25 SEPTEMBER 2009

Six measures for PHO effectiveness proposed

Lucy Ratcliffe
lratcliffe@nzdoctor.co.nz

DAILY NEWS: Victoria University researchers have come up with six potential measures to assess PHO effectiveness during the next stage of PHCS implementation

Researchers have come up with a set of criteria for assessing the effectiveness of PHOs during the next stage of Primary Health Care Strategy implementation.

In a report published by Victoria University’s Health Services Research Centre this week, researchers propose six questions to help form a review process between PHOs and DHBs when assessing local strategy implementation progress.

The six questions

• Has the PHO got a clearly specified remit, including an MOU, with its DHB about respective roles and responsibilities relating to primary care funding and development? Has the PHO got a set of clearly identified objectives about what it intends to achieve, both as an individual entity and with the DHB?

• Has the PHO got a clearly articulated plan for how it will work with practices and others, including the DHB, to develop more integrated services, including an approach to measuring progress at the service delivery level?

• Does the PHO have a clear sense of how it will use or pilot different funding approaches as part of its plan to develop more integrated services?

• What evidence does the PHO have about the extent to which general practice professionals feel engaged in the work of the PHO and able to shape or lead change?

• What is the PHO doing to develop integrated patient management systems in primary and community care? Does the PHO have a plan for investment in developing primary and community health facilities locally, and does this take account of any provider role undertaken by the PHO?

• What is the PHO doing to develop management and leadership capacity and capability, and how does this connect with regional and national activity in this area?

Considering the questions

The report, called Where next for primary health organisations in New Zealand?, was commissioned by the Ministry of Health and DHBNZ and these two groups will now consider the options put forward by researchers.

Written by research centre director Jackie Cumming and visiting UK research fellow Judith Smith, the report analysed five other reports commissioned by DHBNZ and the ministry last year.

This week’s report sets out what Dr Cumming and Ms Smith describe as a synthesis of the five reports.

PHOs have reached a turning point

Dr Cumming and Ms Smith believe PHOs have reached a turning point in terms of achieving the aims of the strategy.

While PHOs have achieved some aims, such as reducing the cost of first contact care, it seems they have been constrained in bringing about significant change to the model of service delivery.

“What is clear is that work now needs to be undertaken by policy makers, managers, clinicians, PHO board members, and others in the primary care sector in order to shape the policy mechanisms, financial arrangements, information systems, and organisational development activity required to enable PHOs to move forward.”

“PHOs need to be given the levers and incentives to work with the local health community (eg, practices, NGOs, allied health providers, DHBs, management services organisations, IPAs) to extend, strengthen and better coordinate primary care services.”

No decisions made yet

Neither the ministry nor DHBNZ were able comment about the report this morning.

However, New Zealand Doctor understands no decisions have been made yet on whether to adopt the report’s advice in part or in full.

Related links

For more information about the five DHBNZ reports released last year, click here

« Daily News Archive

« Go Back