A reflective analysis of the development of a regional workplace health strategy in the North West of England

Dooris, M; Dugdill, L; Sedgley, L

Abstract

Purpose – This paper sets out to provide an overview of the development processes, key drivers
and the impact of a workplace health strategy developed in the North West of England, between
2005 and 2007. The strategy is led by a Regional Workplace Health Co-ordinator (funded for two
years by regional-level bodies), and is aimed at a broad range of stakeholders across every layer of
influence.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper consists of narrative which was co-constructed by
the Guest Editor (third author of the paper) and the co-authors of the original strategy (first and
second authors of the paper). A reflective interview was conducted with the first and second
authors, who were interviewed by the third author in the summer of 2008. This interview was
transcribed verbatim and then used to co-construct the paper that follows. The key questions that
the narrative was designed to answer were: why and how was the strategy developed? What was
the interplay between national and regional levels of the system? What was the value/impact of the
strategy?
Findings – The strategy provided an important platform from which regional players could develop
actions that would, in the long term, positively influence the health of workers in the region. The scope
and breadth of the regional strategy further informed national developments, but its effective delivery
within the North West region was seriously hampered by the lack of co-ordination, governance and
ownership. The long-term impacts of the strategy are not being measured as no funding was available
for its evaluation.
Originality/value – Although many workplace health strategies have been developed, few are ever
critically evaluated.

Citation

Dooris, M., Dugdill, L., & Sedgley, L. (2008). A reflective analysis of the development of a regional workplace health strategy in the North West of England. International Journal of Workplace Health Management, 1(3), 209-218. https://doi.org/10.1108/17538350810926552

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2008
• Deposit Date: Feb 26, 2010
• Journal: International Journal of Workplace Health Management
• Print ISSN: 1753-8351
• Publisher: Emerald
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 1
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 209-218
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/17538350810926552
• Keywords: Workplace, Health services, Case studies
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/17538350810926552