment is appropriate and consistent with 
the requirements of IAS 12.

We determined that there were no key audit matters applicable to the company to communicate in our report.

How we tailored the audit scope

We tailored the scope of our audit to ensure that we performed enough work to be able to give an opinion on the financial 
statements as a whole, taking into account the structure of the group and the company, the accounting processes and 
controls, and the industry in which they operate.

The Group consists of two active entities, the company and Inspiration Healthcare Limited. We have audited both companies 
as full scope audit components.

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc has been reorganised in the current year so that all trading is now through its subsidiary, 
Inspiration Healthcare Limited. The entities have one finance and management team. Both companies report their financial 
results and position using the Group accounting policies.

The audit work has been completed by a single team.

inspiration-healthcare.com51

Independent Auditors’ Report continued
to the Members of Inspiration Healthcare Group plc

Materiality

The scope of our audit was influenced by our application of materiality. We set certain quantitative thresholds for materiality. 
These, together with qualitative considerations, helped us to determine the scope of our audit and the nature, timing and 
extent of our audit procedures on the individual financial statement line items and disclosures and in evaluating the effect of 
misstatements, both individually and in aggregate on the financial statements as a whole. 

Based on our professional judgement, we determined materiality for the financial statements as a whole as follows:

Group financial  
statements

Company financial  
statements

Overall materiality

£155,000 (2017: £150,000).

£71,000 (2017: £14,565).

How we determined it

1% of total revenues.

1% of total assets (2017: revenue).

Rationale for benchmark 
applied

Revenue is considered to be the quantitative 
measure given the most attention by the 
Group’s key stakeholders.

We believe total assets is the primary 
measure used by shareholders in assessing 
the performance of the entity, and is a 
generally accepted auditing benchmark. In 
the current year no trading has gone through 
the company, therefore total assets is now 
considered more appropriate as a benchmark.

For each component in the scope of our group audit, we allocated a materiality that is less than our overall group materiality. 
The range of materiality allocated across components was between £71,000 and £147,000. Certain components were 
audited to a local statutory audit materiality that was also less than our overall group materiality.

We agreed with the Audit Committee that we would report to them misstatements identified during our audit above £7,500 
(Group audit) (2017: £7,500) and £7,500 (Company audit) (2017: £7,000) as well as misstatements below those 
amounts that, in our view, warranted reporting for qualitative reasons.

Conclusions relating to going concern

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which ISAs (UK) require us to report to you when: 

›     the directors’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is not 

appropriate; or 

›     the directors have not disclosed in the financial statements any identified material uncertainties that may cast significant 

doubt about the group’s and company’s ability to continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting for a period of at 
least twelve months from the date when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

However, because not all future events or conditions can be predicted, this statement is not a guarantee as to the group’s 
and company’s ability to continue as a going concern.

Reporting on other information 

The other information comprises all of the information in the Annual Report other than the financial statements and our 
auditors’ report thereon. The directors are responsible for the other information. Our opinion on the financial statements 
does not cover the other information and, accordingly, we do not express an audit opinion or, except to the extent otherwise 
explicitly stated in this report, any form of assurance thereon. 

In connection with our audit of the financial statements, 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 an apparent material inconsistency or material 
misstatement, we are required to perform procedures to conclude whether there is a material misstatement of the financial 
statements or a material misstatement of the other information. 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 
based on these responsibilities.

With respect to the Strategic Report and Directors’ Report, we also considered whether the disclosures required by the UK 
Companies Act 2006 have been included. 

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018Financial StatementsFinancial Statements52

Independent Auditors’ Report continued
to the Members of Inspiration Healthcare Group plc

Based on the responsibilities described above and our work undertaken in the course of the audit, ISAs (UK) require us also 
to report certain opinions and matters as described below.

Strategic Report and Directors’ Report

In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit, the information given in the Strategic Report and 
Directors’ Report for the year ended 31 January 2018 is consistent with the financial statements and has been prepared in 
accordance with applicable legal requirements. 

In light of the knowledge and understanding of the group and company and their environment obtained in the course of the 
audit, we did not identify any material misstatements in the Strategic Report and Directors’ Report. 

Responsibilities for the financial statements and the audit

Responsibilities of the directors for the financial statements

As explained more fully in the Statement of Directors’ Responsibilities set out on page 47, the directors are responsible for 
the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the applicable framework and for being satisfied that they give 
a true and fair view. The directors are also responsible for such internal control as they 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 group’s and the 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 group or the company or to cease operations, or have no 
realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditors’ responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

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 auditors’ 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 FRC’s website at:  
www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditors’ report.

Use of this report

This report, including the opinions, has been prepared for and only for the company’s members as a body in accordance with 
Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006 and for no other purpose. We do not, in giving these opinions, accept or 
assume responsibility for any other purpose or to any other person to whom this report is shown or into whose hands it may 
come save where expressly agreed by our prior consent in writing.

Other required reporting

Companies Act 2006 exception reporting

Under the Companies Act 2006 we are required to report to you if, in our opinion:

›    we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or
›     adequate accounting records have not been kept by the company, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received 

from branches not visited by us; or

›    certain disclosures of directors’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or
›    the company financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns. 

We have no exceptions to report arising from this responsibility. 

Paul Norbury (Senior Statutory Auditor)

for and on behalf of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Chartered Accountants and Statutory Auditors East Midlands

24 April 2018

inspiration-healthcare.comConsolidated Income Statement
for the year ended 31 January 2018

Revenue
Cost of sales

Gross profit
Operating expenses

Operating profit

Analysed as:

Operating profit before exceptional items
Exceptional items

Finance income
Finance costs

Profit before tax
Income tax income/(expense)

Profit for the year attributable to owners of the parent company

Earnings per share, attributable to owners of the parent company 
Basic expressed in pence per share
Diluted expressed in pence per share 

Notes

3

4

6

7
7

8

9 
9

Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income 
for the year ended 31 January 2018

Profit for the year
Other comprehensive expense
Items that may be reclassified to profit or loss

Cash flow hedges

Total other comprehensive expense for the year

Total comprehensive income for the year

Notes

23

53

2017
£’000

14,323
(7,965)

6,358
(5,913)

445

1,163 
)
 (718

3
(4)

444
(132)

312

1.02
1.02

p
p

2017
£’000

312

–

–

312

2018
£’000

15,495
(8,709

)

6,786
(5,582

)

1,204

1,204 
–

–
(2)

1,202
21

1,223

3.99
3.98

p
p

2018
£’000

1,223 

(3)

(3)

1,220

The company has elected to take the exemption under section 408 of the Companies Act 2006 from presenting the Company 
profit and loss account.

The notes on pages 57 to 89 are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

Neil Campbell
Director

Mike Briant
Director

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018Financial StatementsFinancial Statements 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
54

Consolidated and Company Statement of Financial Position
as at 31 January 2018 
(Registered Number: 03587944)

Assets  
Non-current assets
Intangible assets
Property, plant and equipment
Investments

Current assets
Inventories
Trade and other receivables
Cash and cash equivalents

Total assets

Liabilities
Current liabilities
Trade and other payables
Derivative financial liability
Deferred income

Non-current liabilities
Deferred income
Deferred tax liability

Total liabilities

Net assets

Shareholders’ equity
Called up share capital
Share premium account
Merger reserve
Reverse acquisition reserve
Share based payment reserve
Other reserves
Retained earnings

Total equity attributable to owners of  
the parent company

Group

Company

Notes

2018
£’000

2017
£’000

2018
£’000

2017
£’000

11
12
13

14
15
16

18
20
21

21
22

23
23
23
23
23
23
23

1,209
461
111

535
365
106

1,781 

1,006

560
3,066
2,086

5,712

7,493

778
2,491
2,165

5,434

6,440

(2,756
(3
(328

)
)
) 

(2,909
–
(368

)

)

(3,087)

(3,277)

(7
(34

)
)

(41)

(25
(13

)
)

(38)

–
–
7,156

7,156

3
52
668

723

7,879

)

(959
–
–

(959)

–
–

–

–
–
7,156

7,156

96
170
793

1,059

8,215

)

(785
–
–

(785)

–
–

–

(3,128)

(3,315)

4,365

3,125

(959)

6,920

(785)

7,430

3,067
–
–
(16,164
20
(3
17,445

)

)

3,067
9,929
4,600
)
(16,164
– 
–
1,693

4,365

3,125

3,067
–
–
–
175
–
3,678

6,920

3,067
9,929
4,600
–
155
–
(10,321)

7,430

The Company’s loss for the year ended 31 January 2018 is £530,000 (2017: profit £142,000).

The notes on pages 57 to 89 are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

The Group financial statements on pages 48 to 89 were approved by the Board of Directors on 23 April 2018 and signed on its 
behalf by:

Neil Campbell
Director

Mike Briant
Director

inspiration-healthcare.comConsolidated and Company Statement of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity

55

Group

At 1 February 2016
Profit for the year and total 
comprehensive income

At 31 January 2017
Profit for the year
Other comprehensive income

Total comprehensive income/ 
(expense) for the year

Transactions with owners in 
their capacity as owners
Employee share scheme expense
Capital reduction exercise:
-  Issue of B Shares to 

Capitalise Merger Reserve

- Cancellation of B Shares
-  Cancellation of Share 
Premium Account

Total transactions with owners

Issued
share
capital
£’000

Share
premium
account
£’000

Merger
reserve
£’000

Reverse
acquisition
reserve
£’000

3,067

9,929

4,600

(16,164

)

–

3,067
–
–

–

9,929
–
–

–

4,600
–
–

–

)

(16,164
–
–

3,067

9,929

4,600

(16,164

)

–

4,600
)
(4,600

–

–
–

–

)

(4,600
–

–

–

(9,929

)

–

(9,929)

(4,600)

–

–
–

–

–

At 31 January 2018

3,067

–

–

(16,164)

Share
based
payment
reserve
£’000

Other
Reserves
£’000

Retained
earnings
£’000

Total
£’000

–

–

–
–
–

–

20

–
–

–

20

20

–

–

–
–
(3)

1,381

2,813

312

1,693
1,223
–

312

3,125
1,223
(3)

)
(3

2,916

4,345

–

–
–

–

–

–

20

–
4,600

9,929

14,529

–
–

–

20

(3)

17,445

4,365 

Company

At 1 February 2016
Profit for the year

At 31 January 2017
Loss for the year

Total comprehensive income/(expense) for the year

Transactions with owners in 
their capacity as owners
Employee share scheme expense
Capital reduction exercise:
-  Issue of B Shares to Capitalise  

Merger Reserve

- Cancellation of B Shares
-  Cancellation of Share Premium Account

Issued
share
capital
£’000

3,067
–

3,067
–

3,067

Share
premium
account
£’000

9,929
–

9,929
–

9,929

Share 
based
payment
reserve
£’000

155
–

155
–

155

Merger
reserve
£’000

4,600
–

4,600
–

4,600

Retained
earnings
£’000

)
(10,463
142

)
(10,321
)
(530

Total
£’000

7,288
142

7,430
(530)

