EEAST awarded highest honour by Basildon Council

EEAST has been awarded Freedom of Entry to the Borough by Basildon Council in recognition of the heroic efforts serving the community during the coronavirus pandemic.

Freedom of the Borough is the highest honour awarded in exceptional circumstances, where the recipient has provided outstanding services which have brought significant pride and satisfaction to the borough.

Four NHS organisations were granted Freedom of the Borough back in May: Basildon & Brentwood Clinical Commissioning Group, Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust; North East London NHS Foundation Trust; and Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust.

A presentation event will soon take place where all five organisations will be recognised and presented with their awards.

The decision to honour the East of England Ambulance Service in this fitting way was unanimously agreed by councillors at last night's (Thursday 21 October) Extraordinary Council meeting.

The Mayor of Basildon Council Councillor David Dadds said: "Whilst we were staying at home to help the fight against Covid-19, our East of England Ambulance heroes were still out on the frontline working tirelessly every day to save lives. On behalf of the council and the borough, I would like to give our sincere thanks and gratitude to them.

"Though this award has come about through their incredible efforts during the adversity of Covid-19, the work they do daily, long before and long after the pandemic, is something that deserves special recognition of this kind. I'm delighted that we've been able to honour their dedication, strength and professionalism in this way."

Chief Executive of the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) Tom Abell said: "We are delighted to receive this honour from Basildon Council and it will be a real boost to our dedicated people who work so hard to serve their communities, day in, day out.   

"I would like to personally thank the councillors for recognising the dedication, strength and professionalism of our people in the face of the pressures brought on by the pandemic."

Monday 25th October 2021