Charitable Funds Committee Assurance Report - September 2025
Meeting: Trust Board – Public Meeting
Date: 10 September 2025
Report Title: Charitable Funds Committee Assurance Report
Agenda Item: CT25/09/8.2
Committee Date: 23 July 2025
Meeting Chair: Chris Brook, Non-Executive Director and Committee Chair
Meeting quorate: YES
Purpose: Assurance
Recommendation:** The Board is asked to receive assurance from the business discussed at the meeting and to review the matters for escalation and referral
Link to EEAST Strategic Mission:
- Patient Mission
- Partnership Mission
- People Mission
- Productivity Mission
Summary of items considered at the meeting:
| Issue | Consideration | Resolution | Assurance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charity Activity Update | The committee reviewed recent activities undertaken to promote the Charity and raise much-needed funds through various opportunities. | The Charity has progressed several activities since the last report. It is pleasing to report that following this committee meeting, it was announced that the Charity had been successful secured £46.8k to develop the innovative THRIVE (Trauma Health Review Innovate Visualise Enhance) app. This will support staff at critical moments – which is great news for our staff – and will be easily accessible. The Charity recently featured on Look East with a positive story showcasing the Charity and how donations were helping to support patients in the community. The story focused on the recent grant award for the out-of-hospital cardiac arrest desk, showcasing its positive impact. Grants currently under consideration include a proposal with the Sustainability & Estates teams for a Greener Grant of up to £25k, and we are awaiting an update on the Alan Boswell grant in September. | Substantial |
| Welfare Wagons | Welfare Wagons is supporting our teams with more clarity | Usage of the Welfare Wagons continues to perform well, providing a valuable service for our staff. Feedback gathered last month has been used to better articulate the benefits of the Welfare Wagons, which have proven essential in several recent challenging situations—particularly at the EOCs in Bedford and Chelmsford—where they offered much-needed support. | Substantial |
| Communications & Engagement | In addition to the Look East feature, the Charity delivered several other notable communications. A light-hearted April Fool’s story (the Rocket Pack Paramedic) went viral, while more serious communications supported Mental Health Week. There was also significant local engagement, including communications promoting Stuart Howlett’s cycling challenge, which raised money for the Charity, and the launch of the first Charity newsletter, reaching 10,000 recipients. | Good | |
| Charity Finance Report | The Charity maintains a healthy balance and continues to focus on generating additional funds to support both patients and staff through its activities. | Income received was £329k against £610k of expenditure, with the general fund balance standing at £384k. | Substantial |
Matters for escalation or referral:
None
