North SPF Conference 2025
Introduction
The North SPF held its annual conference for HR professionals and trade union representatives in the North of England on 4 March 2025 in Leeds.
This year’s theme was staff health and wellbeing. The event was co-chaired by Lesley Hodge, management side co-chair, North East North Cumbria SPF, and Charlie Carruth, staff side co-chair (UNISON), Yorkshire and Humber SPF.
Morning session - plenary
There was a brief introduction on the three sub-regional SPFs in the North of England - North East and North Cumbria, North West, and Yorkshire and Humber.
National SPF co-chairs Danny Mortimer and Helga Pile set the scene for the day, sharing reflections on the role of the SPF at national and regional level around staff health and wellbeing.
They acknowledged the challenging context for the NHS workforce and the efforts being made by employers to support health and wellbeing for their staff. Their key message was that the national SPF remains committed to this agenda, along with work on equality, diversity and inclusion, sexual safety and violence prevention.
NHS England colleagues, Eleanor Devlin, head of staff experience (NW), and Laura Flatman, national programme lead (retention), presented data highlighting that, although NHS staff in the north report having good work experiences, the workforce is characterised by high sickness absence rates and low life expectancy due to health inequalities impacting both physical and mental wellbeing.
They found that some staff are unable to access available wellbeing interventions, for example those in demanding clinical jobs. Partnership working was therefore said to essential in finding alternative means of support.
Their data also showed that a proactive approach to supporting staff, with engagement around health and wellbeing, a focus on improving culture and good leadership, improves presenteeism and staff retention. This highlighted why health and wellbeing must be prioritised throughout an employee's career. Colleagues ended the session by sharing case studies from trusts that have implemented successful wellbeing interventions.
Morning session - workshops
A series of four drop-in workshops allowed delegates to hear examples of innovative health and wellbeing projects in a world café style format.
The North West Wellbeing and Absence Policy was presented by colleagues from two regional trusts alongside UNISON, showcasing how they redesigned sickness absence policies to be more person-centred and supportive of staff health and wellbeing needs by shifting the focus from 'minimising sickness' to 'maximising wellness'. View their presentation.
Rugby League Cares colleagues showcased their tailored wellbeing programme for NHS staff delivered in hospitals across the region, teaching stress management and sleep hygiene to support mental health, resilience and overall wellbeing.
Colleagues from the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) shared their approach and the resources developed in partnership for its mental maintenance programme. The personalised toolkits and manager guides have been instrumental in promoting communication and self-awareness between colleagues and managers to support mental wellbeing across the trust. Access the resources below:
The session facilitated by Wellbeing4Business Ltd led delegates to explore different approaches to thinking about and improving staff health and wellbeing. They emphasised the importance of a strategic and preventative approach to wellbeing in the workplace and the real impacts this can make .
Afternoon session
Hannah Bell, a change practitioner from consultancy Clarity, led an interactive workshop on The NeuroGlow Advantage: Improving Wellbeing and Collaboration through Neuroscience. Hannah used brain-based, science-backed tools to equip delegates in addressing barriers and implementing solutions to improve health and wellbeing in the workplace.
The session highlighted that communication, psychological safety, culture change, self-regulation and engagement are all key to ensuring a person's NeuroGlow - and their impact on others.
To close the day, delegates were asked to identify one commitment to health and wellbeing they would take away from the conference. Examples included a focus on creating health and wellbeing offers that all staff, including clinical staff, can access, and a commitment to engage with trade unions on developing trust-wide approaches to employee health and wellbeing.
Evaluation
Our evaluation showed that 80 per cent of attendees better understood the staff health and wellbeing agenda following the event, while 83 per cent felt the conference championed partnership working in this area. Delegates said they appreciated the well-organised event and insightful discussions throughout.
