Present
Prof Ian Cumming – Chairman of the Board of Directors
Public Constituency Governors
- Khalid Ali – Birmingham
- Anthony Bradley – Black Country
- Dave Murray – Black Country
- Brian Murray – Coventry and Warwickshire
- Roy Alcroft – West Mercia
- Brenda Richards – West Mercia
- Eileen Cox – Staffordshire
- Robin Cooke – Staffordshire
Staff Constituency Elected Governors
- Sarah Lawson – Emergency and Urgent Operational Staff
- John Auerbach – Emergency and Urgent Operational Staff
- Matt Brown – Support Staff
- Inderpal Sidhu – Non-Emergency Operational Staff
- Duncan Spencer – Emergency Operation Centre Staff
Appointed Governors
- Dave Fitton – CFR Regional Forum
- Councillor Carol Littler – Dudley Council (Representing the Local Authorities)
In Attendance
- Anthony Marsh – Chief Executive Officer
- Phil Higgins – Trust Secretary
- Suzie Wheaton – Governor and Membership Engagement Officer
- Vivek Khashu – Strategy & Engagement Director
Minutes
10/25/01
Welcomes, Apologies and Chairman’s Announcements
Apologies were received from Peter Brookes and John Davies.
The chairman welcomed Vivek Khashu, who will be presenting later on within the agenda.
The chairman opened the meeting by announcing that this would be Robin Cooke’s (public governor for Staffordshire) last meeting and he would be standing down from the role at the end of the month. He thanked Robin on behalf of the Trust and the Council of Governors for his support and commitment during his time as governor.
The chairman reminded governors that at the last Council of Governors meeting it was agreed that we wouldn’t be holding any elections until there was more information/clarity on the role of the governor within the 10 year plan came forward. As the Trust is still awaiting this information this vacancy will be carried forward until that time. The chairman asked the Governor to agree to carrying the vacancy until the position in relation to the future of the Council of Governors is clarified by HMG. The Council of Governors unanimously concurred with this action, for the reasons set out above.
The chairman thanked all those that attended the CoG development day. He stated he was aware that there had been some good presentations and discussions held around FTSU, staff survey, recruitment and interviewing procedure, and also brief overview of the 10-year plan contents. The chairman confirmed that Vivek Khashu, (Strategy & Engagement Director) will be joining the meeting today to outline and discuss any further developments in terms of the Trust’s strategic plan within the context of the 10 year plan proposals.
The chairman took the opportunity to thank Nick Henry, Paramedic Practice and Patient Safety Director who had recently left the service for his commitment to the Trust and its patients and public. The chairman confirmed that there will be some reorganisation as a result of the departure that will impact on Board membership but the Chief Executive Officer would be saying more about this in his report.
The chairman made reference to October being “Black History Month”. This provides an opportunity for organisations to support the campaign, and raise awareness, share insights to help tackle racism and improve staff experience. The Board supported these principles.
This concluded the chairman’s report.
Resolved
That the chairman’s update be noted.
That the vacancy for the Staffordshire Seat, within the Public Constituency be allowed and carried forward pending clarity on the future role of the Council of Governors in the light of the HMG NHS 10 Year Plan proposals.
10/25/02
Declarations of Interest
The chairman asked governors to note the register of interests and reminded the governors that it is their responsibility to inform us of any changes and to report them to Suzie Wheaton, in order for the register to be updated.
The Council of Governors received the register of interests and noted that it will now be published on the Trust’s website.
10/25/03
To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the Meeting of the Council of Governors that took place on 30th July 2025.
Governors were asked if the minutes of the previous meeting were a correct and accurate record.
The governors confirmed that the minutes were a true and accurate record.
The chairman took the opportunity to thank Suzie Wheaton for taking the minutes, he noted in particular how accurate they are every meeting.
Resolved
That the Minutes of the meeting held on 30th July 2025 be approved as a correct record.
10/25/04
CEO Report
The Chairman invited Anthony Marsh, Chief Executive Officer to present to the Council of Governors.
The CEO opened his verbal report by advising the Council of the Board’s decision to proceed with the Outline Business Case for the Shrewsbury Hub Replacement, and to proceed to the procurement stage of the process. He confirmed that the current Shrewsbury hub site is no longer viable due to:
- Operational Needs
- A pending lease expiry with no feasible renewal option.
