Cheshire and Merseyside’s Workforce Wellbeing and Development Programme, led by Professor Helen Bromley, Director of Public Health for Cheshire West and Chester on behalf of Champs Directors, is celebrating the launch of an innovative pilot that will support the subregion’s public health family to improve their leadership and coaching skills.
The pilot has started with 10 public health professionals from across the patch being offered an EMCC-accredited ‘Leader as Coach’ development programme. This programme is designed to help leaders shift from a directive style of leadership towards a coaching approach that empowers teams, builds psychological safety, and unlocks performance.
The programme includes 26 hours of live learning, workplace coaching practice, peer support and reflective learning. Participants will complete a Leader as Coach diagnostic to identify strengths and development areas across four core competencies: coaching mindset, coaching at work, attention and listening, and coaching conversations.
Throughout five taught sessions and two booster sessions, leaders will develop practical skills in powerful questioning, motivating change, coaching career development, supporting wellbeing, and leading high-performing teams. Following an evaluation, it is intended that the programme is rolled out to more people across the subregion.
Professor Helen Bromley commented:
“Public health leadership today requires more than technical expertise. It also requires the ability to create the conditions where people can think clearly, feel supported and perform at their best.
“This programme is about strengthening our leadership culture across Cheshire and Merseyside. By equipping colleagues with coaching skills, we are investing in a more compassionate, reflective and high-performing public health workforce.
“This is just one of the ways we are ensuring Cheshire and Merseyside is the very best place to practice public health. We want to create a subregion where talented people feel supported to grow, lead and make a real difference for our communities. If we want to tackle the complex health challenges facing our populations, we must also invest in how we lead, support and develop one another.”
Participants taking part in the pilot have also shared their thoughts so far:
“I’m really looking forward to increasing my coaching knowledge and skills, not just to enhance my ability to manage and develop others but also to coach myself better! I often find it easier to advise and support others than I do myself, and I can already tell this programme will help me with that”. – Andrew Turner
“Being invited to join this pilot programme means a great deal to me, as it gives me the space to reflect, develop, and stretch my coaching abilities within public health. I’m excited to learn practical tools that will help me build stronger relationships, support others more effectively, and bring a more thoughtful, person‑centred approach to my role going forward.” – Samantha Pearce
