EEAST Green Plan 2021-26 Progress Report - November 2025
Meeting: Trust Board – Public Meeting
Date: 5 November 2025
Report Title: EEAST Green Plan 2021-26 Addendum and EEAST Green Plan 2021-26 Progress Report
Agenda Item: PUB25/11/5.3
Author: Katherine Middleton, Environment and Sustainability Manager, and Becca Patchett, Sustainability Engagement Coordinator
Lead Director: Steven Course, Chief Financial Officer
Purpose: Decision / Approval
Link to CQC domain:
- Well-led
Link to EEAST Strategic Mission:
- Patient Mission
- Partnership Mission
- People Mission
- Productivity Mission
Link to Strategic Risk:
- SR1 Demand and Capacity
- SR2 Quality Governance
- SR3 Infrastructure
- SR4 Finance and Resource
- SR6 System Partnership
- SR7 Workforce Sustainability
- SR8 Staff Retention
- SR9 Organisational Development
Previously considered by: Sustainability Working Group on 7 July 2025. Reviewed following input from Regional Net Zero Programme Lead, NHSE and Sustainability Lead, Suffolk and North East Essex ICB. Noted and Referred by Finance and Sustainability Committee on 30 July 2025. Reviewed by Executive Leadership Team on 26 August 2025 with comments for additions/changes. Reviewed by Executive Leadership Team on 28 October 2025 with comments for additions/changes prior to 5 November 2025 Board.
Purpose:
- To approve the addendum for submission to the Greener NHS.
- To action which of the best practice key actions the Trust should focus on as well as the mandatory actions.
- To decide who is responsible for the key actions and their due date.
Recommendation: To choose option one.
Introduction / Background:
This addendum to the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust’s (EEAST) Green Plan 2021-26 (Green Plan 2021-2026) is to fulfil the requirements of the NHS England Green Plan Guidance published on 4 February 2025. This addendum sits alongside our Green Plan 2021-2026 and has been written to ensure we are compliant with current Green Plan Guidance until the next EEAST Green Plan is published. This document sets out our progress against the 2025 Guidance and key actions and recommendations for our next Green Plan. We plan to refresh the Green Plan in 2026 through a full consultation process.
The Green Plan Guidance 2025 states that a progress report is required, this is published as a separate document.
The consultation process for the next Green Plan is currently being planned with the Strategy and Change Teams.
Key Issues / Risks:
- Missing the national deadline for the refreshed Green Plan (we have already requested a 1-month extension).
Options:
- Accept the addendum
- Do not accept the addendum and miss the current deadline for submission
How does this report link with EEAST’s vision, purpose and values?
This report links directly with our vision, purpose and values and all four of our Trust Missions.
Patient Patients are at the heart of EEAST. Climate change will put more demand on our service and patients are likely to suffer from the health impacts of climate change. The Green Plan and this addendum is a strategic, high-level document to help us reach our net zero targets which will help to reduce this demand. An example of this is that we have a growing fleet of electric vehicles which produce zero emissions. This helps to lower air pollution across our six counties which lowers the risk of health issues such as asthma attacks and lung disease.
People The Trust has over 6000 staff and covers 7500 square miles. There are 137 sites across 6 regions. Many sustainability initiatives allow us to save money on areas such as energy bills so the money can be used elsewhere in the Trust to improve staff facilities and aid operations. For example, the standardisation program of Estates means that A+ rated windows and doors, insulation of buildings, LED lighting and controls as well as Solar PV are being installed across the Estates to help combat every increasing energy cost and save money. These initiatives help to improve the environment, improve security and by reducing carbon emissions which, in turn, improves the health and wellbeing of staff. A communications plan to engage staff in sustainability and climate change is also in place to educate and raise awareness. The network of Green Champions also helps to engage staff at a local level through best practice of waste and energy usage and through activities such as tree planting and litter picking.
Partnership The sustainability team partners with departments across the Trust as well as covering 6 ICBs. Collaborating and partnering with these allows us to share best practice and to collaborate on projects with our regional Greener NHS team. The Trust also has a network of over 50 Green Champions which helps to raise awareness of sustainability and to collaborate staff from across the Trust and different departments on sustainability and environmental issues. The Sustainability team also works alongside other ambulance trusts in the UK through the Green Environmental Ambulance Network (GrEAN).
