As a PHN, we work to invest in services that are evidence-based and meet the needs for our most vulnerable communities.

Key areas of this work include:

• Population health needs assessments
• Performance monitoring – data collection, analysis, review and reporting of our service providers
• Service evaluation
• Strategy and policy

Our System Outcomes team is integral to the way we effectively use data and identify areas of improvement. Over the past 12 months, the team has worked across the organisation to develop new and improved ways of capturing, measuring and reporting outcomes of our programs and activities.

A core function of our work relies on local data and information to help us understand our population and their health needs. Each year, SEMPHN compiles a Needs Assessment outlining key health issues including immunisation, chronic disease and cancer screening, mental health, psychosocial health and Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD).

The annual Needs Assessment outlines the key health needs of the SEMPHN catchment, identifies significant factors that contribute to poor health within the community and profiles priority areas for SEMPHN to target with supports/services. In addition, for increased detail, the team provides focused Needs Assessments in areas of mental health and AOD to ensure effective program delivery. By having solid evidence, we aim to better support our decisions.

Find out what we discovered in our 2019 Needs Assessment

As commissioners of servicers, we rely on local data to help identify our region’s health priorities and to ensure all decisions are evidence-based and align with our strategic plan.

To ensure an individual or organisation’s data stays protected, SEMPHN developed a Data Governance Framework and introduced measures of compliance with policies and procedures to ensure SEMPHN meets its regulatory requirements.

In the first half of 2020, SEMPHN conducted additional analysis across the region to help identify the impacts of COVID-19 and service planning. This included:

• A cost analysis of vaccinating all Residential Aged Care Facility (RACF) residents
• Quantifying the number of flu vaccinations for staff and residents in RACFs in preparation of the 2020 flu season
• Estimating mask and gown quantities required by general practices in the region
• Analysing the impact of the pandemic.

Analysing data during the pandemic has been essential in understanding increased community needs and informing service delivery. As cases in our region increased, we conducted a data analysis on all our mental health programs, highlighting an increased demand for mental health services at the onset of Victoria’s restrictions, and identifying areas that required an increase in capacity.

Evaluations are designed to monitor progress, measure outcomes, assess impacts of commissioned projects, and identify successes and areas for improvement.

The System Outcomes team has been working with teams across the organisation to better understand day-to-day requirements and how data and evaluation methods could be improved.

In 2019-20, the team successfully developed new internal reporting dashboards, an innovative and more effective way to support teams in the organisation to capture data and report outcomes from our funded providers.

SEMPHN established a fifth round of After-Hours funding aimed at increasing and sustaining effective, affordable and accessible face-to-face primary care services in the After-Hours period. This included:

Funding of up to $144,000 was awarded to 10 general practices across 6 LGAs resulting in:

• 11,739 avoided hospital emergency department presentations
• savings of $3,551,712 in the health system, representing a return on investment of 379%.

Evaluation such as this helps contribute to SEMPHN’s culture of evidence and outcomes-led decision making for the future.