Finance and Sustainability Committee Assurance Report - September 2025
Meeting: Trust Board – Public Meeting
Date: 10 September 2025
Report Title: Finance and Sustainability Committee Assurance Report
Agenda Item: PUB25/09/4.4
Committee Date: 30 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:
- Partnership Mission
- Productivity Mission
Summary of items considered at the meeting:
| Issue | Consideration | Resolution | Assurance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long Term Financial Model | The committee noted that EEAST will need to submit the long-term financial model in the Autumn | This verbal update set the expectation for EEAST to submit the long-term plan to NHSE by the end of Autumn. The PA Consulting modelling work completed within SNEE—and already used by the London Ambulance Service—will be applied to create the modelling for EEAST. It is anticipated that the strategic challenges and opportunities that EEAST is presented with are built into this long-term outlook. This committee will lead on reviewing the financial plan and providing assurance that the model will deliver the expected outcomes, while tracking the Trust’s progress over the coming months as it navigates significant challenges. | Good |
| National Cost Collection (PLICS) | The committee reviewed the cost per activity, noting that Hear and Treat had the lowest cost to serve, while conveying a patient to hospital had the highest. | This insightful report highlighted the average cost of completing key activities at a unit level, such as the cost of completing a Hear and Treat, dispatching an ambulance, or conveying a patient to hospital, and how these costs have changed from 2022 to 2024. As EEAST has invested in new ways of working, including Hear and Treat capabilities, the report demonstrated that increased activity across other Trusts will provide further insights as the next step. Once the benchmarked data is received, the report will be presented to the Performance Committee to review the impact on patient experience alongside the changes in activity volumes over this period. | Good |
| Financial Performance & IPR | The Trust’s financial performance is currently in a strong position; however, short- and medium-term challenges will need to be addressed and balanced | At the time of the review, the Trust was operating at a £3.7m surplus against a plan of £658k. Whilst some areas within the Trust were operating adversely to plan - such as Operations Support and PTS - other areas, including Service Delivery and Education, were favourable due to pay underspend, timing changes, and vacancies. The Trust delivered £3.7m of the Quality Cost Improvement Plan, exceeding the £3.6m target. Of the full-year plan of £14.9m, £13.1m (88%) has been delivered, with 94% of that amount being recurrent. This represents a significant improvement in delivery compared to previous years. The committee noted the current financial position and the need to meet both short- and medium-term expectations. | Substantial |
| Sustainability | Sustainability to be embedded into the Trust’s core ways of working | The committee noted several governance requirements to be resolved including the need for an Executive Sponsor and whether to include a specific sustainability risk on the Board Assurance Framework. The Green Plan was reviewed in outline format, and will be circulated to ELT for initial review, before being presented formally to the Committee. In terms of progress, several activities were highlighted: A capital significant budget of £3.378m has been allocated to support sustainability projects, including solar PV with battery storage at 10 sites, a new back-office system, and 85 AC chargers to be installed across the 6 counties. All sites are scheduled for energy audits in 2025/26. The Trust has received £219,332 in funding for EV charging through the NHS Chargepoint Accelerator Scheme announced on 13 July 2025, with sites now being identified for installation. The social value and sustainability policy has been delayed due to a new social value playbook. | Moderate |
| Transformation | The Committee received a high-level overview of the change programmes closely linked to the F&S agenda | The Finance and Sustainability Committee was responsible for receiving assurance on the Infrastructure and Support Services Transformation programmes. Good progress has been reported across multiple areas: Construction of the Ipswich hub has been completed, with the fit-out now underway. The Bury St Edmunds hub had been returned to operations. The first three Electric Vehicles are due to arrive in September 2025, with a further five expected in February 2026. The Procurement Transformation – Purchase to Pay Project Manager is now in post. Work is also underway to assess affordability in relation to CEP25 without compromising financial delivery. Approximately £1m in vacancies has been identified, and the assessment will now focus on which roles could be removed and the length of service implications to understand what is affordable within the current financial year. | Good |
| Governance & Risk – Board Assurance Framework | The Committee reviewed the latest updates regarding the new risk register | The Finance and Sustainability Committee was responsible for overseeing the following risks: SR3 – Infrastructure, SR4 – Finance and Resources, SR5 – Cyber Security. Update meetings have commenced with executive leads to chart progress and ensure appropriate risk mitigation is in place. The new risk register format was noted. | Good |
Matters for escalation or referral:
None.