- Planning constraints and community objections due to increased operational activity in a residential area.
- Inadequate facilities for a growing workforce and fleet, with staff numbers rising from 150 to 270 in three years.
- Projected demand growth, with incident volumes expected to reach 9,000 per month by 2030
The CEO referred to the Chairman’s earlier comments in relation to the senior management changes in the Trust and informed the governors that the board will be re-structured to reflect the changes. He took the opportunity to thank Nick Henry for his valued service to the Trust and its patients over period of 35 years. He had always been a hardworking, loyal and quite frankly, “a nice person” and he will be missed by the Trust and the CEO personally. The CEO then outlined the changes to the senior management team in the light of Nick’s departure and the process that had been followed to maintain a safe service and also a seamless absorption of responsibilities. The changes at Board level primarily affect Caron Eyre, Director of Nursing who will be taking on and having Board level responsibility for Maternity and Safeguarding as part of her portfolio; and the remaining work will transfer to Aidan Brown, who will join the Board as the Service Transformation & Patient Safety Director. This will be added to his existing portfolio. As usual, the intention was to review the arrangements after they have bedded down within the organisation.
The CEO then briefed the CoG on how much pressure the NHS was under. The winter pressures have arrived early, covid and flu numbers are up, staff absences are increasing. During the month of October the service had lost over 40,000 hours due to hospital delays. It is the equivalent to 117 crews parked up doing nothing. Not only does this lead to patient harm but it also harms staff, the stress they are under should not be underestimated. The Trust is currently at REAP level 3.
Mandatory training is going well; all emergency crews will have completed their training by mid-November. PTS and EOC continue with theirs. All the clinical mentor day are progressing too.
Flu vaccination programme continues to be rolled out across the organisation.
The CEO then proceeded to brief the CoG on the current financial position and plans. The Trust is planning to breakeven at the end of the financial year, however, it will be tight to achieve breakeven and to hit 28 minutes for category 2 performance target helped by allowing overtime to operational staff again. To achieve the financial plan and breakeven the Trust was continuing to identify a Cost Improvement Programme (CIPs). The Transformation Team led by Aidan Brown are continuing to support this work and are achieving the necessary CIPs and also savings in corporate costs.
The Trust has begun its financial and operational planning for next year so they will be ready for approval at Board.
In terms of operational support, the Trust will have 135 new vehicles by the end of March 2026; this means that the fleet will continue to be under 5 years old, which is more efficient as they remain within warranty and it reduces maintenance costs and the number of vehicles not available for operational purposes.
The recruitment of graduate paramedics is going well. Currently there are approximately 40 people who haven’t been successful, but they will be offered alternative employment until a vacancy arises.
The CEO picked up the Chairman’s introduction earlier in the meeting and referred to the content of His Majesty’s Government (HMG) published NHS 10 Year Plan, this set out bold ambitions for the NHS, but since publication the plans seemed to have stalled, and an implementation plan has not yet been forthcoming which is disappointing.
The Trust has been redesigning the operational command suite based in the control room. One third of the room will now be dispatch, one third clinical validation team and one third the command suite.
The CEO referred to the media reports about a number of current issues, one is around the Doctors industrial action in November. It is hoped that it won’t have a big impact on operations, but the Trust will build it into its operational planning. The second item is related to the press reports in relation to the Maccabi Tel Aviv fans not being allowed to attend a Europa League tie football match against Aston Villa, this may result in protests, and the Trust is working with emergency service colleagues to be prepared for these events.
The CEO concluded his report and asked if there were any questions?
Sarah Lawson and John Auerbach shared their recent experiences at hospital A&E departments Governors. They set out how difficult and stressful the continuing handover delays are for staff and patients, not only from a medical point of view but also, basic standards and dignity where they have patients waiting without food and drinks for hours on the back of ambulances.
Anthony Bradley, public governor mentioned that he had visited a hospital within the Birmingham area where he met ED and A&E staff. He said everyone was burnt out and no one wants overtime they would prefer to be able to end their shifts on time. In addition ambulance staff end up being porters and fetching and taking patient to various departments within the hospital as there are no staff at the hospital available.