(10,851)

6,900

–

–

–

20

–

20

4,600
) 
(4,600
– 

–
–
(9,929

)

)

(4,600
–
–

–
–
–

–
4,600
9,929

–
–
–

Total transactions with owners

–

(9,929)

(4,600)

20

14,529

20

At 31 January 2018
6,920
For more information see note 23. The notes on pages 57 to 89 are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

3,067

3,678

175

–

–

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018Financial StatementsFinancial Statements 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
56

Consolidated Cash Flow Statement 
for the year ended 31 January 2018

Cash flows generated from operating activities
Cash generated from operations
Interest paid
Taxation received
Taxation paid

Net cash generated from operating activities

Cash flows from investing activities
Interest received
Purchase of property, plant and equipment
Purchase of intangible assets
Capitalised development costs
Acquisition of investment

Net cash used in investing activities

Cash flows from financing activities
Finance leases 

Net cash used in financing activities

Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year

Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year

Notes

24

13

2018
£’000

2017
£’000

919
(2
161
(126

)

)

952

–
(254
(68
(688
(5

)
)
)
)

(1,015)

(16)

(16)

(79)

2,165

2,086

771
(4
–
(203

)

)

564

3
(313
(58
(327
(6

)
)
)
)

(701)

(17)

(17)

(154)

2,319

2,165

The movement in total liabilities for financing activities solely relates to the cash flows for finance leases.

inspiration-healthcare.com57

Notes forming part of the Financial Statements 
for the year ended 31 January 2018

1 Accounting Policies

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc (the Company) is a public limited company incorporated in England and Wales (registration 
number 03587944) and domiciled in England. The Company’s registered address is Unit 2, Satellite Business Village, 
Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 9NE and the registered company number is 03587944. The Company’s ordinary shares are 
traded on the AIM Market of the London Stock Exchange plc. 

The principal activities of Inspiration Healthcare Group plc and its subsidiaries (together, the “Group”) continue to be the 
sale, service and support of critical care equipment to the medical sector including hospitals.

Basis of preparation 
The principal accounting policies adopted in the preparation of these financial statements are set out below. These policies 
have been consistently applied unless otherwise stated. 

There is no ultimate controlling party.

Group
The consolidated financial statements cover the year ended 31 January 2018. 

The consolidated financial statements have been prepared and approved by the Directors in accordance with International 
Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the European Union (‘Adopted IFRSs’), issued by the International Accounting 
Standards Board (IASB), including interpretations by the International Financial Reporting Interpretations Committee (IFRIC), 
and the Companies Act 2006 applicable to companies reporting under IFRS. The consolidated financial statements are 
prepared under the historical cost convention, as modified for any financial assets which are stated at fair value through 
operating profit or loss and for share based payments which are measured at fair value. 

Company
The Company financial statements cover the year ended 31 January 2018. 

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Financial Reporting Standard 101, ‘Reduced Disclosure 
Framework’ (‘FRS 101’). The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention and in 
accordance with the Companies Act 2006. 

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with FRS 101 requires the use of certain critical accounting estimates. 
It also requires management to exercise its judgement in the process of applying the company’s accounting policies.  
The areas involving a higher degree of judgement or complexity, or areas where assumptions and estimates are significant  
to the financial statements are disclosed elsewhere in this note. 

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018Financial StatementsFinancial Statements58

Notes forming part of the Financial Statements continued 
for the year ended 31 January 2018

1 Accounting Policies continued

The following exemptions from the requirements of IFRS have been applied in the preparation of these financial statements, 
in accordance with FRS 101:

›   Paragraphs 45(b) and 46 to 52 of IFRS 2, ‘Share-based payment’ (details of the number and weighted-average exercise 

prices of share options, and how the fair value of goods or services received was determined);

›  IFRS 7, ‘Financial Instruments: Disclosures’;

›   Paragraphs 91 to 99 of IFRS 13, ‘Fair value measurement’ (disclosure of valuation techniques and inputs used for fair value 

measurement of assets and liabilities);

›  Paragraph 38 of IAS 1, ‘Presentation of financial statements’ comparative information requirements in respect of:

  –  paragraph 79(a)(iv) of IAS 1;

  –  paragraph 73(e) of IAS 16 Property, plant and equipment;

›  The following paragraphs of IAS 1, ‘Presentation of financial statements’:

  –  10(d), (statement of cash flows)

  –   10(f) (a statement of financial position as at the beginning of the preceding period when an entity applies an accounting 
policy retrospectively or makes a retrospective restatement of items in its financial statements, or when it reclassifies 
items in its financial statements),

  –  16 (statement of compliance with all IFRS),

  –  38A (requirement for minimum of two primary statements, including cash flow statements),

  –  38B-D (additional comparative information),

  –  40A-D (requirements for a third statement of financial position

  –  111 (cash flow statement information), and

  –  134-136 (capital management disclosures)

›   IAS 7, ‘Statement of cash flows’;

›   Paragraph 30 and 31 of IAS 8 ‘Accounting policies, changes in accounting estimates and errors’ (requirement for the 
disclosure of information when an entity has not applied a new IFRS that has been issued but is not yet effective);

›   Paragraph 17 of IAS 24, ‘Related party disclosures’ (key management compensation); and

›   The requirements in IAS 24, ‘Related party disclosures’ to disclose related party transactions entered into between two or 

more members of a group.

With effect from 31 January 2017 the company transferred its commercial activities, together with trading assets related to 
those activities, to its wholly owned subsidiary, Inspiration Healthcare Limited as part of a “hive down” exercise. The transfer 
of the relevant assets and contracts was at net book value. Accounts payable and receivable have been retained within the 
company and will be settled in the normal course of business.

Some inventory also remained within the Company and was subsequently transferred following the balance sheet date.

Completion of the disposal of fixed assets was subsequently made on closure of the Rotherham facility in March 2017.  
All remaining assets had been written down to a nil book value as at the balance sheet date. 

The accounting policies of the Company are the same as for the Group. 

inspiration-healthcare.com59

Notes forming part of the Financial Statements continued 
for the year ended 31 January 2018

1 Accounting Policies continued

Basis of consolidation 
The financial statements of the Group consolidate the financial statements of Inspiration Healthcare Group plc and its 
subsidiary undertakings (together referred to as the ‘Group’) up to 31 January each year. All subsidiaries have a reporting 
date of 31 January.

Subsidiaries are entities controlled by the Group. Control exists when the Group has the power, directly or indirectly, to 
govern the financial and operating policies of an entity so as to obtain benefits from its activities. In assessing control, 
potential voting rights that are currently exercisable or convertible are taken into account. 

The financial statements of subsidiaries are included in the consolidated financial statements from the date that control 
commences until the date that control ceases, in accordance with IFRS 10. Intra group transactions and balances,  
and any unrealised gains or losses arising from intra group transactions, are eliminated in preparing the consolidated 
financial statements. 

Going concern basis 

On the basis of current financial projections and available funds and facilities, the Directors are satisfied that the Group has 
adequate resources to continue in operation for the foreseeable future and, therefore, consider it appropriate to prepare the 
financial statements on the going concern basis. Further information on the group’s cash resources is given in note 16. 

Critical accounting estimates and judgements 
The Group is required to make estimates and assumptions concerning the future. These estimates and judgements are based 
on historical experience and other factors, including expectations of future events that are believed to be reasonable under 
the circumstances. The resulting accounting estimates will, by definition, seldom equal the related actual results. Estimates 
and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the year 
in which the estimate is revised and in any future periods affected. Accounting estimates and judgements have been required 
for the production of these financial statements. 

The following are those that are deemed to require the most complex judgements about matters that have the most 
significant effect on the amounts recognised in the financial statements. 

›  Capitalisation of development costs

In order to capitalise development costs, there is a requirement for detailed analysis of the technical feasibility and 
commercial viability of the project. The Board regularly reviews this judgement in respect of relevant development projects. 
Estimates are required as to development cost carrying values and impairment charges. Amortisation rates are based on 
estimates of useful lives and residual values of the assets involved.

›  Exceptional costs

In order to adequately reflect the impact of material non-recurring events within the business, there is a need to use 
assumptions and judgements to account for the expected future net impact of the event. 

›  Deferred taxation 

Management must judge whether future profitability is likely in making the decision whether or not to recognise a deferred 
tax asset. Note 22 explains the potential deferred tax assets which have not been recognised due to the uncertainty of the 
timing of utilising tax losses. 

›  Allowances against the valuation of inventories 

Where inventory has become obsolete or is slow moving a provision is made to write the value of stock down to 
management’s estimate of net realisable value. Slow moving stock is identified by reference to historic usage, sales 
projections and essential spare part requirements. When products are made obsolete, the appropriate components  
and sub-components are identified at the time and are fully provided against. 

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018Financial StatementsFinancial Statements60

Notes forming part of the Financial Statements continued 
for the year ended 31 January 2018

1 Accounting Policies continued

›  Carrying value of Intangible assets 

The determination of the fair value of assets and liabilities including goodwill arising on the acquisition of businesses, 
the acquisition of industry-specific knowledge, software technology, branding and customer relationships whether arising 
from separate purchases or from the acquisition as part of business combinations, and development expenditure which is 
expected to generate future economic benefits, are based to a considerable extent, on management’s judgement.

The fair value of these assets is determined by discounting estimated future net cash flows generated by the asset where 
no active market for the asset exists. The use of different assumptions for the expectations of future cash flows and the 
discount rate would change the valuation of the intangible asset. The discount rate takes account of the current market 
conditions and this has been applied as a pre-tax discount factor to obtain current value. 

The estimated useful life principally reflects management’s view of the average economic life of each asset and is assessed 
by reference to historical data and future expectations, any reduction in the estimated useful life would lead to an increase 
in the annual amortisation charge.

›  Impairment reviews 

Impairment testing is an area involving management’s judgement, requiring assessment as to whether the carrying value of 
assets can be supported by the net present value of future cash flows derived from such assets using cash flow projections 
which have been discounted at an appropriate rate. In calculating the net present value of the future cash flows, certain 
assumptions are required to be made in respect of highly uncertain matters including management’s expectations of: 

  ›  the selection of discount rates to reflect the risks involved; 

  › growth in operating profit; 

  › long term growth rates. 

The Group prepares and approves a detailed annual budget and three year business plans which are used in the value of 
these calculations.

Changing the assumptions selected by management, in particular the discount rate and growth rate assumptions used in  
the cash flow projections, could significantly affect the Group’s impairment evaluation and hence results.

Property, plant and equipment
Items of property, plant and equipment are measured at historical cost less accumulated depreciation and any impairment. 
Costs include expenditure that is directly attributable to the acquisition of the asset. Depreciation is provided to write off 
the cost, less estimated residual value of property, plant and equipment by equal instalments over their estimated useful 
economic lives. The assets residual values and useful economic lives are reviewed, and adjusted as appropriate, at each  
year end date. When parts of an item of property, plant and equipment have different useful lives, they are accounted for  
as separate items (major components) of property, plant and equipment.

