South West

Find out more about the South West SPF

Priorities for 2026/27

Continued constructive and open partnership working during challenging times of organisational change and workforce reductions.
Job evaluation: Robust, partnership‑led discussions on JE practice, sharing good practice, encouraging regional collaboration and learning, and ensuring that potential risks or inconsistencies in JE practice are identified and addressed constructively.
Retention and staff experience: Avoiding harm, which includes violence, aggression, sexual safety, and related processes.
NHS strategic plans and their impact on the workforce: understanding and addressing the conflicting priorities arising from staff standards, NHS strategy and workforce redesign, framed by the People Promise, the 10 year workforce plan and its three shifts and other national NHS strategies / frameworks. Establishing clear measures of improvement and system capability as the requirement of national strategy becomes clearer.
Employment Rights Act 2025: Developing shared understanding of the impacts of the ERB and its implications for NHS organisations and staff. Identifying impacts on equality representatives, facilities arrangements, rostering and fairness. Exploring metrics and implementation support across the region.

We held a successful, in-person South West SPF workshop in March 2025 on sexual safety, where members shared best practice from case studies in partnership in a just and learning culture.
We collated and shared a partnership response to shaping the 10 Year Health Plan following a November workshop session in the south west, following up in January to determine focus areas for the SPF to support and influence.
We developed and maintained constructive partnership engagement with the regional NHS England workforce team through active involvement of the deputy director of strategic workforce planning, supply and innovation in agenda planning and attendance at forum meetings.
We reaffirmed our commitment to working in partnership on key strategic priorities, including the revision and agreement of our terms of reference.

Trade union co-chair – Sarah Woodward, Regional Organiser, UNISON
Trade union co-chair – Steven Pulsford, Operational Manager, RCN
Trade union deputy co-chair – James Allen, The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy
Management co-chair – Neil Savage, Chief People Officer, Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust
Management co-chair – Isobel Clements, Chief People Officer, Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
Management co-chair – Kirstie Lord, Deputy Chief People Officer, Somerset NHS Foundation Trust