Brenda Richards acknowledged the very high regard the staff of the Ambulance Service was held by the public. She stated that the work is appreciated by the public.
Eileen Cox mentioned visiting Stoke Hub recently and the Senior Operation Manager (SOM) wasn’t available as he had to go to Stoke hospital due to critical situations at the hospital.
The CEO acknowledged the comments and thanked Governors for their continued support. He stated that SOMs have a big job to do, managing hundreds of staff and running the hubs, they really don’t have time to be sorting issues at hospital on top of that.
Vivek Khashu suggested inviting some member from the ICB could be asked to attend briefing session with WMAS staff so that they can hear for themselves the impact handover delays were having on staff and patients in their care. He had suggested a session in April which didn’t come to fruition, but he will chase it.
The chairman indicated that if ambulance staff have patient concerns due to hospital delays, they could contact the respective hospitals formally via their FTSU/ PALS. These contacts should be reported to their Trust Boards and therefore they would see a rise in contacts by clinicians regarding patient concerns.
Resolved
The Council of Governors received and noted the CEO report
10/25/05
Winter Plan
The CEO continued and presented a number of slides on the winter plan to the governors.
Resolved
The Governors received and noted the Winter Plan presentation.
10/25/06
10 Year Plan Update
The Chairman invited Vivek Khashu, Strategy and Engagement Director to present to the Council of Governors on the matter.
Vivek spoke to the governors about the 10-year-plan; he noted that as an organisation our objectives have had to change a bit to reflect the government’s plan. Vivek presented a schedule showing key areas of the plan and what the organisation has discussed and planned for each area going forward.
He discussed the use of Artificial Intelligence; and mentioned GP surgeries using the technology and ambulance services now trialling the technology. He spoke about its uses and also concerns that we have to be aware of to use it responsibly. Other items discussed included connectivity between our staff and others in the health systems, the green agenda, improving response times and hospital handovers, sickness and prevention, amongst others.
There being no questions, the Chairman thanked Vivek for his presentation.
Resolved
The governors received the presentation.
10/25/07
Governor Updates
The chairman invited any Governors who wished to share any engagement activities that they have undertaken.
Brenda Richards informed the CoG that she had attended ambulance hubs and the control room and she encouraged the other governors to do the same. She stated that all the staff are very welcoming and friendly and as a Governor it increased her knowledge about the organisation and how it works.
Sarah Lawson stated that staff are always appreciative when governors and other visitors come to hubs and talk to them.
Anthony Bradley mentioned the leader of Sandwell council who had recently undertaken a tour of Sandwell Hub, and he had stated how impressed he was with the Hub and the services provided to the patients in Sandwell and hoped that there would be closer co-operation between the local authority and the Trust.
Eileen Cox discussed a buddy meeting with her Non-Executive Director buddy link at Lichfield hub, and how appreciative the staff were that they took time to speak with them.
Dave Fitton spoke about a new role he is undertaking with the ambulance. It is a 12 month trial to help with the CFRs.
The chairman took the opportunity to thank everyone. He noted that WMAS have a really strong set of governors and that they are invaluable to help us do what we do and offered his sincere thanks from all the board.
10/25/08
Attendance Record
The chairman noted that there were no issue to currently report but highlighted the following for reference:
If a Governor fails to attend 3 meetings of the Council of Governors in any rolling year period, they shall cease to hold office unless the Chair is satisfied that:
- The absence was due to a reasonable cause; and
- The person will be able to start attending meetings of the Council of Governors again within such a period as the Chair considers reasonable.
The attendance record was noted.
Resolved
There were no issues reported.
10/25/09
Schedule of Business and Meeting Dates for the Council of Governors 2026
Chairman asked the Governors to receive the Council of Governors schedule of business for the year ahead and requested that Governors note the meeting dates in their diaries.
Resolved
The dates of 2026 meetings were noted by the Governors.
10/25/10
Any Other Urgent Business notified to The Membership and Governor Engagement Officer in advance of the meeting.
No other business was raised.
10/25/11
Date of the next meeting
12th February 2026