In Public Board Minutes - September 2025

Present:

PUB25/09/1.1 WELCOME

The meeting commenced at 09:30.

1.1 Mrunal Sisodia, Trust Chair (TC) welcomed those present to the Public Board meeting of the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST). He advised that any questions received from the public would be addressed at the end of the meeting.

PUB25/09/1.2 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

1.2 Apologies were received from:

• Julie Thallon, Non-Executive Director
• Omid Shiraji, Non-Executive Director

PUB25/09/1.3 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

1.3 There were no declarations of interest related to the business of the agenda.

PUB25/09/1.4 PATIENT STORY – ADRENAL CRISIS

1.4.1 Simon Chase, Chief Paramedic and Director of Quality (CP-DOQ) introduced the patient story which came from a patient suffering an adrenal crisis. The Board heard about the care the patient had experienced with EEAST. The patient expressed her distress associated with the level of concern shown by paramedics and lack of care particularly given the patients disability and PTSD. She was also concerned about a lack of understanding about an adrenal crisis.

1.4.2 The CP-DoQ reflected on the need to ensure the patient received the same service, regardless of the time of the shift, the patient had speculated that as the paramedics were approaching shift end they may have been impatient and exhausted, contributing to some of the behaviours she experienced. Since the incident, the patient had received care from the ambulance service and was pleased to reflect on a more positive experience. Specific instructions had also been introduced to support clinicians in managing an adrenal crisis. Increased clinical supervision provided the opportunity to feedback directly to clinicians in relation to attitude and behaviours. Additionally sector clinical leads had been undertaking work with the Addisons disease self help group. Through AACE training would be offered to all paramedics across the country on managing an adrenal crisis which was an area which required improvement. Reflecting on the Trust values of Accountable, Respectful and Excellent, the story helped to demonstrate the impacts of these values, or lack of on patients. Through the Trust values and team working model this clinical reflection would be embraced, and he was confident these incidents would be reduced as a result.

1.4.3 Susan Wilkinson, Non-Executive Director (NED-SW) was disappointed to hear about the patient’s care. She noted there was significant work underway nationally on listening to the patient voice, she was pleased to note the increased clinical supervision introduced but also reflected that it was essential the patient voice and their complex diagnosis was captured in the moment. The CP-DoQ confirmed there was a workshop scheduled which would focus on transitioning from a transactional/ reactive response to a complaint or concern to working in partnership to change how these cases were managed in future. It was essential not to wait for a complaint to address concerns but to respond to these pro-actively.

1.4.4 Chris Brook, Non-Executive Director (NED-CB) noted that the patient mentioned they were not confident in taking the medication. He enquired whether this patient was correctly conveyed or whether the trip could have been avoided through safe administration of the medicine. The CP-DoQ confirmed as the patient was entering crisis hospital attendance was required. The crews could educate the patient on the importance of regular medicine intake, but an explanation regarding conveyance was also needed. The observations and decision making were timely and sound but the delivery and care did not meet the expected standards.

1.4.5 Non-Executive Director, George Lynn (NED-GL) acknowledged the distress caused when hearing from patients who had not received the care expected. He suggested given the controversy in relation to team-based working, using real cases to demonstrate the impact of crew behaviours could have a greater impact on addressing them in the long term. The CP-DoQ noted that team-based working would not have impacted this case as the crew chose to react in the way they did. The clinical supervision model was able to address behaviours but also educate on adrenal crisis. Reducing the ratio of staff to managers to ensure a realistic span of control improved the ability to share information between teams. Marika Stephenson, Deputy Chief Executive and Chief People Officer (CPO) advised that huddles were utilised not only to pass on information but also to undertake clinical training. When incidents occurred, the huddles provided the opportunity to cascade information and ensure they were equipped with the right knowledge to manage similar crisis.

1.4.6 Steven Rose, Community Engagement Group Member (CEG-SR) reflected on his personal experience encountering crews and noted that on his latest job they had good interaction which provided confidence in the care provided.