The following rates are applied:

Leasehold improvements 

Over the term of the lease

Fixtures and fittings 

10% – 25% per annum

Motor vehicles 

25% per annum

Plant, machinery and 
office equipment

15% – 33% per annum 

inspiration-healthcare.com61

Notes forming part of the Financial Statements continued 
for the year ended 31 January 2018

1 Accounting Policies continued

Leased assets
Leases or hire purchase agreements under the terms of which the Group assumes substantially all the risks and rewards of 
ownership are classified as finance leases. Upon initial recognition the leased asset is measured at an amount equal to the 
lower of its fair value and the present value of the minimum lease payments. Subsequent to initial recognition, the asset is 
accounted for in accordance with the accounting policy applicable to that asset.

Obligations under finance leases are included in liabilities net of the finance charge allocated to future years. The finance 
element of the rental payment is charged to the Consolidated Income Statement as a finance expense so as to produce a 
constant periodic rate of charge on the net obligations outstanding at each year end. Other leases are operating leases and 
the leased asset is not recognised on the Consolidated Statement of Financial Position.

Assets acquired by finance lease are depreciated over the lease term or their useful lives.

Payments made under operating leases, net of any incentives received from the lessor, are recognised in the Consolidated 
Income Statement on a straight line basis over the term of the lease.

Intangible assets and goodwill 
Intangible assets are recognised if it is possible to demonstrate that there will be future economic benefits attributable to the 
asset, the cost of the asset can be measured reliably, the asset is separately identifiable and there is control over the use of 
the asset. All intangible assets recognised are considered to have finite lives (unless otherwise stated) and are amortised on 
a straight line basis over the period over which the Group expects to benefit from these assets, and included within operating 
expenses. Provision is made for any impairment in the carrying amount of the intangible asset if applicable. 

Intellectual property 

Purchased intellectual property rights are capitalised and amortised over management’s estimate of their useful economic life 
or term of the relevant contract up to a maximum of 10 years. 

Goodwill 

Goodwill arises when the fair value of the consideration for the business exceeds the fair value of the net assets acquired. 
Intangible assets are capitalised separately from goodwill as part of a business combination, only if the value can be 
measured reliably on initial recognition and if the future economic benefits are expected to flow to the Group. Goodwill is not 
amortised but is tested annually for impairment, or more frequently when events or changes in circumstances indicate that 
the carrying amount may be impaired. Goodwill is stated at fair value less any accumulated impairment losses. 

Acquisition related intangible assets 

Net assets acquired as part of a business combination includes an assessment of the fair value of separately identifiable 
acquisition-related intangible assets. In addition to other assets, liabilities and contingent liabilities purchased. These are 
amortised over their useful lives which are individually assessed. 

Capitalised development costs

Where the criteria for capitalisation in IAS 38 ‘Intangible assets’ are met, costs incurred are capitalised and amortised over 
their useful economic lives from the point the products are launched to market. The capitalised values are reviewed against 
the discounted future economic value, and adjusted as appropriate, at each year end date.

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018Financial StatementsFinancial Statements62

Notes forming part of the Financial Statements continued 
for the year ended 31 January 2018

1 Accounting Policies continued

Research and development costs 

Research expenditure is written off to the Consolidated Income Statement in the year in which it is incurred. Development 
expenditure on an individual project is recognised as an intangible asset when the Group can demonstrate: 

›   the technical and commercial feasibility of completing the intangible asset so that the asset will be available for use  

or sale; 

›  its intention to complete and its ability and intention to use or sell the developed asset; 

›  its future economic benefits are probable; 

›  the availability of adequate technical, financial and other resources to complete the asset; and 

›  the ability to measure reliably the expenditure attributable to the asset during development. 

Following initial recognition of the development expenditure as an asset, the asset is carried at cost less any accumulated 
amortisation and accumulated impairment losses. Amortisation of the asset begins when development is complete and the 
asset is available for use. It is amortised over the period of expected future benefit. Amortisation is recorded in operating 
expenses. During the period of development, the asset is tested for impairment annually.

Software costs

Where the criteria for capitalisation in IAS 38 ‘Intangible assets’ are met, software costs incurred are capitalised and 
amortised over their useful economic lives from the point that the software is brought into service. Estimated useful life varies 
between 3 and 5 years.

Impairment 

Intangible assets and goodwill are considered to be impaired if objective evidence suggests that one or more events have 
had a negative effect on the estimated future cash flows of that asset. If any such indication exists, the asset’s recoverable 
amount is estimated. For goodwill and intangible assets that have an indefinite useful life, the recoverable amount is 
estimated at each year end date. Impairment losses are recognised in the Consolidated Income Statement. 

Calculation of recoverable amount 

Assets that are subject to amortisation or depreciation are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in 
circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. An impairment loss would be recognised whenever 
the carrying amount of an intangible asset or its cash generating unit exceeds its recoverable amount. 

The recoverable amount is the greater of the asset’s fair value less costs to sell and its value in use. In assessing an asset’s 
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. 

Inventories 
Inventories are stated at the lower of cost and net realisable value. Cost comprises direct material and, where applicable, 
direct labour costs and those overheads that have been incurred in bringing inventories to their present location and 
condition on a first in first out basis. 

Net realisable value is based on estimated selling price less additional costs to completion or disposal. Allowance is made for 
obsolete, defective and slow moving items based on estimated future usage. 

inspiration-healthcare.com63

Notes forming part of the Financial Statements continued 
for the year ended 31 January 2018

1 Accounting Policies continued

Recognition and valuation of financial assets and liabilities 

Cash and cash equivalents 

Cash and cash equivalents include cash at bank and in hand, deposits held on call with banks, other short term highly liquid 
investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts which are repayable on demand. 

Investments 

Investments held as non-current and current assets are stated at cost less provision for any impairment in value. 

Trade and other receivables 

Trade and other receivables are recognised and carried at the lower of their original invoiced value and recoverable amount. 
An impairment is made when it is likely that the balance will not be recovered in full. The recoverable amount is calculated 
as the present value of estimated future cash flows. Estimated future cash flows are not discounted due to the relatively short 
period of time between recognition of trade receivables and receipt of cash. 

Trade and other payables 

Trade payables are obligations to pay for goods and services. The value of trade payables is the value that would be payable 
to settle the liability at the year end date. 

Provisions 
Provisions for liabilities are made where the timing or amount of settlement is uncertain. A provision is recognised when: the 
Group has a present legal or constructive obligation as a result of past events; it is probable that an outflow of resources will 
be required to settle the obligation; and the amount can be reliably estimated. Provisions are not discounted on the grounds 
of materiality as permitted under IAS 37 ‘Provisions, Contingent Liabilities and Contingent Assets’. 

Warranty provision
The performance of products is warranted against clearly defined performance specifications established by reference to the 
technical and development testing carried out at the manufacturing facility. The estimated cost of the work to be performed 
under warranty on items sold by the Group would be provided for if management were aware of any field issues that needed 
rectification. At 31 January 2018 no provision is required (2017: £nil) and management are not aware of any material field 
issues that would require a provision to be made for products supplied for distribution outside of the manufacturers warranties.

Share capital 
Ordinary shares are classified as equity. Incremental costs directly attributable to the issue of new shares are shown in equity 
as a deduction, net of tax, from the proceeds. 

Foreign currency transactions and balances 
Transactions in foreign currencies are translated to Sterling at the foreign exchange rate ruling at the date of the transaction. 
Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies at the year end date are retranslated to Sterling at 
the foreign exchange rate ruling at that date. Any exchange differences arising on the settlement of monetary items or 
on translating monetary items at rates different from those at which they were initially recorded are recognised in the 
Consolidated Income Statement in the year in which they arise. 

Derivatives and hedging activities
The Group uses forward currency contracts to hedge its exposure to the financial risks of changes in foreign exchange rates. 
The Group does not use derivative financial instruments for speculative purposes.

Forward currency contracts are fair valued at each balance sheet date. Changes in the fair value on the forward currency 
contracts that are designated and effective as hedges of future cash flows are recognised directly in equity. Amounts deferred 
in equity are recognised in the Consolidated Income Statement in the same period in which the hedged item affects the 
Consolidated Income Statement. 

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018Financial StatementsFinancial Statements64

Notes forming part of the Financial Statements continued 
for the year ended 31 January 2018

1 Accounting Policies continued

Employee benefits 

Defined contribution pension plans 

The costs of contributing to defined contribution stakeholder pension scheme and employees’ personal pension schemes are 
charged to the Consolidated Income Statement in the year in which they relate. The Group has no further legal or constructive 
obligations once the contributions have been paid. 

Share-based incentives 

The Group operates an equity settled share scheme for certain employees. The cost of equity settled share based payments is 
measured at fair value at the date of grant, excluding the effect of non-market based vesting conditions. The cost is recognised 
in the Consolidated Income Statement on a straight-line basis over the vesting period with the corresponding amount credited 
to equity, based on an estimate of the number of shares that will eventually vest. The fair values are measured using the 
Black-Scholes model. Please refer to note 26 for more information. 

Grants 
Revenue based grants are credited as other operating income to the Consolidated Income Statement against related 
expenditure while grants of a capital nature are treated as deferred income and are transferred to the Consolidated Income 
Statement over the expected useful lives of the relevant assets.

Revenue recognition 
Revenue comprises the fair value of the consideration received or receivable from the sale of goods and services in the 
ordinary course of the Group’s activities. Revenue is shown net of value added tax, returns, rebates and discounts. 

Revenue is recognised when title of the goods passes to the customer or when the services have been provided. 

The revenue on rental, service and maintenance contracts is assessed at the commencement of the contract, and provided the 
outcome of the contract can be assessed with reasonable certainty, the income is recognised over the life of the contract on a 
straight-line apportioned basis. 

Provisions for costs are charged to the Consolidated Income Statement when incurred. No provision is made for future costs 
on service and maintenance contracts. Provision is made in full for any losses as soon as they can be foreseen. Any provisions 
for foreseeable losses in excess of contract balances are included in current liabilities. 

Segment reporting 
An operating segment is a component of the Group that engages in business activities from which it may earn revenues and 
incur expenses, including revenue and expenses that relate to transactions with any of the Group’s other components. The 
Board of Directors consider that it is appropriate to report results as one single business segment, i.e. Critical Care Medical 
Devices. This is consistent with management accounting information reported regularly to the Board. The Group’s Chief 
Operating Decision Maker is considered to be the Board. 

Exceptional items 
Items that are considered significant by virtue of their size or their nature, or that are non-recurring, are disclosed on the  
face of the Consolidated Income Statement as exceptional items to enable a full understanding of the underlying performance 
of the Group. 

inspiration-healthcare.com65

Notes forming part of the Financial Statements continued 
for the year ended 31 January 2018

1 Accounting Policies continued

Taxation 
Tax on the profit or loss for the year comprises the current and deferred tax. Tax is recognised in the Consolidated Income 
Statement except to the extent that it relates to items directly recognised in equity, in which case it is recognised in equity. 

