South East

Find out more about the South East SPF.

The South East (SE) SPF was set up by employers, trade unions and NHS Employers' South engagement team.

Continued constructive partnership working on staff experience (health and wellbeing), NHS career pathways, just and learning culture, reducing violence and aggression (including sexual safety and domestic violence).
Recommitment and progression of the equality, diversity and inclusion agenda for the region in partnership.
Developing evidence for submission to the Pay Review Body on high cost area supplement challenges for the region.
Continued engagement with the AgiLab research project on agile working.

We continued positive and constructive partnership engagement on core priority areas during a period of sustained industrial action and shared ongoing work and achievements in our bi-annual regional bulletin.
We maintained meaningful engagement with NHS Employers and NHS England colleagues on core priority focus areas, including the Long Term Workforce Plan and the People Promise.
We supported the NHS HR and OD futures programme by establishing two workshop style groups to examine the current position, challenges and potential solutions of the NHS career pathway and compassionate leadership/just and learning culture to help understand what can be progressed in partnership across the region.
In collaboration with NHS Employers and the University of Sussex, we have continued to promote and facilitate best practice and research in agile working through academic and practitioner collaboration and knowledge exchange. We worked in partnership on the research study Understanding and reducing tensions between clinical and non-clinical staff in the NHS in relation to agile working, published November 2023.

Trade union co-chair – David McMullen, GMB
Management co-chair – Caroline Haynes, Chief People Officer, Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust
Management co-chair – Sandra Goatley, Chief People Officer, Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust