Present
- Prof. I Cumming – Non-Executive Director (Chairman) and voting member
- Mr AC Marsh – Chief Executive Officer and voting member
- Prof. A Hopkins – Non-Executive Director (Deputy Chair)
- Ms S Banks – Non-Executive Director and voting member
- Ms C Beechey – Director of People and voting member
- Mr A Brown – Service Transformation and Patient Safety Director
- Mrs C Eyre – Director of Nursing and voting member
- Mr M Fessal – Non-Executive Director and voting member
- Mr N Hudson – Chief Operating Officer
- Mrs J Jasper – Non-Executive Director
- Mr M Khan – Non-Executive Director and voting member
- Mr V Khashu – Strategy and Engagement Director
- Mr M MacGregor – Communications Director
- Ms K Rutter – Director of Finance and voting member
- Dr R. Steyn – Medical Director and voting member
- Mr P. Higgins – Governance Director and Trust Secretary
- Ms D Scott – Interim Organisational Assurance Director
- Ms K Freeman – Private Secretary – Office of the Chief Executive
- Mr M Foster – Staffside Representative
- Mr I Syme – Member of the Public
- Mrs P Wall – FTSU Guardian (part of meeting)
- Mrs L Butler – FTSU Guardian (part of meeting)
Minutes & Business
11/25/01 – Welcome, Apologies & Chairman’s Matters
Apologies were received from Mr S Nat and Mrs R Farrington.
The Chairman welcomed attendees, noted Mr Henry had stepped down from the Board and recorded thanks and well wishes. He also thanked Aidan Brown for taking on patient safety items effective 1 November 2025 and welcomed Mr Brown to his first Board meeting.
11/25/02 – Declarations of Interest
There were no conflicts of interest declared in relation to agenda items. The Chairman reminded Board Members to check their entries for the website.
11/25/03 – Board Minutes
To agree minutes of 24 September 2025 and the Extra-ordinary meeting on 29 October 2025. A written response to a member of the public was appended to the 24 September minutes.
Resolved:
- The minutes of 24 September and 29 October 2025 were approved as a correct record.
11/25/04 – Board Minute Log
The Board Log that contains the schedule of matters upon which the Board have asked for further action or information to be submitted. Matters on this log can only be deleted through resolution of the Board. (For the avoidance of doubt unless specified below all matters contained on the Board log will remain on the log until the Board resolves that the matter can be discharged).
Action 03/25/11 – Policy & Procedure Update: An update was on today’s agenda and the Board agreed this item could be discharged.
Discharged: 11/25/05
11/25/05 – Board Assurance Framework (BAF)
The Director of Nursing advised the Board that following the comprehensive and wide range of discussion at the last meeting on 29 October several actions have been identified for the BAF and risk appetite. The 7 current risks remain appropriate. Risks 1 and 2 remain at 25 and have done so for 6 months now. In month we have contacted ICB colleagues to check this is still on their BAF and we are awaiting their response. The engagement risk has changed due to the changing environment we are now working within and needs updating.
Resolved:
- The report was received and noted.
- The Board approved the Board Assurance Framework.
11/25/06 – Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Update
A report of the Chief Executive Officer was submitted. The CEO advised the Board that colleagues will remember the Trust was required to reduce its corporate costs growth by £7.1m. The CEO confirmed the Trust had achieved this target and this has underpinned our Cost Improvement Plan (CIP) and financial risk. The CEO explained that he had specially asked the Director of Finance and Chair of Audit Committee to include this report in the programme of work for Internal Audit this year. The report received a rating of significant assurance with only minor improvements required. The report will go through the normal governance route.
The CEO said Board Members will remember we submitted a joint bid with East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) for the NHS England Board Development Programme. NHS England are not going ahead with this now and the programme has stopped.
Regarding the flu vaccination programme, the Trust is currently the highest organisation across the Midlands Region with nearly 60% of staff vaccinated. The CEO stressed the need to continue with this programme as we know the peak in flu is due in the next couple of weeks. The Director of People will review the programme over the next few days to see what we do going forward.
