This report explores the multidisciplinary contribution to developing public health in the NHS. It reports on a research project commissioned by the NHS Executive and undertaken by the King's Fund in 1996. The project comprised a one-day workshop of 32 invited experts in the public health field to identify key issues, and qualitative research consisting of over 30 in-depth interviews in eleven case study sites in England to explore multidisciplinary working in practice. This report presents data from the qualitative research.