About South East Sector Health Care Partnership
The South East Sector Health Care Partnership is a formal collaboration between Stockport NHS Foundation Trust and Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust. The Partnership brings the two organisations together to strengthen local hospital and community services through closer working, shared learning, and improved resilience.
About us
Across Stockport and Tameside& Glossop, we’re taking an important step forward to strenghthen the care we provide for our communities, with greater collaboration between the two trusts.
Joint Board
While both Trusts will legally remain separate NHS Foundation Trusts, our Trust Boards have delegated authority to a Joint Board Committee (known as the Joint Board) from 1 April 2026. The Joint Board includes the Board of Directors for Stockport NHS Foundation Trust and Tameside & Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust. It will provide unified oversight of both organisations’ performance and our strategic ambitions, allowing the Trusts to work together to take decisions.
The Joint Board is led by the Chair and has executive and non-executive members.
David Wakefield – Chair
Date appointed: April 2025
David Wakefield has held previous chair roles at NHS Trusts, including Chair of the University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust. He is a qualified accountant and has held several senior executive posts, including Commercial Finance Director for Royal Mail. He has also held a number of non-executive directorships. David also serves as chair of Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, in a joint role that strengthens collaboration between the two organisations.
Karen James OBE – Chief Executive
Karen James OBE was appointed as Chief Executive of Tameside & Glossop IC NHS FT in 2014 and of Stockport NHS FT in 2020.
Having started her career as a Registered Nurse, she has held a number of executive leadership roles in large acute tertiary providers. Karen has significant experience in managing large scale change across complex economies and has been successful in the delivery of improvements in organisational performance.