End-of-life charity Marie Curie has reported a total income of just under £156m for the year ending 31 March 2015, according to its annual report and accounts.

Income was up £1.1m from £154.8m the previous year.

The annual report marks the end of the first year of a new strategic plan for the charity which aims to reach more people with terminal illnesses and improve the way they are cared for across the UK.

A joint statement by chair John Varley and chief executive Jane Collins said the charity “was pleased with a successful first year” of the plan.

“We launched new information and support services, identified the research topics that matter most to the people we care for, improved on a challenging budget, and simplified our name and refreshed our brand,” they said in the report.  

As part of the plan, some £1m of restricted funding came from the NHS England Nursing Technology Fund to improve technology for community nurses.

Earlier this year, Marie Curie revealed that donor numbers grew by a quarter following its digital relaunch in March.

Claire Hazle, head of digital for Marie Curie, said a review of the charity's digital capability revealed it was “significantly behind charities of a similar size and scope”.

“The impact of this was that we were limiting our future,” she said at a CharityComms conference in May. "What really scared our trustees was the risk of not doing something.”

The charity’s latest accounts also reveal a decrease in fixed assets of £10.6m. But investment income increased by  £4.2m.

Net expenditure on unrestricted funds came in at £9.5m over the year. This was lower than budgeted, the report said, reflecting the deliberate planning for a deficit to support increased and new services and investment in infrastructure development.

A total of £95m was spent on staff costs – while an additional £11.3m was spent on contract staff.

The number of high earners also increased over the year. A total of 41 staff took home a salary of more than £60,000 – up from 30 the previous year. The chief executive earned a salary of £166,650.