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Information for chief people officers in the Midlands region

Discover more about the regional CPO and deputy CPO networks and Social Partnership Forum in the Midlands

Publication date: 30 September 2026

We would like to take this opportunity to extend a very warm welcome to the Midlands region.  

The regional CPO and deputy CPO networks and Social Partnership Forum are established and well-respected peer-led spaces that provide access to learning and sharing of good practice, peer networking, collaborating and creating opportunities to influence national policy and thinking. 

This web page will be useful in helping to familiarise yourself with the support that NHS Employers alongside your regional network and regional Social Partnership Forum (SPF) can give you. 

A full list of organisations in the Midlands region can be found here. 

The network is organised and coordinated by NHS Employers via the national engagement service team.

If you have any outstanding questions, please do contact us and we will be very happy to help.

Midlands CPO network  

The network meets monthly virtually and twice a year in person. It is an important network for chief people officers (CPOs) to connect with peers from across the region. Through these meetings, members can build relationships, exchange insight and experience, and contribute to national workforce policy and thinking.

The Midlands CPO network focuses on supporting organisations in areas such as organisational change and use of technology, succession planning and development, staff engagement, job evaluation and workforce policies.  The network also helps members align with national workforce priorities and respond collectively to key people agenda challenges across the region.

  • Amanda Rawlings, CPO, University Hospitals Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust

    Amanda is the executive CPO at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton. Amanda leads the development and delivery of the long-term people strategy of the integrated care board (ICB), ensuring this reflects and integrates the strategies of all relevant partner organisations.

    Darren Tidmarsh, CPO, Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust

    Darren joined Derbyshire Community Health Services from United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust in September 2020. Prior to his role in Lincolnshire he led the people strategy at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust in Birmingham where he joined the NHS. Darren has a master’s degree in human resources management and is an experienced HR and organisational development professional with a strong public sector background.

    Jane Haire, CPO, University Hospitals North Midlands NHS Trust

    Jane has more than 30 years experience in the NHS, starting out in administration and as a people professional since 1998. She has worked in Staffordshire and Cheshire health and social care systems including Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority, East Cheshire NHS Trust, Cheshire HR Services, Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Partnership Trust.  

Midlands Social Partnership Forums (SPF)  

NHS Employers, through the National Engagement Service, supports and facilitates regional SPFs across the country. These forums bring together employers and trade union partners to strengthen partnership working on workforce issues, shaping and informing policy, promoting good employment practice and providing support of regional and national priorities.

Regional SPFs feed into the National SPF, which supports partnership working and contributes workforce perspectives to national NHS policy development.

In the Midlands, the regional SPF meets five times per year virtually and provides a collaborative space for partners to work together on key workforce priorities. Its focus includes maintaining positive partnership relationships locally, influencing current policy landscapes, improving staff experience and EDI, and understanding new ways of working including the use of AI in the workplace.

Connections with Deputy CPOs in Midlands

We support deputy CPOs across the region by convening the deputy CPO network, designing, delivering and supporting the peer support network to enable peer connections that encourage the sharing of learning and best practice. This includes supporting understanding and providing opportunities to influence the national people policy agenda and helping to align and make progress on shared regional areas of focus.