The Chairman was pleased to see the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Staffordshire University was signed and he asked about the position with the other universities. The Director of People confirmed the Trust has MoUs with other universities. An update will be submitted to the January Board meeting.
Resolved:
- The report was received and noted.
- An update on University MoUs will be submitted to the Board in January. (CB)
11/25/07 – Executive & ICS Scorecards (Performance: October 2025)
The Executive Scorecard of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the month of October 2025 were submitted. The key indicators and trends were set out for review by the Board. The indicators covered operational performance, finance, workforce, and high-level clinical indicators. The scorecard was submitted in addition to the Trust Information Pack which contains Trust wide performance data and information and is circulated separately to the agenda.
Mr Khan said the scorecards are as submitted. There are some points of concern regarding the handover delays being faced. The Chairman had previously asked about some of the clinical quality indicators. For example, ROSC at hospital – 50%. How does this compare to others. The Chairman asked if it was possible to have dashboard showing the clinical comparison data. The Service Transformation & Patient Safety Director confirmed the data is available so this can be included in the report. Mr Fessal confirmed this data is already submitted to the Quality Governance Committee.
Resolved: The Executive Scorecards were received and noted.
11/25/08 – Cheshire Patient Transport Service (PTS) Contract Timeline
The CEO gave an update and informed the Board of Directors that for the next Board meeting there will be a more detailed timeline regarding the Cheshire Contract.
The CEO said colleagues will have seen the media last week regarding this contract. The ICB extended our contract for last year, which we agreed to and for this year 2025/26 although they have still not covered all the costs. The current contract expires on 31 March 2026, and we will not be providing the contract after this date.
The CEO acknowledged there is still a lot of uncertainty over who will take over the contract and who the staff with TUPE across to. The Chairman pointed out this was not an ideal position for our staff. The Chairman said for clarity we cannot subsidies commercial contracts (PTS) with NHS funded contracts (A&E). The Chairman asked if there was anything more we could do as Board.
The CEO informed the Board that in the summer we wrote to the ICB seeking clarification and again in September with no response received. The recent media coverage brought this to the forefront, but we have still not received any confirmation from the ICB. To be able to keep with the financial envelope we had to strengthen the eligibility criteria of the Cheshire contract. This is being followed up with the ICB.
The CEO acknowledged the impact this is having on PTS Staff not only in Cheshire but also PTS Staff in the West Midlands. The CEO confirmed that the Trust is doing everything we can to resolve this situation and support staff and patients. Mr Fessal agreed it is the uncertainty that is right across PTS. We need assurance from the CEO and Executive Team about what PTS looks like for the future. Mr Fessal was hoping there was a future for PTS but noted the need for clarification on this. The CEO understood and appreciated this. The Chairman said PTS is a valuable part of our organisation. It is unacceptable that PTS Staff in Cheshire are unsure of their future employer.
Resolved: The paper was received and noted.
11/25/09 – Freedom to Speak Up (FTSU)
09a – FTSU Reflection & Planning Tool
The Strategy & Engagement Director gave an update and informed the Board of Directors that the FTSU Reflection and Planning Tool should be completed at least every 2 years, and as the last review was undertaken in 2023 the CEO requested the Interim Organisational Assurance Director lead the next review.
The updated FTSU Reflection and Planning Tool has been reviewed with the support of the Executive and Non-Executive FTSU Director Leads, the FTSU Guardians by the Interim Organisational Assurance Director. EMB members have had the opportunity to comment on the questions in the Tool, and sections of the Tool have been distributed to the relevant Leads, and the responses have been collated to form the refreshed document.
The self-assessment statement scores can be answered either Yes / No or on a scale of 1 to 5. In 2023, it was decided to provide scaled responses to allow for strong or weak positives, providing transparency in completion of stages 2 and 3 within the tool. However, this year, it has been decided to provide simple Yes / No responses to the statements, which in many cases relate better to the statements.