1.4.7 The TC extended his apologies to the patient for the care and distress she had experienced as a result of the EEAST response, but thanked her for sharing her experience which provided a valuable learning opportunity. Mechanisms had been introduced to mitigate this risk including clinical supervision and team-based working, as well as the way in which complaints were being managed. A continued drive to achieve consistent clinical excellence was essential.

PUB25/09/1.5 TRUST CHAIR AND NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT

1.5.1 The TC presented the report:

• He reflected on the Board members who had joined since the last meeting. This provided additional expertise to ensure the skills and experience of the Board met the changing needs of the organisation.
• Staff experience and staff welfare was a key focus. The staff networks would be joining the Public Board meeting to share the activity they were undertaking, this provided the opportunity for staff to engage with the Trust.
• The NHS and wider environment continued to develop, it was essential the Trust was responding to these changes in real time, whilst also having a clear plan to drive improvements in performance, staff welfare and staff experience. The restructure of the ICBs would result in a transition from 6 ICBs in the area to 3 – the Trust would work closely with partners to understand the impacts of this. He also noted the NHS long term plan aligned closely with the Trusts future planning.
• Ambulance league tables were published on 09.09.2025 and EEAST was confirmed as bottom of the ambulance service. He reflected the reality of the position, the Trust was currently the poorest performing but also the most improved Trust. There were clear plans in place to drive improvements even further.

PUB25/07/1.6 CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER’S REPORT

1.6.1 Neill Moloney, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) provided his report:

• The ambulance league tables were based on response times, staff survey outcomes and a range of other metrics. There were a number of positive areas such as the financial position, but response times were not where the organisation needed to be. The plan for improvement would continue to demonstrate this position improving relative to previous years and throughout the year.
• C2 performance continued to improve, far beyond the improvements seen in the previous 3 years which was largely attributed to hear and treat. Call response times were reporting at less than 4s which was better than the average for ambulance services.
• The Trust continued to engage with the CQC and Health and Safety Executive and had received positive feedback in relation to the actions taken. He was disappointed the final CQC report had not yet been received following the visit in November 2024, this was expected in Autumn 2025.
• Significant engagement had been undertaken with staff through the big conversations, as a result of the feedback received from staff, senior leadership visibility had been increased through time to listen sessions which would be run throughout the organisation to respond to staff concerns.
• The CEO reflected on the sad passing of a Herts and West Essex ECA, Aman Farid, and extended sincere condolences on behalf of the Trust to all those who knew Aman.

PUB25/09/1.7 MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING

1.7.1 The minutes from the meeting on 09.07.2025 were approved subject to the below amendment.

• P12 of minutes referred to South and North East Essex – should be Suffolk and North East Essex.

PUB25/09/1.8 MATTERS ARISING AND ACTION TRACKER

1.8.1

• 9.1.1.8 – The CPO advised that other ambulance services had not seen a similar deterioration in pulse survey results as a result of CEP25, but the target for these services also differed considerably to EEAST so this was not surprising. Another pulse survey had been undertaken in July which continued to demonstrate a deterioration from the April results.

1.8.2 The Public Board resolved to close the following actions;

• 10.1.3
• 11.1.3
• 11.1.6
• 11.4.2
• 11.6.2
• 9.1.1.1
• 9.1.4.2
• 38
• 11.1.4

PUB25/09/2.0 INTEGRATED PERFORMANCE REPORT

2.1.1 The CP DoQ presented on the patient mission:

• The quality of care provided continued to show an improvement across all indicators.
• It was reassuring to note a high level of compliance with mandatory training across all subjects which would strengthen staff’s ability to undertake their roles, and was linked to the CQC warning notice.
• There had been a continued reduction in complaints, and a timely response was being maintained which was now reporting on average below the 55 working day requirement.

2.1.2 Darren Meads, Chief Operating Officer provided an update:

• Call pick up performance was consistently reporting below the 10s standard for over 5 months. The speed at which a telephone could be picked up correlated with the speed at which care could be provided.
• Over 2500 more C2 patients were supported by the Trust in July and June.
• Demand remained higher than previous years but C2 response times had not deteriorated in line with this.

