Welsh Partnership Forum (WPF)
10 March 2026
A description of the NHS Wales or Welsh Partnership Forum (WPF) structure, membership, meetings and work undertaken.
Workforce
What is the Welsh Partnership Forum?
The NHS Welsh Partnership Forum (WPF) has been established as the forum where the Welsh Government, NHS Wales’s employers and trade unions and professional organisations work together to improve health services for the staff and the people of Wales. It is the forum where key stakeholders can engage with key policy leads from across the Welsh Government to inform thinking around national priorities on health issues.
The main purpose of the Welsh Partnership Forum is the development, support and delivery of workforce policies on a national, regional and local level. The Welsh Partnership Forum provides strategy leadership on partnership working between employers and employee representatives.
The principle focus and purpose of the WPF is:
- Service change and modernisation – to redesign services to be modernised in line with the aims within A Healthier Wales.
- Service Delivery – influencing, developing and engaging in the formulation of national strategies to ensure they are deliverable and have ownership.
- Workforce – taking a national overview on issues regarding the workforce.
It is also involved in all aspects of strategic implementation including:
- planning
- education
- recruitment
- retention
- development; and
- support of NHS Wales staff.
The WPF is supported by a Business Committee (WPFBC) and the Medical and Dental Business Group (MDBG) established to oversee the business of the WPF and manage the range of workforce issues that require more detailed work.
Welsh Partnership Forum Membership, Meetings and Documentation
The WPF membership comprises representation from each of the constituent parties - Welsh Government, NHS Wales's employers and trade unions/professional organisations as represented on the NHS Staff Council. - The constituent organisations are responsible for agreeing the nominations to the WPF and in so doing ensure that participants reflect the diverse nature of the NHS Wales.
The WPF will have 3 Co-Chairs, the Chief Executive for NHS Wales supported by the Workforce and OD Director Welsh Government as Business Committee Chair, the Chief Executive lead for Workforce supported by the Chair of Workforce and Organisation Development Director of NHS Wales employing organisation as Business Committee Chair, and an elected Chair from the Trade Unions.
The Minister for Health & Social Services will be invited to attend at least one WPF meeting per annum for all or part of the business of the meeting.
View the terms of reference.
Learn more
Workplan
The Welsh Partnership Forum has developed an annual rolling workplan to deliver on its commitment to partnership working. This workplan is currently being reviewed by WPF and Local Partnership Forum for consideration at WPF in summer 2026.
Meetings, Agenda & Minutes
2025/2026
18th March 2026 - Agenda - Minutes
19th November 2025 - Agenda - Minutes
10th June 2025 - Agenda - Minutes
2024/2025
26th March 2025 - Agenda - Minutes
20th November 2024 - Agenda - Minutes
17th July 2024 - Agenda - Minutes
Report of the Final Milestone Review - March 2024
Report of Milestone Review - February 2024
2023/2024
21st March 2024 - Agenda - Minutes
16th November 2023 Agenda - Minutes
13th July 2023– Agenda - Minutes
2022/2023
17th November 2022 - Agenda - Minutes
Co-chairs
- Jacqueline Totterdell - Director General Health and Social Care/Chief Executive NHS Wales
- Nicky Hughes - Royal College of Nursing (RCN)
- Alex Howells - Chief Executive (NHS Wales Employing organisation)
Trade Unions/Professional Organisations
British Association and College of Occupational Therapists (BAOT)
- Peter Hewin
- Ruby James
British Dental Association (BDA)
- Steve Austin
British Medical Association (BMA)
- Iona Collins
- Erica Stamp
- Christopher Saunders
- Lucy Merredy
- Sarah Ellmes (secretariat)
Chartered Society of Physiotherapists (CSP)
- Chris Musgrave
College of Podiatry (COP)
- Diana Scott-brown
GMB
- Nathan Holman
- Jonathan Strachan-Taylor
Royal College of Nursing (RCN)
- Jackie Davies
- Kelly Andrews
Managers in Partnership (MiP)
- Pete Lowe (Observer)
Royal College of Midwives (RCM)
- Vicky Richards
- Julie Richards
Unite
- Paul Seppman
- Alison Cleaton
Unison
- Tanya Bull
- Dawn Ward
- Nadia Probert
- Jan Tomlinson
- Andrea Prince
Society of Radiographers (SoR)
- Caroline Hurley
Welsh Government
- Helen Arthur
- Emma Coles
- Annie Jones
- Chantelle Jenkins
- Martin Mansfield
- Amy Andrews
- Rhiannon Jones
- Sara Whittam
Employers
- Nicola Prygodzicz (Chief Executives)
- Ruth Alcolado (Medical Directors)
- Jennifer Winslade (Directors of Nursing & Midwifery)
- Peter Carr (Directors of Therapies)
- Hannah Evans (Directors of Planning)
- Angela Williams (Directors of Finance)
- Lisa Gostling (Workforce & OD Directors)
- Hywel Daniel (Workforce & OD Directors)
- Sarah Simmonds (Workforce & OD Directors)
- Rachel Gidman (Workforce & OD Directors)
- Gareth Hardacre (Workforce & OD Directors)
- Neil Lewis (Workforce & OD Directors)
- Debbie Eyitayo (Workforce & OD Directors
NHS Wales Employers (Advise and Secretariat)
- Sue Green (NHS Wales Employers)
- Andrew Davies (NHS Wales Employers)
- Andrea Thomas (NHS Wales Employers)
- Kirsty White (NHS Wales Employers)
- Tabitha Rodway (NHS Wales Employers/Secretariat)
Welsh Partnership Forum (WPF) Business Committee
The main function of the Welsh Partnership Business Forum Committee (WPFBC) is to support the progress and delivery of the business of the NHS Welsh Partnership Forum (WPF) in the development of service change and modernisation, service delivery and workforce strategy. The WPFBC will manage and facilitate the business of the WPF and any associated Task and Finish Groups.
