Lived experience key to commissioning improvements
Done well, the design and delivery of effective health programs is a continuous process, from needs assessment through to implementation, performance monitoring and evaluation.
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Relationship-based contract management and consumer feedback is crucial. SEMPHN recognises that without insights from people with lived experience, whether they relate to their condition/illness, treatment service or system issues, we risk commissioning programs that are crucial to establishing the services people need.
By bringing together providers, service development and commissioning teams at the earliest stages of program design, we move beyond simple consultation to authentic engagement and co-design.
This year in particular, we have continued to refine our approach to engaging stakeholders and those with lived experience throughout the whole commisioning process.
This means that our commissioning process is a dynamic one in which the continuous flow of shared knowledge, advice and insight is considered in service design.
Training, quick guides and system upgrades
To maintain high standards for the delivery of the programs we commission, it’s important to have the right infrastructure and training for our service providers and staff. As part of continuous improvement, this year we upgraded some of our systems, improved security and streamlined our internal processes, including upgrading our contract system for better invoicing and commissioning workflow.
This simple shift in process has supported teams to better delivering internal and external services.
Teams were engaged and skilled-up via face-to-face training and their knowledge reinforced with the development of quick reference guides. The guides are also integral to staff induction.
Helping to ease the burden on service providers
Responding to tenders can be a stressful process for anyone. Feedback from some of our tender evaluation processes and our Provider Support Team suggested that tender response length and detail was a barrier for some potential applicants – especially those working in general practice.
For our care coordination tender, there was an opportunity for our Chronic Disease Team to propose a different approach to help ease the burden of tender completion and make it easier for those who had been previously hesitant, to apply.
Questions which previously required lengthy responses were replaced with simpler questions to elicit factual information. This meant that organisations previously hesitant to apply, including smaller providers, those with limited resources and those who found advanced English language a barrier, found the process far more quick and easy. The change in process led to our highest number of tender responses to any of our Care Coordination tenders.
This trial marked a very important step in the evolution of commissioning at SEMPHN.
Another step in our commissioning evolution is the improved measurement and monitoring of the impact of programs on the health of priority populations. Among the more extensive evaluations of programs in 2021–22 was the assessment of the Integrated Team Care (ITC) program.
Data, done different
The ITC program is a Commonwealth-funded, nationwide program, commissioned by Primary Health Networks. It aims to contribute to:
- improving health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with chronic health conditions
- improving health access to culturally appropriate mainstream primary care services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The ITC program commissioned by SEMPHN has helped First Nations peoples in our region manage complex chronic conditions and mental health illness more effectively through one-on-one assistance using care coordinators to access services.
Our ITC providers are Dandenong & District Aborigines Co-Operative Limited and Star Health. This year we engaged even more closely with these providers and learned lessons that will inform future commissioning processes. These findings will help us continue to better understand the scope of ITC and the role of care coordinators.
We also worked closely with these providers to improve our data collection processes which informs the evidence base for the ITC program. They explained that current analyses may not reflect changing patterns of need and uptake experienced by their services on-the-ground. This feedback highlighted the importance of regularly reassessing community need and funding distribution through our commissioning. This listening and learning revealed an opportunity to analyse data differently.
Successes are not always represented in numbers, but in stories and individuals.
Further work is needed to understand the complexities associated with First Nations clients and their ongoing health and access needs. Our responsibility as a funder is to ensure we’re able to capture the effectiveness of commissioned contracts and be able to further develop services to better support First Nations communities in south east Melbourne.
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South Eastern Melbourne PHN
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Heatherton Victoria 3202
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South Eastern Melbourne PHN acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land our catchment covers, the Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri people. We pay respect to them, their culture and their Elders past, present and future, and uphold their relationship to this land.