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Information for chief people officers in the North West region

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

Publication date: 30 September 2026

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. 

You can view a full list of organisations in the North West region on the NHS website.

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.

North West 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 North West CPO network focuses on supporting organisations in areas such as digital transformation, the national target operating model, health inequalities, population health, talent management and succession planning, and sickness absence management. The network also helps members align with national workforce priorities and respond collectively to key people agenda challenges across the region.

  • Melissa Swindell, CPO, Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust 

    Melissa joined Alder Hey in 2009. With over 25 years’ experience in human resources and organisational development, Melissa began her career in the airline industry after graduating from the University of Liverpool, before joining the NHS. She has held senior HR and OD roles across London and the North West and is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

    Dr. Neil Pease, CPO, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust/Interim CPO, East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust 

    Neil brings over 25 years of NHS experience, transitioning to Lancashire Teaching Hospitals after serving nearly four years at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust as executive people director and CPO. Before that, he held executive roles at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust and Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. 

North West SPF

NHS Employers, through the National Engagement Service, supports and facilitates Regional Social Partnership Forums 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 North West, the regional SPF meets every two months virtually and provides a collaborative space for partners to work together on key workforce priorities. Its focus includes workforce planning and the role of NHS organisations as anchor institutions, staff health and wellbeing, including flexible working, anti-racism, disability and violence prevention, and supporting and retaining a diverse NHS workforce.

Connections with Deputy CPOs in North West

We support Deputy Chief People Officers across the region by helping to enable peer connections that encourage the sharing of learning and best practice. This includes supporting understanding of the national people policy agenda and helping to align and make progress on shared regional areas of focus.