We have examined the Group's Summary Financial Statement for the year ended 31 December 2008 which comprises Group Income Statement, Condensed Group Statement of Recognised Income and Expenses, Group Balance Sheet, Condensed Group Cash Flow Statement and the related Notes 1 to 15.
This report is made solely to the Company's members, as a body, in accordance with Section 251 of the Companies Act 1985. To the fullest extent required by the law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the Company and the Company's members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
The directors are responsible for preparing the Summary Financial Statement in accordance with applicable law.
Our responsibility is to report to you our opinion on the consistency of the Summary Financial Statement with the full annual accounts, the directors' report and directors' remuneration report, and its compliance with the relevant requirements of section 251 of the Companies Act 1985 and the regulations made thereunder.
We also read the other information contained in the Summary Financial Statement and consider the implications for our report if we become aware of any apparent misstatements or material inconsistencies with the Summary Financial Statement.
We conducted our examination in accordance with Bulletin 1999/6 'The auditors' statement on the Summary Financial Statement' issued by the Auditing Practices Board. Our report on the Company's full annual accounts describes the basis of our audit opinions on those accounts and the directors' remuneration report.
In our opinion the Summary Financial Statement is consistent with the full annual accounts, the directors' report and directors' remuneration report of Smith & Nephew plc for the year ended 31 December 2008 and complies with the applicable requirements of section 251 of the Companies Act 1985, and regulations made thereunder.
The maintenance and integrity of the Smith & Nephew plc web site is the responsibility of the directors; the work carried out by the auditors does not involve consideration of these matters and, accordingly, the auditors accept no responsibility for any changes that may have occurred to the Annual Report and Summary Financial Statement since it was initially presented on the web site.
Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.