aes19 International Evaluation Conference

Liz Norsa (Western Sydney University), Nathan Jones (Aboriginal Health Unit SWSLHD), Karen Beetson (Aboriginal Health Unit SWSLHD), An  Speizer (Aboriginal Health Unit SWSLHD), Raylene Blackburn (Camden & Campbelltown Hospitals SWSLHD), Ilse Blign lt (School of Medicine Western Sydney University)

Aboriginal people with chronic conditions are more likely to leave hospital with incomplete transfer of care arrangements and more likely to be readmitted after a recent hospitalisation. The Aboriginal Transfer of Care (ATOC) Program at South Western Sydney Local Health District (SWSLHD), in which Aboriginal Liaison Officers and Transfer of Care nurses work as team to deliver a holistic patient-centred model of care, was designed to address this problem by ensuring consideration of an Aboriginal patient’s medical, cultural and psychosocial needs. Promising early results led to a formal evaluation funded by NSW Health under its Translational Research Grant Scheme. SWSLHD, Western Sydney University and the Ministry of Health are partners in this mixed-methods evaluation. The qualitative evaluation component aimed to: document the program model, describe what is ‘successful’ transfer of care for patients, their families and service providers, and identify opportunities for program enhancement and extension. The evaluation employed participatory methods, which involved over 40 interviews, participant observation and workshops at two hospitals. SWSLHD and the university members of the evaluation team brought insider and outsider perspectives: Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal; service manager or provider, and evaluator. This short presentation describes how the evaluation approach and ways of working were shaped by these different perspectives.