2.1.3 NED-SW was pleased to note that despite increased demand, performance was not deteriorating. She suggested the graphs could be updated to reflect when specific initiatives were introduced to demonstrate the impact of these initiatives on performance.

ACTION: Update the Integrated Performance Report to display when different initiatives were introduced which may impact performance Lead: Chief Finance Officer/ Chief Operating Officer

2.1.4 The TC enquired whether there were any specific areas or sectors of concern for mandatory training. The CP-DoQ confirmed at present there were not any outlier areas, however based on the predictive assessment face to face manual handling training may require address as this was paused over the summer period. This was being monitored to ensure staff were booking and attending this. With regards the 11 core skills training areas uptake had been maintained.

2.1.5 The CEO noted complaints were improving relative to the overall number of patient contacts but PTS and Cambridge and Peterborough continued to report a higher level of complaints compared to other areas relative to size. The CP-DoQ confirmed that complaints were assessed based on the service area (A&E, PTS, other) and PTS did account for a larger number of complaints. There was a large percentage drop in complaints as the Trust lost a PTS contract.

2.1.6 NED-GL enquired whether there were any emerging trends associated with fleet maintenance. The COO confirmed as new fleet was brought in maintenance requirements were expected to decrease. A review was being undertaken to ensure new vehicles were directed to areas of most need to reduce the level of vehicles off road.

2.1.7 The CPO presented on the people mission:

• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) metrics continued to improve.
• Appraisals were reporting at 83% in July 2025 – there had been feedback regarding the time-consuming nature of the online platform so a new template was launched to support timeliness and paper submissions had been agreed to support compliance.
• The vacancy rate had increased, the decision was made at ELT to recruit more newly qualified paramedics particularly in mid and south Essex which had increased the vacancy rate.
• There was a decrease in turnover to 8.27%
• Suspensions had decreased for both the number of staff suspended, and length of the suspension.
• Sickness absence rates increased to 7.38% which was a trend through summer but remained below target.
• Occupational health cases had reduced and stabilised following the outsourcing of the service.
• Heart of EEAST was launched in August, since this point 7465 people had been recognised through the platform in the following 6 weeks.

2.1.8 NED-GL was pleased to note turnover was stabilising but enquired whether an assessment was required of the vacancy rates generally in the East of England to determine whether staff were staying because they liked working at the Trust, or because they were trapped due to a lack of jobs in the area. The CPO confirmed the job market was challenging and accepted that this was likely contributing to reduced leavers, but there was also a significant amount of activity internally to improve staff wellbeing which she hoped was also contributing to the reduced turnover. The CEO noted there had been a significant movement of paramedics to primary care in previous years but these opportunities were not as prevalent anymore. Other ambulance services were also reporting reduced turnover rates which was raising challenged to place all newly qualified paramedics. Workforce planning would be critical. The CPO noted there were a number of staff which had previously moved to PAS which provided higher salaries, however these staff were since returning to EEAST which offered increased stability.

2.1.9 NED-SW enquired how the Trust benchmarked for ER cases. The CPO confirmed that the Trust case level was higher than other services, which was partly attributed to the campaigns to pro-actively address this, such as the sexual safety campaign and the introduction of team leaders which provided closer management of cases. The CEO reflected on the significant activity to address these issues pro-actively. The ELT would be considering the case level and the measures which could be undertaken to reduce this position.

2.1.10 Hein Scheffer, Director of Strategy, Transformation and Governance (DoSTG) presented on the partnership mission:

• There had been a positive contribution to the Trust budget delivered through a reduction in PAS and taxi utilisation.
• Access to the stack – the report had been updated to display the reduction in cancellation and completion rates. In August 4163 calls were passed over to other service providers to support patient response. Herts and West Essex had the lowest call completion rate, work was being undertaken to understand what more could be done in this area. A regional standards group had been established to review unwarranted variation.
• Community first responders continued to improve with 71000 volunteer hours utilised attending over 2400 calls. A substantial donation was received from the Essex freemasons which enabled the purchase of three CFR roaming cars which returned PFSH to operations.
• A dashboard had been finalised to measure the impacts of CFRs – this would report to ELT and Performance Committee.
• Work continued to be undertaken with EOC colleagues to ensure first responders were dispatched appropriately and increasingly to support demand management.