There are 80 areas in total. All but one of which have been responded to positively, which is Principle 4 (page 14), ‘Our HR and OD teams measure the impact of speaking-up training.’
The responses are supported by either evidential commentary, or actions to further improve our position. These high-level actions are summarised in 6 to 12 months, and 12 to 24 month development areas. These actions will be included in the workplan of our updated FTSU Strategy.
The Interim Organisational Assurance Director confirmed of the 14 Development areas all have all been completed from the October 2023 FTSU reflection and planning tool, apart from three which relate to ongoing work and have been carried forward in the 2025 actions.
The Director of People explained that we have not formally done a review on the impact of the FTSU training but will do a report on this.
Mrs Butler explained that when staff make an anonymous or in confidence FTSU they are asked if they are aware of the form from the training undertaken. Mrs Banks confirmed she had initial discussions with the Strategy & Engagement Director and Mrs Wall and then this was reviewed by the Interim Organisational Assurance Director before being submitted to EMB and QGC. It was noted that the People Committee will be presented with the FTSU self-assessment papers on 8 December for information.
The Chairman asked about the abolition of the National Guardians Office. The Strategy & Engagement Director confirmed this was happening, but the function will continue within NHSE. There is a vacuum at present. Mrs Wall explained that the NGO and NHSE have worked together for some time so consistency will be there. Mrs Wall did not foresee any large changes, just practical changes to the reporting system. The experience we have had to date should remain relatively unchanged. The Interim Organisational Assurance Director thanked Mrs Banks, the Strategy & Engagement Director and FTSU Guardians for their support with the FTSU Reflection & Planning Tool review
Resolved:
- The report was received and noted.
- The Board approved the content of the 2-year review of the FTSU Reflection & Planning Tool.
09b – FTSU Guardian Report
The paper was as submitted. Mrs Butler gave an update and informed the Board that the first half of 2025/26 equalled the same as last year. There have been 36 cases reported in the second quarter, a slight reduction on 39 in the previous quarter. This quarter has seen a reduction in the number of concerns reported anonymously. This is the first quarter of reporting since the new form was introduced. Total of 13 concerns were raised anonymously in quarter 2 down from 25 the previous quarter. As percentages this is 36% of concerns raise in quarter 2 were anonymous compared to 64% raised the same way in the previous quarter.
Feeback figures are still low, but we are seeing an increase. Mrs Butler explained that at the FTSU Development Day in September our annual Self-Declaration form was launched. This shows a good mix of male and female ambassadors and colleagues with a disability are also represented. Mrs Butler explained that we still have work to do regarding recruiting ambassadors from within the 18-24 age bracket. 10% of staff who completed the form were from a BME background. The CEO pointed out that quarterly the Strategy & Engagement Director and FTSU Guardians provide an update to the Chairman, CEO and FTSU NED Lead.
Mrs Butler informed the Board that at Appendix 2 is the FTSU Communications Plan. This is not a strategy document but something that came out from the work undertaken with NHS England. This has been included to demonstrate what we are doing.
The Chairman thanked the Strategy & Engagement Director and FTSU Guardians for the report which was very well put together.
Resolved: The paper was received and noted.
09c – FTSU Strategy
Mrs Wall gave an update and informed the Borad that the current strategy has been in place for some years and is now due for review. The strategy includes a delivery plan which aligns to the FTSU objectives and captures the actions which are set out in the Reflection and Planning Toolkit for the next two years. Mrs Wall confirmed this had been to EMB and QGC and was submitted today for approval. Mrs Banks confirmed QGC were happy with the FTSU Strategy, and no issues were raised.
Resolved:
- The report was received and noted.
- The Board approved the updated FTSU Strategy for implementation.
Mrs Wall and Mrs Butler left the meeting after this item.
