A framework for strengthening the integration of primary and community health services for small rural/remote communities in Hunter New England Area Health Service

Project Short Title
HNEAHS framework

Project Number
RMO4554

Project Status
Completed

Chief Investigators
Julie McDonald, Gawaine Powell Davies

Rationale

Hunter New England Health was interested in strengthening the linkages between the Commonwealth funded Regional Health Services Program and other primary and community health services provided to small rural and remote communities across the region. An evaluation of the program had been undertaken in 2005 and identified a number of strengths and areas for further development. This current project built on the 2005 evaluation by specifically examining the relationship with other services and considering how the learnings and achievements could be more widely disseminated and taken up by other primary and community health services.

Aims

The aim was to develop a framework to describe the relationship between the regional health services program and other primary and community health services which allowed the following questions to be answered:

1. What are the relationships between primary and community health services at the local, cluster and regional levels?

2. How might these relationships be further developed in the context of the implementation of the NSW Health Integrated Primary and Community Health Policy within Hunter New England Health in order to sustain access to primary and community health services for small rural and remote communities.

Design and Method

Descriptive study employing semi structured interviews, meetings with key stakeholders to explore issues and examination of program docusments and selected literature .

Key Publications

McDonald J, Powell Davies G. (February 2007). A framework for strengthening the integration of primary and community health services for small rural/remote communities in Hunter New England Area Health Service. CPHCE.