Update from Anthony Marsh - 18th December 2014

This week has seen unprecedented demand for ambulance services across the country and as the final weekend before Christmas approaches, we are expecting this level of activity to continue. With the winter plan in place, we are prepared for this increase in calls, with the plan covering everything from numbers of staff on the road to our resilience, how we prepare our vehicles, to the messages we put out to the public. Today we are tweeting to our 10,000 plus Twitter followers from Norwich EOC and our winter advice has been featured widely in the region’s media. I was also interviewed on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Tuesday to talk about the pressure on the services nationally and to talk about why this is happening.

At EEAST, we find ourselves in a vastly improved position compared to the beginning of the year. Whilst we continue to make more improvements in the short-term, it is important that the Trust also looks further ahead and starts the process to recruit a permanent Chief Executive as I was brought in for up to a two year period to turnaround the organisation. I would like to reassure you that this doesn’t mean I will be leaving in the next few months - I will remain until a new Chief Executive is recruited. Indeed the process to recruit a new Chief Executive can take many months, so it is right that the Board kick this off in the new year. I remain absolutely focussed on supporting you and getting EEAST into a position of stability and high performance, and you can be assured this will be the case over the coming months.

I’d like to say well done to our 111 team in Norfolk, who are the providing the best 111 service in the country with their call answering performance. This is a fantastic achievement and proves that ambulance services are the best people to run 111 services. Thank you for your hard work and excellent service to patients.

And finally I’m pleased to let you know that the annual delivery of Christmas chocolates to every station has started and you should receive yours by the end of this week, if you haven’t already. This is a very small gesture but it is sent with my huge thanks, for everything you have done this year which has helped improve our service to patients.

Published 18th December 2014