Current tax is the expected tax payable on the taxable income for the year, using tax rates enacted or substantively enacted at 
the year end date and any adjustment in respect of previous years. 

Deferred tax is provided on temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting 
purposes and the amounts used for taxation purposes. The following temporary differences are not provided for: 

›   the initial recognition of goodwill 

›   the initial recognition of assets and liabilities that affect neither accounting nor taxable profit other than in a business 

combination; and 

›   the differences relating to investments in subsidiaries to the extent that they will probably not reverse in the  

foreseeable future. 

The amount of deferred tax provided is based on the expected amount of realisation or settlement of the carrying amount of 
assets and liabilities using tax rates enacted or substantively enacted at the year end date. A deferred tax asset is recognised 
only to the extent that it is probable that future taxable profits will be available against which the temporary differences can be 
utilised within a reasonable future timescale.

New standards, amendments and interpretations 
The following accounting standards and interpretations, issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (‘IASB’) or 
IFRIC (as endorsed by the European Union), that are effective or endorsed but not yet effective for the first time in the current 
financial year are:

›  IFRS 9 Financial Instruments – effective years commencing after 1 January 2018 

›  IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers – effective years commencing after 1 January 2018 

›  IFRS 2 (Amendment) Share based payments – effective years commencing after 1 January 2018

›  IFRS 4 (Amendment) Insurance contracts – effective years commencing after 1 January 2018

›  IAS 40 (Amendment) Investment property – effective years commencing after 1 January 2018

IFRS 16 leases (effective years commencing after 1 January 2019) will be adopted by the Group in future accounting periods. 
The Group will look at the impact of IFRS 16 in the coming months.

The Group is required to adopt both IFRS 9 Financial Instruments and IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers from 
1 February 2018 and the estimated initial impact to the consolidated financial statements on adoption has been reviewed. 

IFRS 9 Financial Instruments
IFRS 9 addresses the classification, measurement and recognition of financial assets and liabilities and replaces IAS 39.  
The group has reviewed both the provisioning against trade receivables and the impact of hedge accounting under IFRS 9.  
On review, the Group considers the implementation of IFRS 9 will not have a material impact on the consolidated  
financial statements.

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018Financial StatementsFinancial Statements66

Notes forming part of the Financial Statements continued 
for the year ended 31 January 2018

1 Accounting Policies continued

IFRS 15 Financial Instruments
IFRS 15 deals with revenue recognition and establishes principles for reporting useful information to users of financial 
statements about the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from an entity’s contracts 
with customers. The Group has both reviewed and discussed the terms and conditions of a sample of contacts across 5 
distinct contact types. On review, the Group considers the implementation of IFRS 15 will not have a material impact on the 
consolidated financial statements.

Alternative financial measures
In the reporting of its financial performance, the Group uses certain measures that are not defined under IFRS, the  
Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) under which the Group reports. The Directors believe that these non-GAAP 
measures assist with the understanding of the performance of the business. These non-GAAP measures are not a substitute 
for, or superior to, any IFRS measures of performance but they have been included as the Directors consider them to be 
an important means of comparing performance year-on-year and they include key measures used within the business for 
assessing performance.

inspiration-healthcare.com67

Notes forming part of the Financial Statements continued 
for the year ended 31 January 2018

2 Segmental analysis

Inspiration Healthcare Group operates in a single business segment: Critical Care Medical Devices. Within this segment the 
Group’s sales activities are split into three market sectors: Critical Care, Operating Theatre and Home Healthcare and these 
sectors are defined and reported in Our business and the Operating and financial review. There is no inter-sector trading.

The sectors are defined in the Our Business Strategy on pages 8 to 13. 

3 Revenue 

Geographical analysis of revenue for the years ended 31 January 2018 and 31 January 2017 is as follows:

UK
Europe
Asia Pacific
Middle East & Africa
Americas

Total

Significant categories of revenue

Goods sold
Services

No single customer accounted for more than 10% of revenue.

2018
£’000

10,338
3,143
352
795
867

15,495

2018
£’000

13,661
1,834

15,495

2017 
£’000

9,770
2,728
438
424
963

14,323

2017
£’000

12,543
1,780

14,323

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018Financial StatementsFinancial Statements68

Notes forming part of the Financial Statements continued 
for the year ended 31 January 2018

4 Expenses by nature 

Inventories recognised as an expense
Other cost of sales
Employee benefit expense
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment
– owned assets
– leased assets
Amortisation of intangible fixed assets
Impairment of trade receivables
Loss on disposal of tangible assets
Foreign exchange losses
Operating lease rentals
Other exceptional costs (note 6)
Other expenses

Total cost of sales and operating expenses

The numbers above include:

Auditors’ remuneration
Group audit services – statutory
Company audit services – statutory

Total audit services – statutory

Group non-audit services
Company non-audit services

Total non-audit services 

2018
£’000

8,306
403
3,611

)

146
2
82
(2
10
18
181
–
1,534

2017
£’000

7,418
547
3,372

107
5
92
)
(8
2
19
271
488
1,565

14,291

13,878

27
26

53

–
6

6

27
20

47

–
–

–

Non-audit services provided were £5,000 for share option scheme training and £1,000 for a subscription to web-based 
accounting products and services.

inspiration-healthcare.com69

Notes forming part of the Financial Statements continued 
for the year ended 31 January 2018

5 Employees 

Group

Company

Aggregate employee costs are as follows:

Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Other pension costs
Share option charge

Total

2018
£’000

3,144
356
91
20

3,611

2017 
£’000

2018
£’000

2017 
£’000

2,991
319
62
–

3,372

194
16
9
20

239

1,111
106
24
–

1,241

Employee costs include the costs of the Executive Directors but not the Non-executive Directors, along with severance payments 
of £23,000 (2017: £230,000), see note 6.

Company employment costs are recharged from a subsidiary company, Inspiration Healthcare Limited.

Monthly average number of persons employed (including Executive Directors and excluding agency staff) analysed by category:

Management and Administration
Sales
Development and Quality
Production

Total

Key management emoluments (including Executive Directors) 

Aggregate emoluments:
Emoluments of the Directors and key management personnel
Contributions to defined contribution pension scheme on their behalf

Emoluments of highest paid Director
Contributions to defined contribution pension scheme

Group

Company

2018

2017

2018

2017 

27
30
6
–

63

17
29
12
12

70

–
–
–
–

–

8
4
3
9

24

Group

Company

2018
£’000

2017
£’000

2018
£’000

2017
£’000

592
19

611

190
7

197

523
15

538

139
7

146

91
3

94

25
1

26

429
16

445

139
7

146

Payments for loss of office of £nil (2017: £93,000) are included in severance pay within exceptional items (see note 6).

The number of Directors for whom retirement benefits are accruing under defined contribution pension schemes during the  
year were 3 (2017: 4).

No Directors exercised share options during the year (2017: none).

This note should be read in conjunction with the Director Remuneration Report on pages 42 to 46.

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018Financial StatementsFinancial Statements70

Notes forming part of the Financial Statements continued 
for the year ended 31 January 2018

6 Exceptional items

Professional fees in relation to the reverse acquisition
Severance and related costs
Closure of facilities

Total exceptional items

2018
£’000

–
–
–

–

2017
£’000

)

(62
136
644

718

The Group presents certain items as non-recurring and significant. These relate to items which, in management’s 
judgement, need to be disclosed by virtue of their size and nature in order to obtain a more meaningful understanding  
of the financial information. These are all included within operating expenses in the Consolidated Income Statement.

During 2017 severance and related recruitment costs of £136,000 arose from the change of Group Finance Director, of 
which £93,000 was for loss of office and £9,000 for related social security costs. Additionally severance payments of 
£128,000 for other staff are included within Closure of facilities.

Closure of facilities: on 19th October 2016, the Group announced the outsourcing of manufacturing of the Inditherm 
products to third parties and the closure of the corporate office and manufacturing site at Rotherham, along with its 
Albourne R&D facility. Closure of facilities cost includes redundancy, dilapidations, project management, obsolete inventory 
and dual running lease and similar costs. 

A new corporate head office and R&D centre at Crawley, West Sussex opened officially in March 2017.

inspiration-healthcare.comNotes forming part of the Financial Statements continued 
for the year ended 31 January 2018

7 Finance income and costs

Finance income
Bank interest receivable

Finance costs
Finance lease interest payable
Other interest payable

8 Taxation

(a) Analysis of tax charge for the year

Domestic current year tax
UK corporation tax –

current year
prior year adjustment

Total current tax (credit)/expense

Deferred tax (see note 22)

origination and reversal of temporary timing differences
prior year adjustment

Total deferred tax

Tax (credit)/expense on profit on ordinary activities

71

2018
£’000

2017
£’000

–

–

–
(2)

(2)

3

3

(1
(3

)
)

(4)

2018
£’000

2017
£’000

145
(187)

(42)

17
4

21

(21)

153
(40)

113

23
(4)

19

132

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018Financial StatementsFinancial Statements72

Notes forming part of the Financial Statements continued 
for the year ended 31 January 2018

8 Taxation continued

(b)  Factors affecting tax charge for the year

The tax assessed for the year is lower (2017: higher) than the standard rate of corporation tax in the UK of 19.16% (2017: 20%) 
as explained below:

Profit on ordinary activities before taxation

Tax using the effective UK corporation tax rate of 19.16% (2017: 20%)
Effects of:
Non-deductible expenses
Tax losses utilised for research and development claim
Additional deduction for research and development
Adjustments to tax charge in respect of prior years

Research and development tax credit – current year

Total tax (credit)/charge

2018
£’000

1,202

230

9
–
)
(77
)
(183

)
(21
–

(21)

2017
£’000

444

89

133
10
(52
(44

)
)

136
(4)

132

The Research and Development Expenditure Credit (RDEC) scheme for large companies became compulsory from 1 April 2016. 
The RDEC provides relief against the corporation tax liability for the company of 11% on the amount of qualifying R&D expenditure.

Changes to the UK corporation tax rates were announced as part of the Chancellor’s Budget on 16 March 2016. The change 
announced was to reduce the main rate of corporation tax to 17% from 1 April 2020. 

As the change to 17% had been substantively enacted by the balance sheet date, deferred taxes at the balance sheet date have 
been measured using these enacted tax rates and reflected in these financial statements.

(c)  Factors that may affect future tax charges

The group has gross unused losses estimated at £7,596,000. Brought forward losses transferred to the Group due to the 
reverse acquisition amount to £7,596,000 and are potentially available for relief against future trading profits. See note 22 
Deferred Tax for more information. 

inspiration-healthcare.com73

Notes forming part of the Financial Statements continued 
for the year ended 31 January 2018

9 Earnings per ordinary share 

Basic earnings per share for the year is calculated by dividing the profit attributable to ordinary shareholders for the year 
after tax by the weighted average number of shares in issue.