11/25/10 – Report of the Director of People: Gender Pay Gap Action Plan 2025/26
The Director of People advised the Board that the report sets out the most recent data from April 2024 to March 2025. The gender profile for 2024/25 is 52% female and 48% male. Over the last 2 years there have been significant improvements in the reduction of the gender pay gap both for Mean and Median. For Mean the improvement is by 6.4% (from 2023) and for Median it is 9.7%. Interventions put in place in the action plan may well have been a contributory factor, especially as the Women’s springboard development programme has been in operation since 2021. In addition, as the overall demographic of the workforce has increased over the last few years this has enabled more female employees the opportunity to gain further experience and develop themselves to be able to move into supervisory and leadership roles as and when they have become available through competitive recruitment processes.
The Director of People explained that the 2024/25 action plan is submitted for closure today and the 2025/26 action plan is ongoing. These have already been submitted to the People Committee. Mr Fessal said the much improved engagement with the Women’s Network has been very good. It was noted that there have been positive outcomes from the Springboard Programme.
Resolved:
- The report was received and noted.
- The Board approved the Gender Pay Gap Action Plan for 2025/26.
- The Board approved closure of the 2024/25 Gender Pay Gap Action Plan.
- The Board noted and approved the report and in-year action plan for national reporting and publication on the Trust’s internet.
11/25/11 – Report of the Director of Finance
11a – Policy & Procedure Update
The Director of Finance explained that the report is to update the Board of the status of Policies and Procedures at the midpoint of 2026/27 following the change to the Document Management System and associated processes. This is to provide assurance to the Board that we are on top of the documents held in the system. This is discussed at every EMB meeting.
The Director of Finance reported there was one Strategy breach in September. The Patient Experience Strategy has been through the committee approvals process with Board approval awaited. The 3 documents shown in November are expected to be approved by the end of the month and then approval updated in the system. Mrs Banks advised the board that the Patient Experience Strategy was approved at QGC last week. Mr Fessal confirmed they had reviewed the document last week. Mr Fessal suggested when amending or writing a document to run it through AI (co-pilot) to see the comments that come out. The Director of Finance said this was okay a long as this is undertaken within the boundaries of the AI Policy. The chairman agreed also noting this needs to be using co-pilot and not ChatGPT.
Resolved: The report was received and noted.
11b – Finance Update
The Director of Finance gave an update and advised the Board that at Month 7 the Trust is forecasting breakeven year to date and forecasting outturn for year end. Whilst breakeven is the forecast, this assumes that the lost hours to handovers will not be above 400,000 and that there is no planned overtime beyond mid-November or recruitment above the current projected workforce plan. As such, the intention to breakeven is not without risk. The forecast position assumes incidental overtime only or the remainder of the financial year.
Our CIP is currently running above planned levels with a forecast assumption that the CIP will be delivered above planned levels by c£2m. The Better Payments Practice Code results continue to be above the required 95% target overall. Capital resource is fully planned with additional allocations pending. At month 7 the spend is running behind plan but it is expected that the capital programme will be fully delivered over the year with associated resource fully utilised.
The Chairman informed the Director of Finance that Mr Nat had emailed some questions to him to pick up at todays meeting. The first question related to forecast overtime and patient handover delays. How will this work. The Chief Operating Officer explained we forecast what we think incidental overtime will be. The Director of Finance pointed out that planned overtime was switched on for a short period of time to cover shortages. This is managed and agreed on a weekly basis. The Chief Operating Officer said that planned overtime is more focused for when required. In discussion with the Director of Finance it is agreed what is required to be able to get to patients. The Chairman said Mr Nat’s second question is around overpayments – payroll debtors. How has this happened and what are we doing about this. The Director of Finance confirmed these are covered in some detail at the Finance & Performance Committee. They arise or a number of reasons. People leave either having underworked their hours or a delay in the paperwork going through. The Director of Finance confirmed if there are sufficient funds in the final salary payment then the overpayment will be deducted. If not, an individual invoice is raised and debt recovery firm involved. Mr Khan confirmed for Board assurance this is a standing agenda item on the F&P agenda. The Strategy & Engagement Director said chasing debts can only be enforced by going through the County Court. The Director of Finance explained we engage a Debt Recovery firm that assesses the debt. Mr Khan agreed and said this is to ensure we are pro-actively managing these debts and to see what the options are. Mrs Jasper confirmed for assurance to the Board this is also included in her Audit Report. The Chief Operating Officer explained that from a GRS perspective there are 680 members of staff required to pay back hours. We have written to the staff to provide options to them on how they can pay back the hours.