Productivity Sustainability is embedded within the productivity mission and many areas of sustainability allow innovation and efficiency practices. An example of this is the digitalisation of forms within the People Services department which cuts down on paper usage, which is sustainable, and brings the Trust into a modern and digital era. A new initiative within the Trust is anti-idling software on all new DSAs which reduces unnecessary fuel consumption and emissions related to this. This will save the Trust money for fuel and promote best practice of driving sustainably – unnecessary emissions. Within Estates, after the successful installation and usage of solar PV at Waveney and Peterborough, we have added more battery storage to these sites and have plans to install solar PV and battery storage at a further 7 sites this financial year.
Summary
The Sustainability Team made a self-assessment of the Trust Green Plan 2021-26. This included looking at progress made on the aims for each of the ten Areas of focus as well as considering maturity compared with the previous Green Plan Guidance published in June 2021. Every aim within each area of focus was then given a RAG rating according to the following method:
| RAG Key | Progress | Risk of not achieving within period of Green Plan 2021-26 |
|---|---|---|
| GREEN | Achieved or ongoing practise | Low |
| AMBER | In progress | Medium |
| RED | Not achieved | High |
The following is a summary of the self-assessment from 18 July 2025. Another self-assessment will be made as part of the consultation process for our next Green Plan.
| Area of focus | Assessment of progress made | Maturity compared with Green Plan Guidance | RAG rating (RED / AMBER / GREEN) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Workforce and System Leadership | Good progress with engagement with certain groups, but limited action on training the entire workforce. Governance processes have improved with a clearer reporting process to Board. Growth of sustainability team has greatly increased capacity for staff communications and engagement. | Good investment in specific staff to support sustainability goals but not included in Green Plan aims (sustainability team and apprentices). Green Plan does not monitor the effectiveness of engagement or governance. | AMBER |
| Travel and Transport | Some progress made in reducing the impact of fleet, but further work needed considering the importance of this emissions source. Limited investment in low/ultra-low and zero emission vehicles due to infrastructure delays. Travel plans are needed to reduce the impact of business travel and commuting. | Does not consider patient transport, courier services or deliveries. | RED |
| Adaptation | No Adaptation Lead or Climate Change Adaptation Plan, apart from EPRR activity. | Winter Plan needs to consider changing climate and impact on infrastructure, patients, and staff. A Summer Plan needs to be developed. | RED |
| Estates and Facilities | Significant progress made in capital projects with dedicated budget line for sustainability, with growing resource. External technical expertise and buy-in from across the Trust for data collation is needed for full carbon footprinting. Growth of sustainability team has greatly increased capacity for energy auditing and analysis. BREEAM Excellent specified for new builds. | Comprehensive cover for this area of focus due to Sustainability being based within Estates department. | GREEN |
| Biodiversity, Health and Wellbeing | Good progress on individual biodiversity health and wellbeing initiatives, particularly wellbeing gardens, tree planting and GoodDogs scheme. No progress on Trust-wide Green Space and Biodiversity Development Plan. | This area of focus is in addition to the Green Plan Guidance. | AMBER |
| Supply Chain and Procurement | Good progress on aims added to Green Plan, with initiatives from individual departments, e.g. Stores. Trust-developed mandatory waste training is particularly innovative. | Some unrealistic targets in Trust Green Plan, which does not follow the Guidance. Some of the Trust aims are from the Estates and Facilities area of focus, rather than related to supply chain and procurement. | AMBER |
| Medicines | Good progress made in monitoring Entonox and have seen a consistent reduction. Entonox data comes from the supplier, so unknown if reduction is due to cylinder loss (e.g. at hospitals) or theft. | Extremely limited – focussing on Entonox only. | RED |
| Food and Nutrition | Trust does not have a food service, but food is offered to staff via vending machines and Welfare Wagons. There has been limited activity to make this healthier, apart from zero sugar soft drinks. | No actions to reduce food waste, disposal activities only provided due to legislation changes. Limited or no activities to improve nutrition. | RED |
| Digital Transformation | Some progress made utilising data and digitalisation of paper-based operations from individual departments. Sustainability dashboard was in draft, but unable to take forward due to loss of technical resource. No progress on monitoring purchasing reports for impact of sustainability initiatives. | No Trust aims related to harnessing digital technology for clinical transformation. | RED |
The Trust has 10 key areas of focus for our Green Plan. The Addendum uses the 2025 Green Plan Guidance to show progress to date. Key actions (mandatory) or recommendations for best practice which will form the basis for our next Green Plan are listed, including suggested target dates and roles and responsibilities. A full consultation process is needed for our next Green Plan to align with Trust strategy, therefore target dates and roles and responsibilities may be revised.
The consultation process for the next Green Plan is currently being planned with the Strategy and Change Teams.