2.1.11 The CEO noted the engagement with ICB to work with other providers such as NHS 111 to reduce calls transferred from NHS 111 and to increase calls handled in the community, supporting the transition from hospitals into the community.

2.1.12 Steven Course, Chief Finance Officer (CFO) provided the update on the productivity mission:

• The Trust had exceeded the planned surplus position by £5.1m. This was largely attributed to vacancies but the reduced skill mix had also contributed to this position.
• Income was higher than planned.
• Underspends were reported in Estates associated with energy utilisation as a result of the capital activity to support sustainability through solar panels etc.
• PAS provision increased in August 2025 and was expected to continue to increase to support winter performance.
• The efficiency programme was on track, although there was some risk associated with year end schemes.
• Capital was slightly behind plan but was aimed to return to level by year end.
• The cash position remained strong at £26m against a planned £11.5m.
• Improvements were starting to be seen in the financial position for fleet.

2.1.13 The TC challenged the surplus position and emphasised the importance of ensuring this money was expended effectively to support performance.

PUB25/09/3.0 PATIENTS

3.1CQC Quality Improvement Plan

The CP-DoQ presented the CQC QIP:

• Oversight of the Trusts response to the S29 and S64 notice – the Trust had transitioned out of the rapid quality review and entered bi-monthly monitoring. Currently the Trust was tracking against all areas in the s29a warning notice.
• Cultural changes were more difficult to demonstrate improvement, further work was being undertaken in Bedford before the position was assessed and updated.
• 95.7% of must do actions from the 2022 CQC inspection had been completed.
• The CQC report from November 2024 was expected, over 95% of actions from the 2022 inspection had been closed.
• Engagement with the CQC continued with regular meetings with the inspection team.

PUB25/09/4.0 PRODUCTIVITY

4.1 Winter Plan

4.1.1 The COO presented the winter plan for 2025/26:

• Winter was a peak pressure period in the NHS.
• The Urgent and Emergency Care plan required a focus on 5 key areas, the plan was focussed on system partnership, patient flow, staff wellbeing, leadership and digital.
• Learning from winter 2024/25 had been utilised to inform the plan.
• P100 referred to the strategic intent – the overarching obligation to protect the public and provide an improved service over winter.
• A request had been made to ICB system partners with five principle requests – -- for ICBs and providers to support with very low acuity patients who were best serviced by telephone triage or in the community -- Continue to support the performance of UEC networks through the introduction of KPIS -- The timely release of ambulance clinicians and resources at the hospital following handover. -- Ensuring the handover escalation processes, in particular leadership teams in acute hospitals were responding to these escalation processes. -- Opportunities for missed opportunity audits (fewer inappropriate conveyances) be circulated immediately to inform the plans between ambulance services and acute providers.

4.1.2 The TC was pleased to note co-ordination with the rest of the system continued to improve.

4.1.3 The CEO noted that desktop exercises were planned with partners. There was increased risk moving into winter and there remained some gaps in the winter plans which required address alongside partners. It was not anticipated that winter would be as challenging as 2024/25 but there remained a risk if Ho45 was not delivered effectively and consistently.

4.2 EPRR CORE STANDARDS

4.2.1 The COO confirmed the civil contingency act supported the ability of emergency services to respond to large scale incidents. The Trust would be maintaining substantial compliance which provided assurance on the ability of the Trust to respond to large scale incidents. There was one area of non-compliance arising from the Manchester Arena and Grenfell enquiry. The TC noted as a Board the Trust was comfortable with this and this was not unique to EEAST. This had been escalated by EEAST, AACE and NHSE, as the Trust was not currently funded to deliver these recommendations.

4.3 PERFORMANCE COMMITTEE ASSURANCE REPORT

4.3.1 Non-Executive Director, Catherine Glickman (NED-CG) presented the report:

• The Performance Committee had been reconstituted to focus solely on performance.
• Integration and changes specifically to ICBs were discussed, EEAST had a pivotal role to play in the new ICB structure.
• The Board Assurance Framework was reviewed and further work was required to ensure this was rigorously managed by action owners. The TC confirmed a Board development session was planned to ensure the BAF remained focussed and aligned with the IPR etc.