Resolved: The report was received and noted.
11c – 2026/27 Budget Timeline
The Director of Finance gave an update and advised the Board that Medium Term Planning Guidance was issued by NHS England Planning guidance was issued at the end of October setting out the expectations for three year operational plans. A number of supporting planning documents were published on 14 November with allocations (revenue and capital) issued on 18 November. There is a clear message that the plans submitted (both first and final) need to be triangulated both internally and are expected to align with local system and other partners plans. This will form part of the assurance undertaken by ICBs and NHSE on each provider’s plans.
All plans (activity/performance, workforce and finance) alongside evidence of triangulation of plans through the integrated planning template, capital plans and copies of board assurance statements will need to be shared with Black Country ICB by Tuesday 9 December. The National Finance Team are saying this will be used for in year monitoring and it must pass all validation checks. If we submit anything different to our planned target of breakeven this fails the validation check.
The Director of Finance confirmed that plans are under development in the Trust with weekly planning meetings both internally and with the Black Country system. It is expected that feedback from NHSE will be received regarding the first plan submission in early January, with any amendments reflected in the final submission (early February). The final plan for Board approval will be required at the January Board meeting. This will also incorporate a Board Assurance statement to be submitted with the final plan. The Board Assurance must be signed by the CEO and Chairman by 17 December 2025. This will go to the Board meeting on 10 December 2025. The Strategy & Engagement Director referred to the point made earlier about breakeven. He pointed out that the new Advanced Foundation Trust (AFT) status is dependent on being in segmentation 1 or 2 so we must breakeven. Mrs Jasper acknowledged all the work going on behind the scenes and asked if any possibility of seeing the paper before the 9 December 2025. The Director of Finance said having seen the template she could not commit to that. It may be possible to provide a high level of the numbers and assumptions. We only have next week to prepare this, but we are also closing down Month 8 as well. The CEO did not mind if a draft submission is sent on the 9 December subject to Board approval or we wait and send after the Board meeting on the 10 December. The Director of Finance confirmed the submission needed to be made on the 9 December as a draft and then we can give the Board assurance we have submitted the plan on time.
Resolved:
- The report was received and noted.
- The Board noted the planning outline, timescales, Board Assurance Statement requirements, and governance demands for the 9 December draft submission.
11d – SFIs & Scheme of Delegation Update
The Director of Finance gave an update and advised the Board that SFIs are designed to ensure regularity and propriety of financial transactions. SFIs define the purpose, responsibilities, legal framework and operating environment of this Trust. SFIs should be read together with the Standing Orders (SOs) and Scheme of Delegation (SoD) which form part of this update.
The Director of Finance explained that following amendments undertaken in March in respect of the detailed approvers and approval limits for those transactions which fall within the Fleetwave system, there is a requirement for further change. This is as a result of reduced staffing levels and the increase in fleet supplies prices, which lead to a slower ordering process (including approvals) with the resultant impact on suppliers. These new limits have been trialled for c3 months (temporary approval by the Director of Finance) and now need to be reflected in the Trust’s Scheme of Delegation. The Director of Finance confirmed this has been to the Audit Committee and is submitted today for approval.
Resolved:
- The report was received and noted.
- The Board approved amendments to the Scheme of Delegation.
