PRIMARY HEALTH CARE RESEARCH, EVALUATION

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PRIMARY HEALTH CARE RESEARCH, EVALUATION
DEVELOPMENT (PHC RED) STRATEGY

• Susan Elliott
• Director
• Collaboratives Research Section
• Primary Care Division
• Department of Health and Ageing

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Introduction

• Future Directions
• PHC RED components NSW
• 2005 opportunities

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Future Directions

• PHC RED Evaluation
• Broader context

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PHC RED Evaluation

• Began November 2004
• Due to be completed by March 2005
• Evaluation will
• Determine the effectiveness, efficiency and
  appropriateness of the Strategy and its
  individual components
• Consider the possible future of the Strategy

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PHC RED Evaluation

• What is the pipeline effect of funding?
• - What are the components and time?

Capacity building Research Implementation
of findings
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Next stage of Knowledge and Innovation
Reforms (DEST)

• National Collaborative Research Infrastructure
  Strategy
• link to national research priorities
• greater collaboration
• Quality and Accessibility Frameworks for Publicly
  Funded Research
• Revision of grant guidelines

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National Health and Medical Research Council

• Minister Abbott launched the Investment Review
  of Health and Medical Research
• Check on progress towards the creation of a
  virtuous cycle as identified and recommended by
  the 1998 Wills Review
• Implementation taskforce being established

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• Build on the Wills Review to accelerate and
  sustain the Virtuous Cycle for a healthy,
  competitive Australia
• Research, Industry and Government

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• Improve impact of research influencing policy and
  practice
• Involves both top down and bottom up initiated
  research

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Investment Review of Health and Medical
Research (contd)

• Refine NHMRC Investment Mechanisms
• Six broad types of investment
• Project Grants
• Program Grants
• Fellowships
• Strategic Research
• Industry Awards
• Other

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Other health reforms

• Australian Primary Care Collaboratives Program
• Potential example of large scale implementation
  of evidence and local knowledge regarding
  implementation

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PHC RED Goals

• To embed a research culture in Australian general
  practice specifically and primary health care
  more generally
• 50m over five years
• Four components

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Four PHC RED components

• Research priority setting
• Research Capacity Building Initiative (RCBI)
• Awards and Grants (through NHMRC)
• The Australian Primary Health Care Research
  Institute (APHCRI)

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1. Research Priority Setting

• Seven thematic areas
• evidence based practice,
• quality of care,
• models of service delivery,
• integration,
• economic issues,
• health inequalities, and
• illness prevention and health promotion

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Recent Priority Setting Activity

• Priorities in Clinical General Practice
• Health Services Research Priorities- innovation
  in State/Commonwealth relationships- innovation
  in funding arrangements- innovation in
  organisation and linkages

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2. Research Capacity Building Initiative
(RCBI)

• Goal to
• gain an enhanced capacity to assist local primary
  health providers in developing high quality
  research and evaluation in ways that benefit the
  Australian community
• improve national capacity through cooperative
  work, sharing specialist expertise and supporting
  national policy initiatives

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Research Capacity Building Initiative (contd)

• activities include education, networks,
  fellowships/bursaries, mentoring, research and
  dissemination
• 22 University Departments of General Practice and
  Rural Health funded
• - 10 Dept of GP, 12 UDRHs
• - NSW 4 Depts of GP, 3 UDRHs

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Research Capacity Building Initiative (contd)

• 3 new NSW/ACT Depts involved in 2004 - ANU,
  Northern Rivers UDRH Tamworth UDRH
• Researcher Development Program - 20 Depts
  received funding 1 ACT, 6 NSW
• - out of 60 placements, 3 are in ACT and
  21 in NSW

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3. Grants and Awards (through NHMRC)

• 8 Scholarships 2 in NSW
• 2 Fellowships 0 in NSW
• 19 PHC investigator driven research grants funded
  under PHC RED - 1 ACT, 6 NSW
• 28 PHC investigator driven research grants funded
  under NHMRC - 2 ACT, 10 NSW

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Grants and Awards (contd)

• Priority Driven Clinical Research Program 4m
• 24 EOIs invited to submit full applications
• 6 NSW applications

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4. The Australian Primary Health Care Research
Institute

• Provides national leadership in improving quality
  and effectiveness of primary health care through
  the conduct of high quality priority-driven
  research and the support and promotion of best
  practice
• Prof Nick Glasgow, ANU, is Director of APHCRI

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The Australian Primary Health Care Research
Institute (contd)

• Prof John Marley, University of Newcastle, Chair,
  APHCRI Research Advisory Board
• Prof Mark Harris, UNSW
• Ms Sally Hall, SE NSW Division of General Practice

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The Australian Primary Health Care Research
Institute (contd)

• Advertised Streams 1 and 2 funding rounds
• 6 grants awarded in Stream 1 - 1 NSW
• 10 grants awarded in Stream 2 - 1 ACT and 2
  NSW
• Stream 3 16 proposals received
• 1 ACT, 3 NSW

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NSW Achievements

• Well represented in all components of PHCRED
• Well developed Coordination mechanism working to
  State Strategic Plan
• Avoided duplication, maintained equity, developed
  strong collaboration between Depts
• Depts have built to own strengths and to suit
  local environment
• PHRENet
• Relatively stable, committed workforce
• Identified training needs for researchers
• Some good examples of working activities

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Whats next 2005 opportunities

• Evaluation results?
• Trial ideas e.g.Visiting fellowships?
• Nationally looking at enhancing coordination, can
  NSW build on its strength?
• Supporting new Depts ?
• Inter-relationships between PHCRED components?