Charity Commision

Annual Statement of Accounts

The United Kingdom Aortic Society Charity Report of the executive team for the year ending 31 August 2025
The Executive Committee presents its annual report and accounts for the year ended 31 August 2025. This report confirms compliance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011, the trust deed, and the Charities SORP (FRS 102).

Our Aims

The UK Aortic Society (UK-AS) is an organisation of healthcare professionals focused on care for patients with aortic disease. The society seeks to promote consistency in treatment pathways and standards by:

Expanding access to education for medical professionals within the UK and Ireland,
Collaborating with policymakers in the UK and Ireland to improve uniformity in aortic disease care,
Supporting medical research related to detection, prevention, and treatment of aortic disease,
Partnering with other healthcare charities, including the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery (SCTS), the Vascular Society (VS), and patient advocate charities such as the Aortic Dissection Charitable Trust (ADCT) and Aortic Dissection Awareness UK, to align approaches regarding aortic disease management.

The charity was granted charitable status by the English Charity Commission on 19 December 2023 (charity number 1206283) and has operated as a voluntary community of over 100 members since 2010. The society organises an annual meeting each September and holds quarterly executive meetings to monitor progress toward stated objectives. Financial accounts are provided annually to all members, and action items are determined at the annual meeting.

Review of Activities and Achievements

The UK Aortic Society originated as an informal network of aortic surgeons, vascular surgeons, radiologists, patient advocate representatives, and nursing professionals 12 years ago. The group has convened annually on the first weekend in September, with conferences supported by industry partners and featuring educational content from professional units across the UK and Ireland. Projects developed during these conferences include the NHSE Toolkit for Aortic Dissection Treatment. The society also offers a clinical support messaging group for aortic surgeons in the UK to facilitate multidisciplinary collaboration.
Collaboration remains ongoing with professionals such as former SCTS President Mr Graham Cooper and the Aortic Dissection Charitable Trust (ADCT), focusing on research, education, and patient care pathways.
Community Support and Clinical Queries Facility
UK-AS operates as a charitable organisation with the following stated purpose:

“The relief of sickness and the preservation of health among those suffering, or at risk of suffering from aortic disease, by advancing the education of health care professionals in the diagnosis, treatment, and surveillance of aortic disease.”

A clinical support group, to be renamed ‘UK-AS Clinical Support’, is available to registered doctors, nurses, or allied health professionals who wish to participate. Membership is free, pending verification of professional registration by the UK-AS admin team (admin@uk-as.org). All case discussions must be anonymised by the practitioner uploading information.

Executive Workstreams

Database Working Group

A subset of UK-AS members meets quarterly to develop a UK aortic database through NICOR. There are plans to include a new aortic section in the NICOR database, which collects patient data from all UK and Ireland units, supporting procedure tracking and contributing to research and education activities in 2024.

Research and Publications

Over the past year, UK-AS participated in four publications relating to aortic surgery in partnership with ADCT. Ongoing research projects include FET and the UK-AS Current Service Specification Survey.

Education Provision

UK-AS has organised the Aortic Surgery SCTS University Day and taken part in lunchbox sessions and abstract review at the annual general meeting for more than three years. This year, UK-AS will launch its first educational series aimed at trainees and SAS doctors in the UK and Ireland, to support preparation for the FRCS examination. Monthly webinars address subjects such as the principles of aortic dissection surgery, cannulation strategies, treatment of TBAAD, and expert presentations.

UK-AS Executive Team

Mr Michael Sabetai – Chair
Ms Karen Booth – Secretary
Mr Amit Modi – Treasurer
Mr Shakil Farid – Education Co-Lead
Mr Giovanni Mariscalco – Education Co-Lead
Mr Stuart Grant – Research Co-Lead
Mr Sanjay Asopa – Research Co-Lead

Executive team members are appointed through an interview process. Mr Manoj Kudavalli serves as an appointed trustee and previous Chair, attending executive meetings and providing oversight.

Registered Charity Bank Account

Bank: Natwest
Account Name: Aortic Surgery UK
Sort Code: 60-40-05
Account Number: 41245091

Registered Address

UK Aortic Society
SCTS
35-43 Lincoln’s Inn Fields
London WC2A 3PE

Financial Review

The financial statements indicate net income of (available on request) for the year 2024-2025 and a current account balance of (available on request). The primary income source is industry sponsorship, accounting for 89.2% of total revenue. The executive team applies all net resources to furthering the society’s educational objectives. Expenditure is allocated to the annual meeting, administrative costs, website updates, and professional body accreditation of the annual meeting. The society maintains a website for members and the public with information on upcoming educational opportunities and materials.

Future Planning of Assets

The society aims to address sustainability and invest in secure savings to support future research in aortic disease and to sponsor allied health professionals’ attendance at educational events.

Future Goals

In the coming year, we intend to support the aortic stream at the Society of Cardiothoracic Surgeons annual meeting, maintain our complimentary webinar programme for surgeons in training, and organise our annual educational in-person meeting scheduled for September 2025.