11/25/12 – Combined Clinical Directors Quality Report
The Transformation and Patient Safety Director gave an update and advised the Board that the report has been to Quality Governance Committee (QGC). Reporting on areas of compliance continues through the Trusts Committee structure including Safeguarding, Medicines Management, Patient Safety. The Medicines Management team are meeting weekly and will continue to do so to maintain safe and effective medicines management and use within the Trust, and where risks are present, they are suitably understood and mitigated to an acceptable level.
The Trust currently has action plans relating to the Dash review of Patient Safety across the NHS and the Fuller report. The Trust is making preparatory plans for the upcoming changes to JRCALC guidance (specifically in relation to Termination of Resuscitation). A Preventing Future Deaths (PFD) was received in relation to a breech birth which is being responded to along with an action plan to EMB. A proposal to combine the two groups ‘Professional Standards Group’ & ‘Learning Review Group’ is being progressed to improve efficiency and reduce duplication.
Although this report captures reported harm from hospital handover delays, the harm to patients waiting in our communities who experience unacceptable delayed responses is very difficult to identify, therefore it must be noted that the patient harm will inevitably be much higher. October 2025 was the worst October on record, with 41,519 hours lost on handover delays outside Hospitals. That is the equivalent to 121 ambulances ‘lost’ for their full 12 hour shift every single day of the month.
The Medical Director informed the Board that following a meeting with the ICB the 41,000 offload delays were referred to as 41,000 lost clinical time dealing with patients out in the community. The Medical Director said it is unacceptable that deteriorating patients are not being reviewed and managed by the Hospital and there has been reports of a pre-alerted patient not being seen. Our staff are being asked to take patients to x-ray, and the scope of practice is outside the remit of a paramedic. The Medical Director fully supported the risk rated at 25. The Medical Director referred to a patient who was held outside at hospital with a NEWS score of 12. The Medical Director will be contacting the Hospital Medical Director in this regard. The CEO said this also needs reporting to the ICB, Lead ICB and Region.
The Chairman asked if WMAS crews were being assertive enough when they have poorly patients on board and saying they need taking into the department straight away. The Medical Director saw this as a challenge for our crews when they are faced by Consultants etc. In some organisations it is clear the Emergency Departments and Executives are supportive. The CEO pointed out that hospitals are supposed to come out to the ambulance every 15 minutes to review the patient. The Transformation and Patient Safety Director confirmed this had been escalated as outside of normal procedures, but a few organisations are just providing a standard response.
The Strategy & Engagement Director informed the Board that a programme of meetings with certain hospitals with the biggest risks has commenced. UHB has been completed, and Worcester took place yesterday. Mr Khan pointed out that we capture all the data where it is happening on repeat. This is almost systematic to how we report these individual cases. The Transformation and Patient Safety Director confirmed we have strong data but some of this has been spurred on by the patient stories. Mr Khan noted the need to retain all the data in case it is needed for a review later.
Resolved: The report was received and noted.
11/25/13 – Service Delivery Report
The Chief Operating Officer gave an update and informed the Board that October saw deterioration in all categories of performance responses for EU, with 1 min and 24 seconds put on the YTD position on CAT 2 mean and a 4 min and 4 second deterioration on a month comparison with September for CAT 2 mean also. Some stabilisation on overtime was used for October however the intermittent use while trying to maintain a balanced budget, patient Safety on the backdrop of our route cause of hospital delays of 41,000 hours has created an issue with performance and productivity.
The Chief Operating Officer said the Clinical Team have already provided an overview on hospital handover delays. WMAS is now the worst in the Country not just the West Midlands as a Region. The Chief Operating Officer informed the Board that 3,500 12 hour shifts were lost in October and this month is similar. To put this in perspective 58 crews were sent to hospital this morning to release our staff to go home. This is unprecedented. This is a daily battle, and December will be exceptionally difficult.