Basic diluted earnings per share is calculated by adjusting the weighted average number of ordinary shares in issue to 
assume conversion of all potential dilutive ordinary shares. 

Profit

Profit attributable to equity holders of the company

Exceptional items

Numerator for underlying earnings per share calculation

2018
£’000

1,223

–

1,223

2017
£’000

312

718

1,030

The weighted average number of shares in issue and the diluted weighted average number of shares in issue were  
as follows:

Shares

Weighted average number of ordinary shares in issue during the year for the  
purposes of basic earnings per share

Dilutive effect of potential Ordinary shares:
Share options

Diluted weighted number of shares in issue during the year
for the purposes of diluted earnings per share

2018

2017

30,667,548

30,667,548

66,449

–

30,733,997 

30,667,548

The number of share options have been pro-rated for the time they have been in place, see note 26 for further information.

The basic and diluted earnings per share for the year are as follows:

Earnings per share

Basic
2018
pence

3.99

The underlying basic and diluted earnings per share for the year are as follows:

Underlying earnings per share

Basic
2018
pence

3.47

Diluted
2018
pence

3.98

Diluted
2018
pence

3.46

Basic
2017
pence

1.02

Basic
2017
pence

3.36

Diluted
2017
pence

1.02

Diluted
2017
pence

3.36

An underlying earnings per share and a underlying diluted earnings per share have also been calculated as in the opinion of the 
Directors this will allow shareholders to gain a clearer understanding of the trading performance of the Group. These underlying 
earnings per share exclude:

• Significant prior year tax recoveries

• Exceptional items

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018Financial StatementsFinancial Statements 
 
 
 
 
 
74

Notes forming part of the Financial Statements continued 
for the year ended 31 January 2018

10 Dividends 

There are no immediate plans to pay dividends by Inspiration Healthcare Group plc. Further information on dividend policy 
can be found in the Chief Executive Officer’s report on page 19. 

11 Intangible assets

Group

Cost
At 1 February 2016
Capitalised in the year

At 1 February 2017

Capitalised in the year
Disposals in the year

At 31 January 2018

Amortisation
At 1 February 2016
Charge in the year

At 1 February 2017

Charge in the year
Disposals in the year

At 31 January 2018

Net book value 
At 31 January 2018

At 31 January 2017

Development
costs
£’000

Intellectual
property
£’000

Software
costs
£’000

Goodwill
£’000

129
327

456

688
(126)

1,018

127
1

128

7
(126
)

9

1,009

328

661
–

661

–
(385)

276

622
33

655

5
)
(385

275

1

6

227
58

285

68
–

353

26
58

84

70
–

154

199

201

378
–

378

–
–

378

378
–

378

–
–

378

–

–

Total
£’000

1,395
385

1,780

756
(511)

2,025

1,153
92

1,245

82
)
(511

816

1,209

535

inspiration-healthcare.com 
 
 
75

Notes forming part of the Financial Statements continued 
for the year ended 31 January 2018

11 Intangible assets continued

Company

Development
costs
£’000

Intellectual
property
£’000

Software
costs
£’000

Total
£’000

Cost
At 1 February 2017

Disposals in the year

At 31 January 2018

Amortisation
At 1 February 2017

Disposals in the year

At 31 January 2018

Net book value 
At 31 January 2018 &  
31 January 2017

126

(126)

–

126

(126)

–

–

136

–

136

136

–

136

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

262

(126)

136

262

(126)

136

–

Intangible assets are amortised on a straight line basis and the amortisation is included within Operating expenses 
within the Group’s Consolidated Income Statement on page 53.

Software costs relating to the ERP system are held at cost £317,000 (2017: £264,000), net book value £171,000 
(2017: £180,000) and have a remaining economic life of 2 years.

Goodwill reflects the future economic benefits arising from assets that are not capable of being identified individually and 
recognised as separate assets. The goodwill reflects the anticipated profitability and synergistic benefits arising from the 
Group structure. The goodwill is the balance of the total consideration less fair value of assets acquired and identified. 
In accordance with IFRS 3 the Group considers that, on reverse acquisition, there are future economic benefits arising 
from other assets that are not individually identified and recognised. The Group recognised goodwill of £378,000 as an 
intangible asset. 

Goodwill acquired in a business combination is allocated, at acquisition, to the cash generating units (CGU’s) that are 
expected to benefit from that business combination. The business is considered to be one CGU.

The recoverable amounts are determined from value in use calculations. The key assumptions for the value in use 
calculations are the discount rate used for future cash flows and the anticipated future changes in revenue, direct 
costs and indirect costs of the Group over the estimated useful life of the asset. The assumptions used reflect the past 
experience of management and future expectations. 

Intellectual property and goodwill arising on reverse acquisition have been previously reviewed for impairment and fully 
impaired. This remains appropriate.

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018Financial StatementsFinancial Statements 
 
 
76

Notes forming part of the Financial Statements continued 
for the year ended 31 January 2018

12 Property, plant and equipment 

Group

Cost
At 1 February 2016
Additions in the year
Disposals in year

At 1 February 2017

Additions in the year
Disposals in year

At 31 January 2018

Depreciation
At 1 February 2016
Charge in the year
Disposals in year

At 1 February 2017

Charge in the year
Disposals in year

At 31 January 2018

Net book value 
At 31 January 2018

At 31 January 2017

Leasehold
improvements
£’000

Fixtures
and
fittings
£’000

Plant,
machinery,
office
equipment
£’000

Motor
vehicles
£’000

5
221
–

226

41
–

267

4
2
–

6

29
–

35

232

220

269
1
(6)

264

9
(214)

59

260
2
(4)

258

2
(214)

46

13

6

978
91
(76)

993

173
(302)

864

828
102
(76)

854

114
(292)

676

188

139

33
–
–

33

31
(23)

41

27
6
–

33

3
(23)

13

28

–

Total
£’000

1,285
313
(82)

1,516

254
(539

)

1,231

1,119
112
(80)

1,151

148
(529)

770

461

365

inspiration-healthcare.com 
77

Notes forming part of the Financial Statements continued 
for the year ended 31 January 2018 

12 Property, plant and equipment continued

Company

Cost
At 1 February 2017
Transferred to Group companies
Disposals

At 31 January 2018

Depreciation
At 31 February 2017

Transferred to Group companies
Disposals

At 31 January 2018

Net book value 
At 31 January 2018 & 31 January 2017

Fixtures
and
fittings
£’000

Plant,
machinery,
office
equipment
£’000

Motor
vehicles
£’000

Total
£’000

231
)
(28
)
(203

–

231

(28
(203

)
)

–

–

167
–
(167)

–

167

–
(167)

–

–

10
(10
–

)

–

10

)

(10
–

–

–

408
)
(38
)
(370

–

408

)
(38
)
(370

–

–

Depreciation charged for the financial year is included within cost of sales and operating expenses in the Consolidated 
Income Statement. 

Plant, machinery and office equipment includes leased assets of £24,000 (2017: £24,000) with a net book value of £nil 
(2017: £2,000). The related depreciation charge for the year was £2,000 (2017: £5,000). 

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018Financial StatementsFinancial Statements78

Notes forming part of the Financial Statements continued 
for the year ended 31 January 2018

13 Investments

Group

Cost
At 1 February 2017
Additions

At 31 January 2018

Net book value 
At 31 January 2018

At 31 January 2017

£’000

106
5

111

111

106

The Group is an investor in Neuroprotexeon Limited, a drug device technology company which is pioneering the use of the 
inert gas, Xenon, as a neuro-protectant.

During the year the Group has further invested £5,000 taking the investment to £111,000 in aggregate in return for a 
holding of 10.0% (8.7% on a fully diluted basis taking into account share options and loan conversion rights of other 
investors) at 31 January 2018. 

The Group has the right, amongst other conditions, to appoint a Director. Neil Campbell is currently appointed as a  
Non-executive Director of Neuroprotexeon Limited as the Group’s representative. 

The investment is held at cost as Neuroprotexeon Limited is not a publicly traded company therefore a reliable fair value 
assessment cannot be obtained.

An impairment review was carried out by the Directors at 31 January 2018 and no impairment is considered necessary.

Company

Cost
At 31 January 2018 and 2017

Net book value 
At 31 January 2018 and 2017

£’000

7,156

7,156

inspiration-healthcare.com79

Notes forming part of the Financial Statements continued 
for the year ended 31 January 2018

13 Investments continued

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc has the following interests in wholly owned subsidiaries, joint ventures or associates 
registered and operating in England and Wales.

Name

Inspiration Healthcare Limited
Inspiration Homecare Limited
Inditherm Limited
Inditherm (Medical) Limited
Inditherm (UK) Limited
Inditherm Construction Limited

Direct/
indirect
ownership

% of total
issued
share
capital

Nature of business

Sale of medical and orthopaedic goods
Dormant
Dormant
Holding company for intellectual property rights
Dormant
Dormant

Direct
Indirect
Indirect
Direct
Direct
Direct

100
100
100
100
100
100

Class of
share

Ordinary
Ordinary
Ordinary
Ordinary
Ordinary
Ordinary

The registered office of the above companies is:
2 Satellite Business Village, Fleming Way, Crawley, England, RH10 9NE

Anaesthetic Services Systems Limited

Dormant

Indirect

100

Ordinary

The registered office of the above company is:
C10 Strangford Park Ards Business Centre, Jubilee Road, Newtownards, Co Down, BT23 4YH

The Company also holds an indirect interest in Neuroprotexeon Limited, as previously outlined.

14 Inventories

Group

Company

Raw materials
Work in progress
Finished goods

2018
£’000

9
–
551

560

2017
£’000

141
–
637

778

2018
£’000

2017
£’000

3
–
–

3

85
–
11

96

Inventories are presented net of provisions of £179,000 (2017: £123,000) to write down the values to management’s estimate 
of net realisable value.

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018Financial StatementsFinancial Statements80

Notes forming part of the Financial Statements continued 
for the year ended 31 January 2018

15 Trade and other receivables 

Group

Company

Gross trade receivables
Provision for doubtful debts

Net trade receivables
Amounts due from group undertakings
Other taxes and social security
Other debtors
Prepayments and accrued income

2018
£’000

2,821
(17)

2,804
–
26
14
222

3,066

2017
£’000

2,326
(18)

2,308
–
–
12
171

2,491

2018
£’000

2017
£’000

–
–

–
–
26
–
26

52

122
(1)

121
9
–
–
40

170

Trade receivables are amounts due from customers for goods sold or services performed in the ordinary course of business and 
are generally due for settlement within 30-45 days. Other receivables are generally due for settlement within three to twelve 
months. Trade and other receivables are therefore all classified as current. Trade and other receivables are non-interest bearing 
and receivable under normal commercial terms. The Directors consider that the carrying value of trade and other receivables 
approximates their fair value. Specific provisions are made against doubtful debts taking the value based on the most likely 
outcome. Trade receivables includes specific provisions at 31 January 2018 of £17,000 (2017: £18,000).

