In 1971, Salmond was employed by the
Department of Health as principal health officer. He held that role until 1973 when he became director of the department's management services and research unit. Ten years later he became the Deputy Director-General of Health. On the retirement of Ron Barker in 1986, he was appointed Director-General of Health. Soon after becoming the head of the department, Salmond conducted a restructure of the management structure. In 1987, he led the department in becoming a
smoke-free workplace after 86% of staff supported the move. Department employees were no longer allowed to smoke on departmental premises or in departmental vehicles. Salmond's tenure leading the health system was a time of great reform. Following the
Cartwright Inquiry, the Mason inquiry and the
Gibbs report into the structure of the health service, the department underwent two major restructurings with district offices and hospital boards being reformed into area health boards. In 1991, Salmond resigned in the face of further cuts and restructuring plans by the
Bolger government. In 1993, Salmond was appointed director of the Health Services Research Centre at
Victoria University of Wellington, holding the post until 1999. From the mid-1990s, he was an advocate for reinstating the area health boards and giving local control to aspects of the health system, but cautioned that such a reform would need careful management. Salmond attended six World Health Assemblies (WHAs) as a member of the New Zealand delegation. He was also involved with the
International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) delegation in
Geneva. In 1992, he was involved in an attempt to get the WHA to ask the
World Court for clarifications regarding the legal status of nuclear weapons, but failed to win sufficient support. The following year, another attempt was made, again facing strong opposition from nuclear-armed states, but this attempt was successful. The WHA sought an advisory opinion from the World Court. In 1996, the court found that the threat to use, and use of, nuclear weapons except in extreme circumstances were illegal. From 2000 to 2013, Salmond was the chairman the board of the Blueprint Trust, a private training organisation that provided a range of education and training services, particularly in the mental-health sector. ==Honours and awards==