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Trust Chair and Non-Executive Report - September 2025

Meeting: Trust Board – Public Meeting

Date: 10 September 2025

Report Title: Trust Chair and Non-Executive Report

Agenda Item: PUB25/09/1.5

Author: Mrunal Sisodia, Trust Chair

Lead Director: Mrunal Sisodia, Trust Chair

Purpose: Information/Noting

Assurance: Substantial

Link to CQC domain:

  • Caring
  • Responsive
  • Effective
  • Well-led
  • Safe

Link to EEAST’s Strategic Mission:

  • Patient Mission
  • Partnership Mission
  • People Mission
  • Productivity Mission

Previously considered by: N/A

Purpose: To update the Public Board on Chair and Non-Executive Director activities since the last Public Board.

Executive Summary:

Report identifies

  • Key areas of Board focus since the last report.
  • Key areas of Board focus in the coming months.
  • Non-Executive Director additional activities providing wider assurance and Board visibility.
  • Key activities by the Chair since the last Public Board.

Introduction / Background:

Board evolution

Today we welcome three new board members to their first meetings in post: Stephen Course joins as Finance Director, Sian Clarke as Director of Digital Innovation and Susan Wilkinson as a Non-Executive Director. As Chair of the board, one of my key roles is to make sure that the board is appropriately skilled and equipped to meet the needs of the organisation—both now and in the future—and I wanted to take a moment to share some of the work we do to achieve this.

Firstly, we are constantly seeking to understand the challenges and opportunities facing the organisation and to ensure the Board has the right skills and experience to respond effectively. For example, the recruitment of additional digital expertise is reflected in the appointments of Omid and Sian, while Susan brings valuable clinical experience to replace the skills of our retiring NED, Wendy.

Secondly, we review the Board’s areas of focus to identify any gaps—areas not given enough attention over the previous period—and I work closely with the Company Secretary to design a Board development programme to address these. Examples include recent workshops on sustainability and safeguarding.

Finally, we continually develop how we work together as a Board, ensuring an open, supportive, and challenging culture. We have sought external support to assist with this, for example from NHS Providers, to ensure we have external scrutiny of our effectiveness.

Staff welfare and culture

In recent reports, I have highlighted performance, but I want to return to the topic of staff welfare and culture. This remains our top priority, and the Board dedicates significant time to discussing staff experience. I am delighted that the executive team has concluded the “Big Conversation” exercise, which has identified several themes for action. Alongside staff surveys, the Board will closely monitor progress against these actions, with regular checkpoints already scheduled.

In this vein, our core staff development programmes remain central to our objectives at EEAST. The most effective way to improve both culture and performance is by equipping, supporting, and empowering leaders, managers, and staff. This is the purpose of our flagship programmes—Time to Lead, the Leadership Development Framework, and Team-Based Working. Combined with the work of the staff networks and our inclusivity plan, these initiatives reflect our commitment to improving the experience of working at EEAST.

External developments

The NHS continues to evolve, with significant changes often emerging between Board meetings. Over the last two months, we have seen greater clarity on the reconfiguration of ICBs in the Eastern Region, with a likely reduction from six to three groupings.

In addition, July saw the publication of the NHS 10-year plan. As a Board, we continually assess the impact of these changes, ensuring our strategy and plans align with regional and national priorities. A paper at today’s meeting reviews the implications of the 10-Year Plan for EEAST, and I am pleased to note that its direction aligns closely with our own strategic thinking.

We have also received guidance on the new NHS Mid-Term Planning Framework, which requires trusts to outline their plans over the next 5 years. We are already progressing well with our strategy work and welcome the opportunity to align it with wider NHS planning requirements.

Staff and Stakeholder engagement

Since the last public Board meeting, the NEDs and I have undertaken the following activities in addition to our core Board, committee, and working group commitments:

Activity

Internal engagement and activity

  • Monthly meetings with the BLMK sector leadership team
  • Regular meetings with Executive and Non-Executive colleagues
  • Met with union representatives
  • Attendance at a Leadership Development Framework training session
  • Met with EEAST EDI lead

Board / Committee (in addition to regular Board and Committee meetings)

  • Attendance at the Raising Concerns Forum
  • Meeting with EEAST staff network chairs

External Governance and events

  • Attendance at an NHS Confederation all-member chairs meeting

  • Attendance at a BLMK ICB chairs meeting

  • Attendance at the Bedford Borough Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee

  • Regular meetings with NHSE Regional Director, Clare Panniker

  • Attendance at the Southern Ambulance Services Collaborative Board meeting

  • Attendance at an AACE Chairs Group meeting

  • Meeting with the CEO of AACE

  • Meeting with NHSE Ambulance data set team

  • Attendance at the NHS Confederation Chairs meeting

  • Meeting with CEO of the Patients Association

  • Meeting with Chair of BLMK ICB

Activity by other NEDS

George Lynn had the following engagements:

  • Meeting with Darren Meads, Chief Operating Officer, on PA Consulting phase 1 & 2 reports; reviewed detailed reports and analysis
  • Meeting with Denver Greenhalgh on Governance reporting; discussed alignment of Audit and Risk Committee Terms of Reference with NHS Audit Committee Handbook (2024)
  • Review of NHS Audit Committee Handbook to create alignment tool with Terms of Reference and reporting requirements
  • Review of Debs Crelly's draft Wellbeing Strategy document
  • Attendance at Health & Wellbeing working group meeting
  • 1-2-1 with Hein Scheffer, Director of Strategy, Transformation and Governance
  • Meeting with Stephen Course and the Finance team in Norwich

Catherine Glickman had the following engagements:

  • Attendance at Herts & West Essex Chairs' meeting
  • Meeting with Hein Scheffer, Director of Strategy, Transformation and Governance
  • Freedom to Speak Up: meetings with four service users to assess effectiveness for EEAST staff

Omid Shiraji had the following engagements:

  • One-to-one meetings with the Chief Executive
  • Engagement with Southern Ambulance Services Collaboration on Digital and AI opportunities
  • Feedback on IPR and presentation
  • Meetings with the Deputy Director of Strategy – feedback on operating model design and advise on Mission Based Working approaches
  • Meeting with the Business and Partnerships Lead regarding development of a Reasonable Adjustments application for ambulance trusts
  • Creation of a prototype of Reasonable Adjustments app
  • Engagement with Gartner for NHS Leadership event representing EEAST

Julie Thallon had the following engagements:

  • 12-hour shift with a crew from Waveney on 29 July and also spent time with the HALO during hospital handover

Trust board

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