4.4 FINANCE AND SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE ASSURANCE REPORT

4.4.1 Chris Brook, Non-Executive Director (NED-CB) provided the report:

• The Committee had received the national cost collection PLICS, the lowest cost to serve was Hear and Treat versus the highest cost to serve which was patient conveyance.
• The Trust was in a strong financial position.
• There was moderate assurance on the sustainability programme which needed to be embedded in ways of working.

4.5 AUDIT AND RISK COMMITTEE ASSURANCE REPORT

4.5.1. George Lynn, Non-Executive Director (NED-GL) presented the report:

• An independent review of ambulance services across the UK was undertaken for AACE which assessed the maturity of ambulance trusts. EEAST was one of the best Trusts within this assessment, scoring 71% against an average of 68%.
• A review was undertaken of cyber incidents which had a risk score of 15 as a result of execution of current controls and actions. Work was planned to reduce the risk to 12.
• A business continuity exercise was run in May 2025 focussed on cyber security. Learning was taken from this including a focus on what to do to maintain the organisation during an incident.
• Information governance continued to operate under high pressure and had only delivered 58% of FOI requests within a compliant timeframe. The ICO had advised that if FOI requests did not improve, an enforcement notice may be given.
• There were concerns around CEP targets and the ability to meet IG requirements if overhead costs were reduced as a result of the corporate efficiency programme.
• The data security protection toolkit met 45 of 47 required outcomes.

4.5.2 The DoSTG recognised the concern associated with FOI response timeliness. KPIs had been developed to understand the position in greater detail. Additional support was in place for the team to ensure these were managed and signed off in a timely manner. This would be reviewed on a monthly basis with the team and any concerns escalated. The CPO reflected on the time-consuming nature of collating the information for FOI requests and SARs cases and suggested this also needed consideration.

4.5.3 The CEO addressed concerns associated with how the corporate efficiency programme may affect capacity and reassured that the focus was on ensuring good value for money by streamlining the data provision, not increasing pressures one existing staff.

4.6 EXTERNAL AUDIT MANAGEMENT LETTER

4.6.1 The DoF confirmed an unqualified opinion on the financial statements. The external auditors had also assessed value for money, two areas of significant weakness were identified against governance and the Trusts efficiency and effectiveness which was predominantly related to the s29a warning notice. The actions and recommendations contained within the letter had been agreed and were being addressed as part of the CQC QIP.

4.6.2 NED-GL noted that the audit partner were obliged to provide an assessment of significant weakness based on the CQC findings but had not found any adverse outcomes themselves.

PUB25/09/5.0 PEOPLE

5.1 Dyslexia Quality Mark

5.1.1. Justin Honey Jones, Specialist Lecturer Practitioner Wellbeing and Inclusion (SLP-WI) joined the meeting to present on the Dyslexia quality mark.

• EEAST was the first NHS trust to be awarded the bronze award as a dyslexia friendly workplace in 2023 and silver award in 2024/25.
• EEAST was progressing well, aiming to achieve gold status in January 2026.
• EEAST had also received the inclusive employer award which no other NHS trust had received.
• One of the biggest initiatives introduced was screening which enabled support and reasonable adjustments to be implemented immediately.
• He emphasised there was no barrier to opportunity, the Trust was able and willing to make the required changes to support its staff.

5.1.2 Marika Stephenson, Chief People Officer (CPO) congratulated the SLP-WI for the work undertaken to achieve this award.

5.2 Staff Networks Update

5.2.1 Celia Oke, Equality and Diversity Lead (EDIL) presented on the Disability Support Network:

• A wellbeing passport had been created
• EEASTs reasonable adjustments process was utilised as a best practice case study utilising a single point of access for managing all requests.
• Improved systems were in place for support plans providing enhanced manager support.
• A chair and co-chair was being recruited for the disability support network
• There had been challenges associated with capacity in the network, support was being provided in the interim by the inclusivity team.