Amounts due from Group undertakings are non-interest bearing, unsecured and repayable on demand.

At 31 January 2018 the trade receivables which were past due but not impaired for the Group were £802,000  
(2017: £421,000) and company £nil (2017: £64,000) These receivable balances have not been impaired because the balances  
have been acknowledged as payable by the customers or have been paid since the year end. The ageing of these receivables is 
as follows:

Up to three months
Between four and twelve months

Group

Company

2018
£’000

626
176

802

2017
£’000

384
37

421

2018
£’000

–
–

–

2017
£’000

52
12

64

The carrying value of receivables that would have been past due or impaired, but whose terms have been renegotiated is 
£nil (2017: £nil). 

Receivables that are neither past due or impaired are within credit limits for the respective customer and having made 
reasonable enquiries the Directors are not aware of any reasons that indicate the amounts due are disputed or not 
collectable. 

The maximum exposure to credit risk at the reporting date is the fair value of each class of receivable shown above.  
The Group does not insure receivables or hold any collateral as security. 

The carrying amounts of the Group’s receivables are denominated in the following currencies: 

Pounds sterling
Euro
US Dollars

Group

Company

2018
£’000

2,256
434
158

2,848

2017
£’000

1,876
490
125

2,491

2018
£’000

52
–
–

52

2017
£’000

145
8
17

170

inspiration-healthcare.com81

Notes forming part of the Financial Statements continued 
for the year ended 31 January 2018

16 Cash and cash equivalents 

Cash and cash equivalents comprise solely of cash at bank and cash in hand held by the Group.

Included within cash and cash equivalents is a £143,000 security deposit relating to a rolling two year rent on  
the manufacturing facility at Rotherham. The Group’s lease ended during the year and the deposit was released on  
21 February 2018. See Note 27.

The carrying amounts of the Group’s cash and cash equivalents are denominated in the following currencies:

Pounds sterling
Euro
US Dollars
JPY

Group

Company

2018
£’000

1,567
280
236
3

2,086

2017
£’000

1,715
77
373
–

2,165

2018
£’000

659
5
4
–

668

2017
£’000

708
29
56
–

793

The Group currently use two banks; Royal Bank of Scotland plc and HSBC Bank plc. Moody’s give long term ratings of A3 for 
Royal Bank of Scotland plc and A2 for HSBC Bank plc.

Group

Company

2018
£’000

1,417
668
1

2,086

2017
£’000

1,371
793
1

2,165

2018
£’000

–
668
–

668

2017
£’000

–
793
–

793

Royal Bank of Scotland plc
HSBC Bank plc
Cash

17 Current tax liability 

The following are the major current tax assets and liabilities recognised by the Group and movements thereon during the 
current and prior reporting year.

Group

UK corporation tax payable (see note 18)

2018
£’000

70

2017
£’000

77

At the year end date the Group has not recognised a separate receivable in respect of potential research and development tax 
claims (2017: £nil). 

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018Financial StatementsFinancial Statements82

Notes forming part of the Financial Statements continued 
for the year ended 31 January 2018

18 Trade and other payables

Group

Company

Trade payables
UK corporation tax payable (see note 17)
Other taxes and social security
Amounts payable to subsidiary undertakings
Other payables
Accrued expenses
Obligations under finance leases
Provision for other liabilities and charges (note 19)

2018
£’000

1,599
70
287
–
50
728
–
22

2,756

2017
£’000

1,792
77
244
–
13
395
16
372

2,909

2018
£’000

2017
£’000

8
–
–
808
–
127
–
16

959

249
–
111
–
6
131
–
288

785

The fair value of trade and other payables approximates to book value at 31 January 2018. Trade payables are non-interest 
bearing and the average credit period taken for trade purchases is 45 days (2017: 52 days). Accruals are normally settled 
monthly throughout the financial year.

Amounts due to Group undertakings are non-interest bearing, unsecured and repayable on demand.

19 Provision for other liabilities and charges

The provision for closure of facilities relates to the exceptional cost taken during 2017 and includes redundancy, dilapidations, 
project management, obsolete inventory and dual running lease and similar costs (Note 6). The provision has arisen due to 
expected timing of cash outflows along with associated uncertainty regarding their final values, but is expected to be fully 
utilised in the coming financial year. 

Group

At 31 January 2017
Used during the year

At 31 January 2018

Group
Closure of
facilities
£’000

Company
Closure of
facilities
£’000

372
(350)

22

288
(272)

16

inspiration-healthcare.com83

Notes forming part of the Financial Statements continued 
for the year ended 31 January 2018

20  Financial risk management and financial instruments

The Group’s principal financial instruments comprise trade and other receivables, cash and cash equivalents and trade and 
other payables. The main purpose of these financial instruments is to finance the Group’s operations. 

The policies to address the risks associated with the Group’s financial instruments are reviewed and approved by the Board. 
The main risks arising from the Group’s financial instruments are liquidity risk and credit risk. A summary of the risks is set 
out below and also referred to in Principal Risks and Uncertainties report on pages 27 to 29. 

Classes of financial assets and liabilities

Assets
Cash and cash equivalents
Trade and other receivables

Liabilities
Obligations under finance leases
Trade and other payables
Derivatives

2018
£’000

2,086
2,818

–
2,399
3

2017
£’000

2, 165
2,308

16
2,559
–

As at 31 January 2018 all the above are due or mature in under three months.

The Group has not disclosed the fair values for financial instruments such as short-term trade receivables and payables, because 
their carrying amounts are a reasonable approximation of fair values.

Derivatives

Derivatives are only used for economic hedging purposes and not as speculative investments. The Group has the following 
financial instruments.

Forward foreign exchange contracts

Forward foreign exchange contacts are fair value adjusted through other comprehensive income within reserves using the rate 
which would have been achieved should the contracts have been instructed at the year end. 

Credit risk

Credit risk principally arises on cash deposits and trade receivables.

The Group monitors defaults of customers and other counterparties and incorporates this information into credit risk controls. 
Ongoing credit evaluation is performed on the financial condition of accounts receivable taking into account independent ratings 
(where available), its financial position, past experience and other factors. 

Management considers that all the above financial assets that are not impaired for each of the reporting dates under review are of 
good credit quality, including those that are past due.

The carrying value of financial assets recorded in the financial statements, which is net of impairment losses, represents the 
Group’s maximum exposure to credit risk as no collateral or other credit enhancements are held.

The credit risk for liquid funds and other short term financial assets relates to the banking institutions holding such funds and 
assets on behalf of the Group and may therefore be higher in conditions of general banking uncertainty. The counterparties are 
considered to be reputable banks with high quality external risk ratings. Please see note 16.

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018Financial StatementsFinancial Statements84

Notes forming part of the Financial Statements continued 
for the year ended 31 January 2018

20 Financial risk management and financial instruments continued

Liquidity risk

In the normal course of business the Group is exposed to liquidity risk. The Group’s objective is to ensure that sufficient 
resources are available to fund short term working capital and longer term strategic requirements. This is achieved through the 
use of an appropriate mix of short, medium and long term deposits and investments.

The Group manages its liquidity needs by monitoring cash outflows due in day-to-day business. Liquidity needs are monitored 
in various time bands, on a day-to-day and week-to-week basis. Long term liquidity needs are monitored monthly. 

The Group maintains cash and cash equivalents to meet its liquidity requirements for at least a 90 day period. 

At 31 January 2018 and 31 January 2017, the Group’s liabilities had contractual maturities which are summarised as follows:

2018

Trade payables

2017

Carrying
amount
£’000

Total
£’000

1 year
or less
£’000

1 to 2
years
£’000

2 to 5
years
£’000

(1,599)

(1,599)

(1,599)

–

–
–

–

–
–

Obligations under finance leases
Trade payables

)
(16
)
(1,792

)
(16
)
(1,792

)
(16
)
(1,792

The above contractual maturity of the Group’s financial liabilities reflects the gross cash flows, which may differ from the 
carrying values of the liabilities at the year end date.

Interest rate risk

The Group does not believe that its financial stability is threatened because of an exposure to interest rate risk and 
consequently does not hedge against it. The Board keeps this risk under regular review.

Foreign currency risk

The Group has entered into a number of forward foreign exchange contracts to mitigate an element of the Groups exposure 
to foreign currency risk. The Board keeps this risk under regular review. As outlined in the Principal Risks and Uncertainties 
section on page 28, there is a degree of natural hedge due to the balance of imports and exports.

Capital risk

The Group establishes credit limits for all financial instruments taking into account independent ratings, past experience 
and other factors. The Group’s investment policy is to invest in fixed rate/low risk investments where the capital element 
is not at risk to market changes. The capital risk of cash deposits is further reduced by spreading investment across more 
than one bank.

Capital management

The Group’s objectives when managing capital are to safeguard the group’s ability to continue as a going concern in order 
to provide returns for shareholders and benefits for other stakeholders and to maintain an optimal capital structure to 
reduce the cost of capital.

In order to maintain or adjust the capital structure, the Group may issue new shares, adjust the amount of dividends paid 
to shareholders, return capital to shareholders or sell assets to reduce debt.

inspiration-healthcare.com85

Notes forming part of the Financial Statements continued 
for the year ended 31 January 2018

21 Deferred income

Deferred income arises on rental, managed service, service or maintenance contracts and the revenue recognition 
accounting policy is explained in note 1. 

The profile of when this income will be recognised in the Consolidated Income Statement is as follows:

Within 1
year
£’000

328
368

1 to 2
years
£’000

6
21

2 to 3
years
£’000

1
3

3 to 4
years
£’000

–
1

4 to 5
years
£’000

–
–

Total
£’000

335
393

31 January 2018
31 January 2017

22 Deferred tax

The following are the major deferred tax liabilities and assets recognised by the Group and movements thereon during the 
current and prior reporting year. 

Note that the effective future tax rate is 17% (2017: 17%). 

Net (liability)/asset at beginning of year
Charge to the profit and loss for the year

Net liability at end of year

The elements of deferred taxation provided for are as follows:

Accelerated capital allowances
Short term timing differences

Deferred tax liability

Group

Company

2018
£’000

) 
(13
)
(21

(34)

2017
£’000

6
(19)

(13)

2018
£’000

–
–

–

2017
£’000

45
(45)

–

Group

Company

2018
£’000

) 

(34
–

(34)

2017
£’000

)

(15
2

(13)

2018
£’000

2017
£’000

–
–

–

–
–

–

At the year end date the Group had gross unused losses of £7,596,000 (2017: £7,596,000) potentially available to offset 
against future profits. Brought forward losses transferred to the Group due to the reverse acquisition amount to £7,596,000. 
No deferred tax has been recognised in respect of these losses due to the unpredictability of future profit streams relating to 
the recent transfer of production, streaming implementation and re-positioning of product lines.

