North East and Yorkshire
Find out more about the North East and Yorkshire SPF
The North East and Yorkshire (NEY) SPF comprises employers, trade unions and the NHS Employers' North engagement team.
Priorities 2025/26
- Safe staffing, sickness absence and compassionate leadership
- Staff experience, health and wellbeing
- Organisational change, National Target Operating Model (TOM) and scaling up
- Violence, aggression and sexual safety
- Just and learning culture, avoidable harm
Achievements 2025/26
- Endorsement of the National SPF co-chairs’ statement condemning the racist abuse and harassment experienced by NHS staff.
- A successful North SPF Conference 2025 focused on exploring good practice and partnership working to support health and wellbeing for NHS staff in the North.
- Developed partnership working principles as individual SPFs (NENC, YH) in response to the NHS system workforce changes.
- Identified best practice and priority areas to inform new ways of working for the new NEY SPF via engagement exercises.
Meet the team
Staff side co-chair - Denise McLaughlin, Senior Regional Officer, RCN
Staff side co-chair - Charlie Carruth, Regional Organiser, UNISON
Staff side vice chair - Ruth Smith, National Officer, MiP
Management side co-chair - Nick Parker, Chief People Officer, Sheffield Children’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Management side co-chair - Rachael Metcalf, Human Resources Director, South Tees Hospitals
Management side vice chair - Lesley Hodge, Acting Deputy Director of People & Culture, Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust
Management side vice chair - Jo Buck, Deputy Chief People Officer, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Terms of reference
Read the North East and Yorkshire SPF terms of reference.