5.2.2 The EDIL also provided the update from the EEAST REaCH Network:

• The network was rebranded from BME to Race Equality and Cultural Heritage to ensure this was inclusive of all ethnicities.
• There had been increased collaborative working across all staff networks.
• A large programme was planned in recognition of black history month
• Work was also being undertaken with the resuscitation council to input into an assessment of out of hospital CPR outcomes on black people.

5.2.3 Terry Hicks, Network Chair of the Armed Forces Community Network (AFCN-NC) provided the update:

• The network had formally launched during staff networks week in June 2025 which coincided with armed forces week.
• Anticipated membership was in the region of 100 staff and volunteers including veterans, reservists, spouses and families of military personnel.
• The network portfolio would include staff support and developing experts by experience as well as supporting patient advocacy and staff training.
• Regulatory compliance – ensuring the Trust is maximising opportunities to support its staff.
• Remembrance and armed forces week would be a key focus of the network.
• This was a new network to the organisation, but the Trust would be working alongside the armed forces networks for other organisations to formalise a national NHS armed forces network.

5.2.4 Beth Owen, Network Chair of the All Women EEAST Network (AWE-NC) provided the update:

• The network had held workshops focussed on setting and maintaining boundaries, sexual safety, pregnancy loss and the workplace, meditation, managing stress and understanding the gender health bias.
• The joint staff network in June 2025 was successful and well received by staff.
• The network was working towards white ribbon accreditation which demonstrated the Trusts status in tackling violence against women and girls.
• Work was being undertaken to review maternity support for staff including the risk assessment.
• National projects the Trust was involved in included improving CPR outcomes for women in the community and advising/ supporting the national uniform user group.

5.2.5 Becca Patchett, LGBT+ Network Deputy Chair (LGBT+-DC) provided the update:

• Following the supreme court ruling on transgender women the national LGBT+ network provided a statement which was shared and sign posted to support for staff affected if needed.
• Allyship messages were also received from other staff networks.
• The estates department were undertaking audits to identify facilities for inclusivity spaces.
• Pride month concluded with attendance in Cambridge, Chelmsford, Southend, Peterborough, Norwich and Hertfordshire.
• A pledge card was being utilised when merchandise was distributed to acknowledge the responsibility to deliver the best care for all patients including LGBT+ patients.
• Weekly communications were held in June 2025 focussed on why Pride was celebrated, what the pride flags mean and understanding the use of pronouns in email signatures.

5.2.6 Sylvester Mathias, Mens Wellbeing Network Chair (MWN-NC) provided the network update:

• The network received a talk on mens mental health and wellbeing.
• BLMK received training on suicide prevention.
• Over 40 kits were distributed for PSA home testing for men at higher risk. This helped to overcome barriers to accessing traditional GP services.

5.2.7 Scott Owen, Multi Faith Network Chair (MFN-NC) provided the update:

• Over the past year the multi faith network had grown in membership from ground zero.
• For the first time a collective eid celebration was held with London Ambulance Service.
• The Trust was invited to national AJEX day.
• For the first time the network offered a welcome and collaboration with the LGBT+ network.
• Support was a part of this work, offering counsel, guiding colleagues or having representatives on uniform consultancy providing reassurance, wisdom and practical support.
• The network had an active voice on the VAF, CEG and dignity at work working group.
• Approx. 18% of the staff at EEAST identified with a faith or belief system. He recognised the role of faith in teaching love, kindness, compassion and understanding.

5.2.8 The TC reflected on the ability to create an environment which was genuinely inclusive and in which everybody could be themselves was the aspiration. The TC noted significant work associated with addressing health inequalities. Dr Simon Walsh, Medical Director (MD) highlighted the well documented differences in outcomes for women and BME groups. ALF2025 included a presentation on this – he suggested the networks should be aligned with the work to address health inequalities.

ACTION: Ensure the networks are engaged in activity to address health inequalities, in particular the AWEEAST and REaCH network. Lead:MD

5.2.9 NED-SW enquired how the work being undertaken by staff networks translated to patient care. She cautioned the role of the staff networks was to enable, not to deliver. The onus was on EEAST to deliver the changes needed.