The Chief Operating Officer was confident we could achieve 28 minutes Cat 2 but said this will not be easy. Looking at productivity crews were doing 5 to 5.5 jobs per shift but now its 3 jobs or less. This is a particular issue or the new Graduate Paramedics and their skills. The Chairman pointed out that the one Region to have huge improvements in handover delays is the South West. What are they doing differently. The CEO informed the Board that in the South West ambulance crews are leaving after 45 minutes with the support of their Region. The Chairman asked if we should be discussing this with the Midlands Regional Team. The CEO confirmed this is already happening. The South West are talking to the Midlands Region. Mr Fessal said if there is no support regionally can we do that nationally. The chairman noted the need to provide specific individual examples of patient harm with this. The Chief Operating Officer pointed out looking at the dashboard now there is an ambulance that has been outside Stoke for nearly 8 hours.
Resolved: The Board received the Chief Operating Officer’s report covering Emergency & Urgent operations, Integrated Emergency & Urgent Care, IUC Service Delivery Update and Non-Emergency Operational Update.
11/25/14 – Board Committee Minutes & Chairs’ Reports
14a – Audit Committee (14 Oct 2025)
14a – Audit Committee
The Chairs report on the meeting held on 14 October 2025 was submitted along with the minutes of the meeting held on 22 July 2025.
Mrs Jasper informed the Board that the Internal Audit progress work was discussed with 3 positive pieces of work reported as follows:
- Fit and Proper Person Review completed with “Significant Assurance” with minor opportunities for improvement.
- Rostering Review completed with “Significant Assurance” with minor opportunities for improvement.
- Corporate Cost Reduction completed with “Significant Assurance” with minor opportunities for improvement.
We had a very in-depth discussion on the BAF. Approval of the SFIs and minor amendments to the Scheme of Delegation were considered and recommended to the Board for approval. The meeting was constructive with very positive comments received from Mr Nat and Mr Khan.
Points to escalate to the Board. We had a positive meeting with both sets of Auditors at the private session with NEDs – with no issues that require escalating to Board. Cyber security should be firmly on our Board Radar. The “Auditors Certificate” has been further delayed. Payroll overpayments remain a concern. Contingency Planning Assurance to be included for a future Board Development agenda.
- The Chair’s report (14 Oct) was received and noted.
- Minutes of Audit Committee (22 Jul 2025) were received and noted.
14b – People Committee (6 Oct 2025)
The report of the Chair of the meeting held on 6 October 2025 was submitted along with the minutes of the meeting held on 4 August 2025.
Mr Fessal advised the Board that the Trust has concluded two Employment Tribunal cases. One claim is still awaiting an outcome. We have a total of 8 live and ongoing, with a potential for an increase due to recent ACAS activity
A new driving handbook is due to be released with changes including parking regulations, as well as legislation changes on weight limits for driving electric vehicles. We are in the process of seeing how we adapt our training to accommodate these changes
Evaluation presented on Engaging Managers Programme. This is an online programme aimed at staff in bands 2-5. There were 33 participants in this cohort with positive feedback received upon completion. This is purposely not an accredited programme like Engaging Leaders to better support learning in the workplace. There has been learning on improving future programmes including smaller group sessions to assist neurodiverse participants.
We have commenced cohort 4 of our internal BSc paramedic apprentice programme. We are currently on target for the first cohort to receive HCPC accreditation next year. KPIs remain strong across all metrics. The Trust was 100% compliant with HCPC registrations for its employed paramedics.
The following documents were approved by the Committee:
- Annual Leave
- Occupational Health Clearance and Bloodborne virus
- Smoke Free
- Sexual Misconduct
The committee reviewed the 2 corporate risks it holds to see whether the scores were appropriate. Members felt they remained accurate when considering in particular hospital handover delays and the nature of the work undertaken. The Committee will review the scoring of the risks annually or sooner if appropriate.