The amounts of deferred tax not recognised are as follows:

Unused tax losses

2018
£’000

1,291

2017
£’000

1,291

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018Financial StatementsFinancial Statements86

Notes forming part of the Financial Statements continued 
for the year ended 31 January 2018

23 Shareholders’ equity

Share capital

At 1 February 2017

At 31 January 2018

Number of
shares
(Allotted & 
Issued)

30,667,548

30,667,548

Share
capital
£’000

3,067

3,067

Share
premium
£’000

Merger
reserve
£’000

Total
£’000

9,929

4,600

17,596

–

–

3,067

The holders of ordinary shares are entitled to receive dividends as declared from time to time and are entitled to one vote  
per share at meetings of the Company. Ordinary shares have the same rights.

For the purpose of preparing the consolidated financial statements of the Group, the Share Capital represents the nominal 
value of the issued share capital of 10p per share. 

On 26th July 2017, the High Court issued an order confirming the cancellation of Inspiration Healthcare Group plc’s share 
premium account (which arose on the reverse acquisition of Inditherm plc) and the first tranche of B shares issued to 
capitalise £4,208,858 of the amount standing to the credit of the merger reserve (which arose on the reverse acquisition of 
Inditherm plc). Following registration with Companies House, the Capital Reduction became effective on 28 July 2017.

Subsequently, on the 9th August 2017 the High Court issued an order confirming the cancellation of the second tranche 
of B shares to capitalise £391,274 of the amount standing to the credit of the merger reserve. Following registration with 
Companies House, the Capital Reduction became effective on 14 August 2017.

The reverse acquisition reserve of £(16,164)k (2017: £(16,164)k) arose on the reverse acquisition of Inditherm plc.

The share based payment reserve of £20k (2017: £nil), Company £175k (2017: 155K), represents the expense recognised 
in the Consolidated Income Statement in relation to the Group share option scheme. See note 26. 

Other reserves of £(3)k (2017: £nil) represents other comprehensive income arising on the gains or losses on derivatives that 
are designated and qualify as cash flow hedges.

24 Note to the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows

Profit before taxation
Adjustments for:
Net finance costs
Depreciation and amortisation
Employee share scheme expense
Loss on disposal of tangible asset
Decrease in inventories
(Increase) in trade and other receivables
(Decrease)/Increase in trade and other payables
(Decrease) in deferred income

Cash generated from operations

2018
£’000

1,202

2
230
20
10
218
 (575
)
)
(130
)
(58

919

 2017
£’000

444

1
204
 –
2
2
)
 (461
598
)
(19

771

inspiration-healthcare.com87

Notes forming part of the Financial Statements continued 
for the year ended 31 January 2018

25 Commitments

(a)  Capital commitments

At 31 January 2018, the Company had capital expenditure commitments totalling £45,000 (2017: £33,000).

(b)  Operating leases

The Group has annual commitments under non-cancellable operating leases relating primarily to land and buildings, 
motor vehicles and office equipment. Land and buildings have been considered separately for lease classification. Land 
and buildings amounts relate to leasehold properties at the Earl Shilton site, Crawley and Newtownards. During the year 
£181,000 was recognised as an expense in the Consolidated Income Statement in respect of operating leases (2017: 
£271,000). 

A new Corporate office and R&D facility at Crawley officially opened in March 2017, resulting in the closure of the 
Rotherham and Albourne sites. 

Both the Rotherham and Albourne leases have now been surrendered.

Future aggregate minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases at the end of the year are as follows:

Group

Land and buildings

Other

Within 1 year
In the second to fifth years inclusive
After five years

2018
£’000

64
239
164

467

2017
£’000

103
232
284

619

2018
£’000

71
95
–

166

2017
£’000

29
24
–

53

Company

Land and buildings

Other

Within 1 year
In the second to fifth years inclusive
After five years

2018
£’000

2017
£’000

2018
£’000

2017
£’000

–
–
–

–

8
–
–

8

6
15
–

21

6
8
–

14

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018Financial StatementsFinancial Statements88

Notes forming part of the Financial Statements continued 
for the year ended 31 January 2018

26 Share based payments 

The Group operates an employee share option scheme which is available to a number of employees and is 
designed to provide long term incentives for senior managers and above to deliver long-term shareholder returns. 
Under the plan, participants are granted options which only vest if certain performance standards are met. 
Participation in the plan is at the board’s discretion and no individual has a contractual right to participate in the 
plan or receive any guaranteed benefits.

The amount of options that will vest depends on the Group’s total return to shareholders (TSR) measured as a 
direct result of EPS growth over a performance period of 3 years. Once vested, the options remain exercisable for a 
period of two years.

When exercisable, each option is convertible into one ordinary share.

Details of the share options outstanding at 31 January 2018 and movements during the year by exercise price is 
shown below: 

Exercise
price

£nil

Total

At
31 January
2017

Granted

Exercised

Lapsed

–

–

285,338

285,338

–

–

–

–

At
31 January
2018

285,338

285,338

There were no options exercisable and no options expired during the period covered by the above table.

All current share options were granted on 8 November 2017 with an exercise price of £nil and have an expiry 
date of 7 November 2027.

The assessed fair value at grant date of options granted during the year ended 31 January 2018 was £0.61 per 
option which is determined by the Black-Scholes pricing model. 

The key model inputs for options granted during the year ended 31 January 2018 included:

• Grant date: 8 November 2017

• Share price at grant date: £0.66 

• Exercise date: 31 January 2020

• Exercise price: £nil

An amount of £20,000 has been recognised as a charge within administrative expenses in the Consolidated 
Income Statement and a credit to reserves within equity.

There were no cash settled share-based payment transactions.

inspiration-healthcare.com89

Notes forming part of the Financial Statements continued 
for the year ended 31 January 2018

27 Contingent liabilities 

Included within cash and cash equivalents is a deposit for £150,000 that is used as collateral for bank facilities provided 
by HSBC Bank plc. Bank facilities provided by HSBC Bank plc include a bank guarantee issued to Highbridge (Houndhill) 
Industries Limited for £143,000, being a rolling two year rent on the manufacturing facility at Rotherham. The Group’s lease 
ended during the year and the deposit was released on 21 February 2018.

Inspiration Healthcare Limited has provided a fixed and floating charge over its assets as collateral for bank facilities  
provided by The Royal Bank of Scotland plc. Throughout all years reported there have been no borrowings on this facility.  
In addition, The Royal Bank of Scotland plc provide a bank guarantee to HM Revenue and Customs as security for its  
Duty Deferment Scheme. 

During the normal course of business, the Group offers warranties on its products against clearly defined performance 
specifications. 

28 Pension schemes 

The Group made contributions in respect of defined contribution pension arrangements of Group £91,000 (2017: £62,000) 
and Company £9,000 (2017: £24,000). At the year end the amount of contributions payable to the schemes were Group 
£nil (2017: £13,000) and Company £nil (2017: £6,000). 

29 Related party transactions 

Neuroprotexeon Limited 

At the year end date the Group held 10.0% (2017: 10.4%) of the issued ordinary share capital of Neuroprotexeon Limited. 
Further information relating to the investment is disclosed in note 13. 

The investment agreement provides the Group with the right to appoint a Director. Neil Campbell is currently appointed as a 
Non-executive Director of Neuroprotexeon Limited as the Group’s representative. 

Key management 

Directors control 28.0% of the voting shares of the legal parent company. Directors interests in shares are disclosed in the 
Remuneration Report on page 46. 

Key management comprise the Group’s Executive and Non-executive Directors. Remuneration of Executive and Non-executive 
Directors is set out in note 5 and the Remuneration Report on page 45.

Lease of Leicestershire Facility

The Leicestershire facility at Earl Shilton is rented on an arms length basis from a self-invested pension plan controlled by 
Neil Campbell, Toby Foster, Simon Motley, Malcolm Oxley and Graham Walls. At April 2018 the lease is under renewal on an 
arms length basis.

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018Financial StatementsFinancial Statements4

Shareholder 
information

 91    Other Shareholder Information

 92   Advisers

 93    Notice of Annual General Meeting

 96   Notes to the Annual General Meeting

Did you know?
Inspiration’s largest market outside of 

the UK and Ireland is the USA

inspiration-healthcare.com91

Other Shareholder Information

Link Asset Services

The Company’s registrars, Link Asset Services, provide a number of services that, as a shareholder, might be useful to you:

Registrar’s On-Line Service

By logging onto www.signalshares.com and following the prompts, shareholders can view and amend various details on their 
account. You will need to register to use this service for which purpose you will require your unique investor code, which can be 
found on your share certificate.

Share Dealing Services

A simple service to buy and sell shares is provided by Link Asset Services. There is no need to  
pre-register and there are no complicated application forms to fill in and by visiting www.linksharedeal.com you can also  
access a wealth of stock market news and information free of charge.

For further information on this service, or to buy and sell shares visit www.linksharedeal.com or call 0371 664 0445. Calls 
are charged at the standard geographic rate and will vary by provider. Calls outside the United Kingdom will be charged at the 
applicable international rate. Lines are open between 08:00 – 16:30, Monday to Friday excluding public holidays in England 
and Wales).

This is not a recommendation to buy and sell shares and this service may not be suitable for all shareholders. The price  
of shares can go down as well as up and you are not guaranteed to get back the amount you originally invested. Terms,  
conditions and risks apply. Link Asset Services is a trading name of Link Market Services Trustees Limited which is  
authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. This service is only available to private shareholders resident  
in the European Economic Area, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.

Link Asset Services is a trading name of Link Market Services Limited and Link Market Services Trustees Limited.  
Share registration and associated services are provided by Link Market Services Limited (registered in England and Wales,  
No. 2605568). Regulated services are provided by Link Market Services Trustees Limited (registered in England and Wales  
No. 2729260), which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. 

The registered office of each of these companies is The Registry, 34 Beckenham Road, Beckenham, Kent BR3 4TU.

www.linkassetservices.com

Duplicate Share Register Accounts

If you are receiving more than one copy of our report, it could be your shares are registered in two or more accounts on  
our register of members. If that was not your intention, please contact Link Asset Services who will be pleased to merge  
your accounts.

General shareholder enquiries should contact: 

Link Asset Services, The Registry, 34 Beckenham Road, Beckenham, Kent  BR3 4TU 

Tel: 0871 664 0300. 

Calls cost 12p per minute plus your phone company’s access charge. If you are outside the United Kingdom,  
please call +44 371 664 0300. Calls outside the United Kingdom will be charged at the applicable international rate.  
The helpline is open between 9.00 am – 5.30 pm, Monday to Friday excluding public holidays in England and Wales.

