M: There was a history to it, in that the Department of Health (at a regional level) and
the Northwest Development Agency (NWDA) had jointly provided two years’ funding
for a Regional Workplace Health Co-ordinator to be based within the Healthy Settings
Development Unit at the University of Central Lancashire. Although the NWDA had
initially been interested in a workplace health award scheme, initial scoping work
shifted things to a more strategic focus and John Ashton, who was then Regional
Director of Public Health, was keen for us to pursue this within a “healthy settings”
model. The Co-ordinator took responsibility for convening a strategic-level Regional
Workplace Health Network, which brought relevant agencies together.