Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Charity

Analysis

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Charity is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Luton. It was registered in October 1996, 30 years ago. Its declared purposes cover general charitable purposes, education/training and the advancement of health or saving of lives, which this site groups under health and saving lives. It says it provides services, sponsors or undertakes research and acts as an umbrella or resource body.

In the financial year ending March 2025, Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Charity reported income of £1.2m and spending of £2.5m, spending 200% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2021 to March 2025, income fell from £1.4m to £1.2m (-12%), an average of -3.1% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2023, when income rose by 143%. Over the whole period it spent 131% of the income it received.

Among 24,651 England and Wales charities whose main cause is health and saving lives and that reported income, Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Charity sits at the 90th percentile: it is larger than about 90% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 95th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Wessex Cardiac Trust (£1.2m), Prudential Staff Charitable Trust (£1.2m) and Millwall Community Trust (£1.2m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from donations and legacies 80%, trading 15% and investments 3.5%. Gifts in wills alone brought in £380k. Charitable activities took 71% of spending and raising funds 24%. Reserves of £250k would cover about 1 months of spending at that rate.