5.2.10 NED-GL noted that throughout the presentations it was clear staff felt empowered to support their networks. It was essential the independence of the networks was clear whilst trying to incorporate this valuable voice in key schemes including team-based working.

5.2.11 The DoSTG reflected on the passion demonstrated by the teams. In the past he had challenged the networks to help to change the culture and give input in the changes being realised.

5.2.12 The TC requested the networks provide input in the cultural improvement plan to ensure these actions were having the biggest impact for staff at EEAST. ACTION: Link the wellbeing networks with the cultural improvement plan activity. Lead: CPO

5.3 FTSU Report

5.3.1 Dani Marshall, FTSU Guardian (FTSUG-DM) presented the report:

• The service started working with EEAST in August 2024. In that time 229 concerns were received from staff members of which 123 were escalated. Concerns were open an average of 60 days.
• There were 32 concerns raised between June and July 2025. The most common theme for these cases was systems and processes including the application of policies and procedures.
• Norfolk and Waveney had the highest number of concerns raised.
• No staff reported suffering any detriment from speaking up, but the number of anonymous concerns had increased.

5.3.2 NED-CB noted common themes associated with ER cases and challenged whether HR resourcing was sufficient to meet this demand. The CEO confirmed there was a balance with the requirement to reduce corporate costs. One of the areas which required address was to see more of this managed by local teams before they progressed into an ER case.

5.4 WRES and WDES Report

The CPO confirmed the WRES and WDES data had been submitted to the national database. The Public Board was asked to approve the action plans.

The TC reflected that there was good progress demonstrated in the WRES and WDES report, however a significant portion of staff from different diversities and abilities reported issues with their managers, or experienced bullying or discrimination which indicated there remained more work required.

The EDIL confirmed bias training would be delivered for ER panels and HR job panels. This was included as part of the ER plan.

People Committee Assurance Report

NED-CG presented the People Committee Assurance Report: • A number of issues were raised by the BME network associated with progress regarding race generally in EEAST, the effect of the Bedford closure on staff diversity and cost improvements to staff diversity. • The People Committee approved the WDES for 2024/25 and approved them. • The Trust continued to be impressed by the execution against the People Strategy. There were fewer projects in the 2025/26 plan. • There was a significant reduction in moving and handling injuries as a result of face-to-face training.
• Concerns were raised regarding potential rota changes arising from team-based working. It was agreed the Trust would work more closely locally on team-based working to prove and test the concept.

5.6 Remuneration Committee Assurance Report

5.6.1 NED-CG provided a verbal update: • A core salary increase of 3.25% was agreed for very senior managers • Changes to portfolios were confirmed.

5.7 Community Engagement Group Update

5.7.1 Steven Rose, Community Engagement Group Representative (CEG-SR) presented the report. He confirmed the group had attended a number of events where they received feedback from patients and staff. Internally within EEAST the group were supporting PPI audits, research and involvement groups. The objectives had been re-assessed to three priorities: community engagement and equipment, patient and representative walkabout audits and public education on the good bystander. Support was requested for patient representative audits at bases and depots to clarify the role of the CEG when undertaking these audits.

ACTION Develop a plan to publicise the role of the CEG in the Trust. Lead: Tom Bennett

PUB25/09/6.0 CLOSING ADMINISTRATION

6.1 Key Messages and Risks

6.1.1 The TC noted the patient voice had been strongly focussed on health inequalities, the patient story and other key matters. Staff experience was also a recurrent focus at the Board meeting.

6.2 Reflection on the Meeting

6.2.1 NED-SW provided the reflection on the meeting. She was pleased to note the values were reflected in discussions alongside the patient and staff focus.

6.2.2 The TC requested Justin Honey Jones also provide a reflection. He noted the importance of seeing the question and assurance which was insightful to the challenge and understanding of the work being undertaken within the Trust.

6.3 Any Other Business

6.3.1 There was no other business and the meeting closed.

PUB25/09/7.5 Date of Next Meeting: Wednesday 5 November 2025 (09:30 – 12:30)

The meeting closed at 12:30