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Information for chief people officers in the South East region

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

Publication date: 1 October 2026

We would like to take this opportunity to extend a very warm welcome to the South East 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. 

You can view a full list of organisations in the South East 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.

South East 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 South East CPO network focuses on supporting organisations in areas such as the Transforming People Services (TPS) programme, the new workforce solution, flexible working, neighbourhood working and relationship building with the NHS England regional team. The network also helps members align with national workforce priorities and respond collectively to key people agenda challenges across the region.

  • Andrea Ashman, CPO, Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust

    Andrea joined Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust in 2024, bringing significant experience from East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, where she worked from 2017 as deputy director of human resources before becoming CPO in 2019. She began her career with Kent Police on a graduate trainee scheme, progressing quickly through a range of HR roles within local government.

    Cheryl Newsome, CPO, Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

    Cheryl joined Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust in 2021, following several years working outside the NHS. Most recently, she was director of human resources at Certitude, a not-for-profit adult social care provider, where she was also a member of the board and executive leadership team. She has held a range of senior HR leadership roles since 1999, including HR Director positions at Royal Holloway University, Lewisham College, The Learning Trust and The Terrence Higgins Trust, as well as Director of HR Consultancy, Organisation and Staff Development at University College London.

South East 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 South East 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, the role of NHS organisations as anchor institutions job evaluation, sickness absence management, flexible working, partnership working on key workforce priorities, anti-racism and disability and violence prevention. 

Connections with deputy CPOs in South East

We support deputy CPOs 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.