How HICA Works

A Message From the Chairman of the Board

Hello,

I am Richard Brooks chairman of the HICA organisation. That sounds very grand but it’s not really and I will explain later about how the organisation works.

Firstly, and most importantly on behalf of myself and the other board members I would like to thank all our staff for their loyalty, hard work and the excellent care they have given to all in need of our support throughout the last difficult 12 months. The Board and HICA as an organisation are very lucky to have them as part of our team and they should be very proud, as we are of them, of what they have achieved during those difficult times. Providing the best care possible is at the heart of our philosophy not only for the people we look after but for our staff as well.

So, I am delighted to inform you that to show our commitment, once again we have been able to bring forward our pay review by three months to January next year. All staff will be getting letters to this effect shortly and should also look out for some other benefits and some surprises.

Who we are:

Following the recent Panorama program about the care sector and the distribution of profits, I would like to give you a brief insight into what HICA is and how it is run.

HICA is a “Community Benefit Society” you can think of this as being halfway between a charity and a company.

We are not a charity as we don’t rely on donations only. We are a business in a sense as we receive payments for the services we provide and over 90% of that income comes from the local authorities. The big difference is that we do NOT distribute profits to individuals or shareholders. Instead, we reflect our commitment to the wider community, with any surplus being ploughed back into the organisation rather than being distributed out.

As a Community Benefit Society, we must have a board of members to ensure the organisation is properly run and complies with all the rules and regulations of the industry.

The board is made up of members who provide their advice and governance on a voluntary basis, the board do not get paid and we don’t own the business.

We hold monthly board meetings where your Chief Executive Officer Terry Peel and members of the senior management team provides us with financial and operational updates to help us in our governance role.

Terry and his team run the organisation on a day-to-day basis, the board monitor that this is being done correctly and help with the strategic plans for the organisation’s future.

I hope that gives you a better understanding of the organisation you work for but if you have any questions at all please feel free to contact me by in the first instance passing your request on to head office who can pass your contact details on to me.