Guidance has been shared with managers to check in with staff for supportive conversations, due to the recent national unrest, protests and tragic events. The Trust have been approached by NHS England and NHS Employers in recognition of the really good work we have done in this area with a view to sharing with others.
14c – Finance & Performance Committee (18 Nov 2025)
The Chairs report of the meeting held on 18 November 2025 was submitted along with the minutes of the meeting held on 16 September 2025.
Mr Khan gave an update and informed the Board that we have discussed hospital handover delays at length today. As a Board we need to ensure this is escalated and we focus on this. This is impacting on patient safety and Trust performance and has a risk rating of 25. There were 41,000 hours lost in October 2025.
We are strengthening financial oversight and did a lot in the meeting, including the scrutiny of overtime costs. The Contract with the ICB remains unsigned due to ICBs agreeing funding split and unresolved Hereford and Worcester ICB mediation funding. Sickness absence rates are increasing, linked to staff morale and management/staff ratio challenges.
Safeguarding training for all PTS staff is a risk due to the need for face-to-face Level 3 training by March 2026. Risks around timely discharges, fleet availability, and capital allocation (especially for Black Country PTS contracts). The Director of People informed the Board that they are looking to extend the training into April 2026 to achieve compliance. The delay is due to the vacancies for PTS Tutors that we have not recruited to. This is included in the Training Needs Analysis (TNA) for next year.
There is an ongoing review of all CIP schemes to determine recurrent/non-recurrent status; Efficiency and Transformation Team to provide an update at the next meeting. Continued monitoring and management of payroll debt, with both legal and agency recovery actions in place. Implementation of new sickness management systems and recruitment of new staff (including graduates and student paramedics) to offset overtime requirements. Review and update of the Board Assurance Framework (BAF) in December, with a focus on risk testing and mitigation. Ongoing recruitment to reduce operational and control room vacancies.
Consideration of options to reduce handover delays, including learning from the SWAST model. Development of NHSE and local ICB action plans to address handover delays, to be shared with the Board and Committee when available.
Mr Khan said it was a really good meeting with excellent engagement from all Directors. We were able to scrutinise and challenge in a good way.
The Chairman said the Board can be assured we have some well-functioning committees.
- The Chair’s report (18 Nov) was received and noted.
- Minutes of F&P Committee (16 Sep 2025) were received and noted.
14d – Quality Governance Committee (QGC) (19 Nov 2025)
The Chairs report of the meeting held on 19 November 2025 was submitted along with the minutes of the meeting held on 17 September 2025.
Mrs Banks gave an update and informed the Board that the meeting was quorate. The meeting was face to face, which provided much richer discussion and good member engagement on all papers. Colleagues joined from the Engaging Leaders Programme. Good triangulations from all committees.
Comprehensive reports were received from the Clinical Directors and Lead Managers, allowing good discussion. The following strategies/ policies were reviewed and approved:
- PSIRF Policy
- Patient Experience Strategy
- FTSU Strategy
The Committee discussed the concerns the Medical Director articulated earlier reading deteriorating patients and treatment of patients in the back of ambulances.
A good piece of work was undertaken by the Transformation & Patient Safety Director with good review and discussion by the Committee. The report discussed manual to automated audits and clinical dashboard both from April 2026. Focus on a smaller number of audits – 9 instead of 18. There was still concern around the Head of Information Governance. Proposal for joining PSG and LRG and ToRs agreed by QGC
The PSIRF Priorities for next year were agreed. Issue raised by Staff Side regarding rotas and training of new paramedics. The PFD action plan has already been mentioned. The CEO confirmed the PFD action plan was submitted to EMB on 25 November 2025.
- The Chair’s report (19 Nov) was received and noted.
- Minutes of QGC (17 Sep 2025) were received and noted.
11/25/15 – Board Schedule of Business
Resolved: The Board Schedule of Business was received and noted.
11/25/16 – Any Other Business
There was no other business.
11/25/17 – Date of Next Meeting
Wednesday 10 December 2025.