Email:enquiries@linkgroup.co.uk

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018Shareholder InformationShareholder Information92

Advisers

Company Secretary  
and Registered Office 

Mike Briant, Unit 2, Satellite Business Park, 
 Crawley, West Sussex RH10 9NE

Company number 

03587944

Independent Auditors 

 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Chartered Accountants and 
Statutory Auditors, Donington Court, Pegasus Business 
Park, Herald Way, East Midlands, DE74 2UZ 

Bankers 

 HSBC Bank plc, Montgomery Road, Wath Upon Dearne, 
Rotherham S63 7QW

 Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc, 896 Woodborough 
Road, Mapperley, Nottingham NG3 5QR

Nominated adviser  
and broker 

Cenkos Securities plc, 6,7,8 Tokenhouse Yard, London 
 EC2R 7AS

Legal advisers 

Registrars 

 Gordons LLP, Riverside West, Whitehall Road, Leeds  
LS1 4AW

 Link Asset Services, 34 Beckenham Road, Beckenham, 
Kent, BR3 4TU

inspiration-healthcare.com 
93

THIS DOCUMENT IS IMPORTANT AND REQUIRES YOUR IMMEDIATE ATTENTION. If you are in any 
doubt about the contents of this document or as to what action you should take, you are recommended 
to seek your own personal financial advice from your stockbroker, bank manager, solicitor, accountant 
or other independent financial adviser authorised under the Financial Services and Markets Act 
2000, as amended, if you are resident in the United Kingdom, or if you are taking advice in another 
jurisdiction, from an appropriately authorised independent professional adviser.

If you have sold or otherwise transferred all of your Ordinary Shares in Inspiration Healthcare Group 
plc you should deliver this document together with the enclosed Form of Proxy as soon as possible to 
the purchaser or transferee or to the stockbroker, bank or other agent through whom the sale or transfer 
was effected for onward transmission to the purchaser or transferee. However, this document and any 
accompanying documents should not be sent or transmitted in, or into, any jurisdiction where to do so 
might constitute a violation of local securities law or regulations. If you have sold or otherwise transferred 
only part of your holding of your Ordinary Shares, please consult the stockbroker, bank or other agent 
through whom the sale or transfer was effected.

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc 

(Incorporated and registered in England and Wales with registered number 03587944)

Notice of Annual General Meeting

This document should be read as a whole.

Notice of the Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held at the Company’s offices, Unit 2 
Satellite Business Village, Crawley, West Sussex RH10 9NE at 11:30am on 15 June 2018 is set out in 
this document. A Form of Proxy for use at the meeting is enclosed with this document. To be valid, the 
Form of Proxy must be completed and returned as soon as possible and in any event so as to be received 
by the Company’s registrars Link Asset Services, PXS, 34 Beckenham Road, Beckenham, Kent BR3 
4TU by not later than 11:30am on 13 June 2018. Completion and posting of the Form of Proxy will not 
prevent a shareholder from attending and voting in person at the Annual General Meeting.

Notes:

(1) References to times in this document are to London times unless otherwise stated.

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018Shareholder InformationShareholder Information94

Notice of Annual General Meeting continued 

Notice is given that the annual general meeting of Inspiration Healthcare Group plc  
(“the Company”) will be held at the Company’s offices, Unit 2 Satellite Business Village, 
Crawley, West Sussex RH10 9NE at 11:30 am on 15 June 2018 for the following purposes:

There will be a presentation by the Executive Directors on the business at the start of the AGM

Ordinary Business

To consider and, if thought fit, pass the following resolutions, which will be proposed as ordinary 
resolutions:

1. 

 To receive and adopt the financial statements of the Company for the financial year ended 31 January 
2018 together with the Directors’ and auditors’ reports on those financial statements.

2.  To approve the Remuneration Report for the year ended 31 January 2018.

3.  To re-elect Mark Simon Abrahams as a Director of the Company.

4.  To re-elect Neil James Campbell as a Director of the Company.

5.  To re-elect Bob Beveridge as a Director of the Company.

6.  To re-elect Brook Nolson as a Director of the Company.

7.  To re-elect Toby Foster as a Director of the Company.

8.  To re-elect Michael John Briant as a Director of the Company.

9. 

 To reappoint PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as auditors of the Company to hold office from the 
conclusion of the meeting to the conclusion of the next meeting at which the accounts are laid  
before the Company at a remuneration to be determined by the Directors.

Special Business

To consider and, if thought fit, pass the following resolutions, of which resolution 10 will be proposed as 
an ordinary resolution and resolutions 11 and 12 will be proposed as special resolutions:

10.   That the Directors be generally and unconditionally authorised in accordance with Section 551 of the 
Companies Act 2006 (the “Act”), in substitution for all existing authorities to the extent unused, to 
exercise all powers of the Company to allot shares in the Company and to grant rights to subscribe 
for, or to convert any security into, shares in the Company up to an aggregate nominal amount of 
£1,022,251, provided that this authority shall, unless renewed, varied or revoked by the Company, 
expire at the conclusion of the next annual general meeting or, if earlier, 15 June 2018, save that the 
Company may, before such expiry, make an offer or agreement which would or might require shares 
to be allotted or rights to be granted after such expiry and the Directors may allot shares or grant 
rights in pursuance of such offer or agreement as if the authority conferred by this resolution had  
not expired. 

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11.   That, subject to the passing of Resolution 10 above, the Board of Directors of the Company be 

empowered pursuant to section 570 of the Act to allot equity securities (as defined in section 560 
of the Act) for cash pursuant to the general authority conferred by Resolution 10 as set out in this 
Notice of Annual General Meeting as if section 561(1) of the Act did not apply to such allotment, 
provided that this power shall be limited to the allotment of equity securities up to an aggregate 
nominal amount of £153,337. Such power shall expire on the conclusion of the next annual general 
meeting of the Company after the passing of this Resolution save that the Company may before such 
expiry make an offer or agreement which would or might require equity securities to be allotted after 
such expiry, and the Board may allot equity securities in pursuance of such an offer or agreement as 
if the power conferred by this resolution had not expired.

12.   That the Company be generally and unconditionally authorised pursuant to Article 8(A) of the  
Articles of Association of the Company and section 701 of the Act to make market purchases  
(within the meaning of section 693(4) of the Act) of ordinary shares provided that: 

a. 

 the maximum aggregate number of ordinary shares hereby authorised to be purchased is 
4,600,130, representing 15% of the Company’s issued ordinary share capital at the date of  
this notice; 

b. 

 the minimum price, exclusive of any expenses, which may be paid for an ordinary share is £0.10; 

c. 

d. 

e. 

 the maximum price, exclusive of any expenses, which may be paid for any such share is an 
amount equal to 105% of the average of the middle market quotations for an ordinary share 
taken from the London Stock Exchange AIM All-Share List for the five business days immediately 
preceding the date on which such share is contracted to be purchased; 

 the authority hereby conferred shall expire on the earlier of 15 June 2018 or the close of the next 
annual general meeting of the Company; and 

 the Company may make a contract for the purchase of ordinary shares under this authority before 
the expiry of this authority which would or might be executed wholly or partly after the expiry of 
such authority and may make purchases of ordinary shares in pursuance of such a contract as if 
such authority had not expired.

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD

Company Secretary:  Michael John Briant

Date: 

24 April 2018

Registered office: 

Unit 2 Satellite Business Village 
Crawley West Sussex RH10 9NE

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018Shareholder InformationShareholder Information 
 
 
 
 
 
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Notes to the Annual General Meeting

1  

2. 

  A form of proxy is enclosed for use by shareholders and, if appropriate, must be deposited with the 
Company’s registrars at Link Asset Services, 34 Beckenham Road, Beckenham, Kent BR3 4TU 
by 11:30 am on 13 June 2018. Appointment of a proxy does not preclude a shareholder from 
attending the Annual General Meeting (AGM) and voting in person.

 A member entitled to attend and vote at the AGM may appoint one or more proxies (who need not 
be a member of the Company) to attend and to speak and to vote on his or her behalf whether by 
show of hands or on a poll. A member can appoint more than one proxy in relation to the meeting, 
provided that each proxy is appointed to exercise the rights attaching to different shares held by him. 
In order to be valid an appointment of proxy (together with any authority under which it is executed 
or a copy of the authority certified notarially) must be returned by one of the following methods:

- 

- 

 in hard copy form by post, by (during normal business hours only) courier or by hand to the 
Company’s registrars, Link Asset Services, PXS, 34 Beckenham Road, Beckenham, Kent  
BR3 4TU;

 in the case of CREST members, by utilising the CREST electronic proxy appointment service in 
accordance with the procedures set out below

 and in each case must be received by the Company not less than 48 hours before the time of  
the meeting.

3. 

 CREST members who wish to appoint a proxy or proxies through the CREST electronic proxy 
appointment service may do so for the AGM and any adjournment thereof by using the procedures 
described in the CREST Manual. CREST personal members or other CREST sponsored members, and 
those CREST members who have appointed a voting service provider(s) should refer to their CREST 
sponsor or voting service provider(s), who will be able to take that appropriate action on their behalf.

 In order for a proxy appointment, or instruction, made by means of CREST to be valid, the appropriate 
CREST message (a CREST Proxy Instruction) must be properly authenticated in accordance with 
Euroclear UK & Ireland Limited’s (EUI) specifications and must contain the information required for 
such instructions, as described in the CREST Manual. The message regardless of whether it relates 
to the appointment of a proxy or to an amendment to the instruction given to a previously appointed 
proxy must, in order to be valid, be transmitted so as to be received by the issuer’s agent (ID RA10) 
by the latest time(s) for receipt of proxy appointments specified in the Notice of Meeting. For this 
purpose, the time of receipt will be taken to be the time (as determined by the timestamp applied to 
the message by the CREST Applications Host) from which the issuer’s agent is able to retrieve the 
message by enquiry to CREST in the manner prescribed by CREST.

 CREST members and where applicable, their CREST sponsors or voting service providers should 
note that EUI does not make available special procedures in CREST for any particular messages. 
Normal system timings and limitations will therefore apply in relation to the input of CREST Proxy 
instructions. It is therefore the responsibility of the CREST member concerned to take (or, if the 
CREST member is a CREST personal member or sponsored member or has appointed voting service 
provider(s)), to procure that his or her CREST sponsor or voting service provider(s) take(s) such action 
as shall be necessary to ensure that a message is transmitted by means of the CREST system by any 
particular time. In this connection, CREST members and, where applicable, their CREST Sponsors or 
voting service providers are referred, in particular, to those sections of the CREST Manual concerning 
practical limitations of the CREST system and timings.

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4. 

5. 

 The Company may treat as invalid a CREST Proxy Instruction in the circumstances set out in 
Regulation 35(5) of the Uncertified Securities Regulations 2001.

 To be entitled to attend and vote at the AGM (and for the purpose of the determination by the 
Company of the votes they may cast) Shareholders must be registered in the Register of Members 
of the Company at close of business on 13 June 2018 or, in the event of any adjournment, at 
close of business on the date which is two days (not including non-working days) before the time 
of the adjourned meeting. Changes to the Register of Members after the relevant deadline shall be 
disregarded in determining the rights of any person to attend and vote at the meeting.

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2018Shareholder InformationShareholder Informationinspiration-healthcare.com

Headquarters and Registered Office: 

Inspiration Healthcare Group plc
2 Satellite Business Village, Crawley,  
West Sussex RH10 9NE, UK