About us
The SPF brings together NHS Employers, NHS trade unions, NHS England (NHSE) and the Department of Health and Social Care to contribute to the development and implementation of policy that impacts the health workforce.
Primary aims
The SPF's primary aims are to:
- Contribute staff side and employer perspectives to emerging policy at a formative stage.
- Improve policy development and implementation by contributing ideas on workforce implications.
- Promote good practice in relation to partnership working and effective communication between partners.
The SPF Partnership Agreement, updated in July 2022, sets out the framework through which SPF partners commit to work collectively to tackle healthcare system priorities and challenges.
An overarching aim is to encourage employers and trade unions to work together to ensure a positive working environment where staff can provide high quality care and services. To support this, the national SPF highlights tools and resources to promote and support partnership working in the NHS.
Case studies are also developed by partners and published on the SPF website to share learning and evidence positive outcomes through partnership working.
The SPF does not discuss the contractual arrangements for NHS staff. This is carried out by the NHS Staff Council which has overall responsibility for the Agenda for Change pay system.
Priority areas
In 2025/26, the national SPF is focusing on the following:
- Workforce related elements in the 10 Year Health Plan; developing a new set of NHS staff standards outlining minimum standards for modern employment and making connections with changes resulting from the Employment Rights Bill.
- The development of the 10 Year Workforce Plan.
- The workforce implications of organisational change resulting from the reduction in ICB costs and costs in provider trusts, and ensuring effective partnership working mechanisms are built into the new structures.
- Taking forward the recommendations from the SPF report on ways to tackle and reduce violence against NHS staff.
Regional SPF priority areas
Information on the regional SPF's priorities are available on the regional web pages.
Reviews and key achievements
We periodically undertake or commission a review of how the national SPF is performing. These reviews take the form of either heat checks or more a in-depth stocktake.
We also periodically identify and showcase our key achievements. See below our reviews and key achievements since 2019.