The WPFBC membership comprises representation from each of the constituent parties - Welsh Government, NHS Wales Employers and trade unions/professional organisations. - The constituent organisations are responsible for agreeing the nominations to the WPFBC and in so doing ensure that participants reflect the diverse nature of the NHS Wales.
The WPFBC will have 3 Co-Chairs, the Workforce and OD Director Welsh Government, a representative from Workforce and Organisation Development Directors of and an elected Chair from the Trade Unions. The WPFBC Chairs will chair on a rotational basis.
Please see the terms of reference.
Learn more
Meetings, Agenda and Minutes
2025/2026
24th February 2026 - Agenda - Minutes
15th October 2025 - Agenda - Minutes
29th April 2025 - Agenda - Minutes
2024/2025
16th October 2024 - Agenda - Minutes
26th June 2024 - Agenda - Minutes
2023/2024
22nd February 2024 - Agenda - Minutes
27th October 2023 - Agenda - Minutes
8th June 2023 - Agenda - Minutes
2022/2023
9th February 2023- Agenda - Minutes
Co Chairs
- Helen Arthur/Emma Coles - Welsh Government
- Sarah Simmonds - Workforce and OD Director - (Vice Chair)
- Nicky Hughes - Royal College of Nursing (RCN)
Employers
- Rachel Gidman (Workforce and OD Directors)
- Sarah Simmonds (Workforce and OD Directors)
- Hywel Daniel (Workforce and OD Directors)
- Lisa Gostling (Workforce and OD Directors)
- Samantha Morgan (Workforce & OD Directors)
- Gareth Hardacre (Workforce and OD Directors)
- Helen Watkins (Workforce & OD Directors)
- Sue Green (NHS Wales Employers)
- Andrew Davies (NHS Wales Employers)
- Kirsty White (NHS Wales Employers)
- Andrea Thomas (NHS Wales Employers)
- Tabitha Rodway (NHS Wales Employers) Secretariat
Welsh Government
- Helen Arthur
- Emma Coles
- Annie Jones
- Chantelle Jenkins
- Martin Mansfield
- Rhiannon Jones
- Sara Whittam
- Amy Williams
Trade Unions/Professional Organisations
- Nicky Hughes - Royal College of Nursing (RCN)
- Tanya Bull - UNISON
- Paul Seppman - UNITE
- Chris Musgrave - Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP)
- Caroline Hurley (SoR)
- Peter Hewin - British Association and College of Occupational Therapists (BAOT)
- Nathan Holman - GMB
- Vicky Richards - Royal College of Midwives (RCM)
- Christopher Saunders - British Medical Association (BMA)
Welsh Partnership Forum - Medical and Dental Business Group
The MDBG is the the exclusive forum for the negotiation of medical and dental terms and conditions of service which apply exclusively to medical and dental staff employed in NHS Wales on Welsh only terms and conditions. The MDBG oversees the implementation of negotiated agreements and their associated provisions ensuring that they are consistently applied across NHS Wales for those negotiated on a Wales only basis or a UK basis.
Learn more
Employer Representatives
Members
- Dom Hurford (Joint Chair)
- Ruth Alcolado
- Lisa Gostling
- Gareth Hardacre
Co opted Members
- Michael Stevens
- Debbie Eyitayo
- Helen Watkins
- Carl Kneeshaw
- Tina Ricketts
- Lianne Morse
- Shelley Williams
- Sharon Vickery
NHS Wales Employers
- Sue Green
- Kirsty White
- Tabitha Rodway (Secretariat)
Welsh Government
- Isobel Oliver
- James Calvert
- Helen Arthur (Joint Chair)
- Emma Coles
- Annie Jones
- Martin Mansfield
BMA
Members
- Manish Adke (Joint Chair)
- Stephen Kelly
- Ali Nazir
- Deiniol Jones
- Thomas Gother
- Will Atkins
- Kavan Arora
BMA
- Erica Stamp
- Christopher Saunders
- Jonathan Scattergood
- Samuel Stone
- Lucy Merredy
- Sarah Ellmes (Secretariat)
Medical and Dental Business Group Documentation:
Joint Statement - Consultant Contract Reform Scoping
October 2025 - Approved Update
Following a decision made by MDBG in 2024/2025 only an agreed update following each MDBG meeting will be published.