Healthy for Life Evaluation Activities

Provides information on the requirements for evaluation of the Healthy for Life program

The Healthy for Life Evaluation and Outcomes Framework was developed by a consultant appointed by the Department of Health and Ageing, in collaboration with the Healthy for Life Evaluation and Outcomes Reference Group. Health Services were represented on the Evaluation and Outcomes Reference Group and Round 1 Healthy for Life organisations were consulted. This included two rounds of site consultation visits.

Evaluation and Outcomes Framework
The Support, Collection, Analysis and Reporting Function (SCARF)
Essential Indicators
Population Measurement
Patient Information and Recall Systems
Data Management Plan

Evaluation and Outcomes Framework

The objectives of the Evaluation and Outcomes Framework are to:

• Assess the effectiveness, efficiency and appropriateness of the Healthy for Life program in achieving its stated objectives and outcomes;
• Inform ongoing improvements at the health service and health system levels and the program design and policy level;
• Provide evidence to inform best practice in maternal and child health and chronic disease within a quality improvement framework at the service level;
• Be technically sound; and
• Be informed by health service, State and Territory and National work on performance indicator development and usage.

Urbis Pty Ltd completed the final report on the ‘Evaluation of the Healthy for Life Program’ in June 2009 (PDF 2004KB). This is now available - see link to the document.

The Final Report found the flexible approach of the Program for the delivery of high quality maternal and child health services and chronic disease care to be well designed and consistent with its objectives. The Program enabled services to respond to locally-identified needs. Urbis recommended the Program retain its focus on continuous quality improvement (CQI). The Report emphasises the importance of collecting good quality population level data to inform service improvement. Urbis also found that the nature and range of the program support provided has been a key success factor in the Healthy for Life Program’s implementation. There have been significant gains in the quality of data collected for maternal and child health and chronic disease care.

Urbis have discussed many problems and criticisms from service providers and advocacy groups in reaching their Final Report.

The Support, Collection, Analysis and Reporting Function (SCARF)

Menzies School of Health Research, in conjunction with the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), and SRA Information Technology Pty. Ltd., were the successful tenderers for the SCARF work. They commenced on 31 March 2007.
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In developing the Evaluation and Outcomes Framework, strong emphasis is placed on the use of data to support learning at both the local and national levels. Recognising that there are diverse services involved with differing management structures, program delivery models at differing stages of development, staff skills and data capacity, the SCARF will work directly with Healthy for Life services to improve the quality of their data and assist services in using their own data for local learning to improve service delivery.

The SCARF involves 6 monthly data collection and analysis in line with the Service Development and Reporting Framework (SDRF) cycle. Feedback on the results inform participating health services and the Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health (OATSIH) on the progress toward program objectives, expected outcomes and national and service level learning.

Since March 2008, Healthy for Life services have entered their data on OSCAR (OATSIH Support Collection, Analysis and Reporting), a web based data collection tool.

Essential Indicators

The Healthy for Life program needs to be able to measure and demonstrate progress against its objectives, and a set of eleven (11) Essential Indicators has been developed to allow this to happen. Data for the Essential Indicators measure achievements toward the short and long term outcomes of the Healthy for Life Program. All Healthy for Life sites report against the Essential Indicators, which focus on significant chronic diseases and maternal and child health.

The attached table below titled Essential Indicators lists the reporting periods for the eleven Healthy for Life Essential Indicators. The technical specifications for these Essential Indicators is provided in the attached document Technical specifications for 11 essential indicators Version 3.3.
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Essential Indicators (PDF 49 KB)
Technical specifications for 11 essential indicators Version 3.3 (PDF 552 KB)

The data collection and reporting system is designed so that it adds value to the work of each site. All sites should make sure they have provision for data collection and staff training to support adoption of the Essential Indicators as well as any other data collection processes decided on as part of the Healthy for Life implementation.

Population Measurement

The Healthy for Life program is based on a population health approach to service delivery. However, to enable consistency of reporting measures across sites only ‘regular’ clients are to be included in Essential Indicator reporting.

A regular client definition of ‘2 attendances within 3 years’ has been agreed for the Healthy for Life Program in December 2008.
OSCAR will be modified in 2009 to enable services to report against either this definition or to specify their own ‘regular client’ definition.

Reporting against the Essential Indicators will be at the aggregate service level. No client level data will be collected. Aggregate data is data collected and reported as a total over a given reporting period and does not contain identifying information.

Patient Information and Recall Systems

Patient Information and Recall Systems (PIRS) and other information technology have a major role in data collection for Healthy for Life.
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The OSCAR system supports Healthy for Life reporting of both qualitative and quantitative data. Many services have PIRS systems that record the information needed for the quantitative data. Some PIRS systems provide customised reports for the quantitative data needed for Healthy for Life reporting.

The SCARF team has developed specifications for an autoload function for the PIRS of Healthy for Life services. The automated data load (autoload) function will allow OSCAR to electronically read the quantitative data needed for Healthy for Life reporting.

OSCAR Automated Data Load File Specifications (PDF 593 KB)

If PIRS suppliers enhance their systems to generate an electronic data file in the format needed by OSCAR then services can generate the data file from their PIRS system each reporting period and then upload the data file using the autoload function in OSCAR.

Enquiries on the Autoload specifications can made to the SCARF Helpdesk on:
Phone: 1800 085 268
scarfhelp@Menzies.edu.au

Data Management Plan

The SCARF team have developed a data management plan that describes in practical terms how the agency will comply with all relevant legislation and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Data Principles. It is a Funding Agreement requirement for sites to participate in the Evaluation and Outcomes Framework. The SCARF team enters into a signed Service Participation Agreement with each participating Healthy for Life Service.

If you are unable to access any of the attachments please email OATSIH Enquiries or phone: 02 6289 5291 Top of page

If you are having difficulty downloading the PDF document(s) please email healthyforlife@health.gov.au and we will arrange for an alternative format or a copy to be sent to you.

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