Influencing population health performance: introduction of standards for area health services in New South Wales

Jeannine Liddle; David Lyle; Margaret Lesjak; Andrew Milat; Emma Webster; Thérèse Jones

doi:10.1071/NB07016

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Influencing population health performance: introduction of standards for area health services in New South Wales

Jeannine Liddle ^A ^B ^F , David Lyle ^A ^C , Margaret Lesjak ^A ^D , Andrew Milat ^A ^E , Emma Webster ^A ^B and Thérèse Jones ^A ^B

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A Greater Western Area Health Service Population Health Standards Evaluation Group.

^B Population Health, Planning and Performance, Greater Western Area Health Service.

^C Broken Hill University Department of Rural Health, University of Sydney.

^D Broken Hill Centre for Remote Health Research – Joint Initiative of the University of Sydney and Greater Western Area Health Service.

^E Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Advancement, NSW Department of Health.

^F Corresponding author: jeannine.liddle@gwahs.health.nsw.gov.au

NSW Public Health Bulletin 18(2) 17-21 https://doi.org/10.1071/NB07016
Published: 11 May 2007

Abstract

Standards are a yardstick against which performance can be assessed and improved. Standards are well established in healthcare settings; however, population health standards have only recently been developed for area health services in NSW. This paper describes international and Australian population health standards, and presents the results of a pilot evaluation of the NSW Population Health Standards for Area Health Services against the Greater Western Area Health Service performance requirements. The findings revealed that the standards relating to the work of specialist population health staff feature in performance requirements; however the standards requiring the contribution of other health service staff do not. Population health standards have the potential to guide the health system towards population health goals.

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to acknowledge Ross O’Donoughue and the members of the original working group who developed the Population Health Standards for Area Health Services: Peter Sainsbury, Jeanette Ward, Mark Ferson and Sarah Thackway.

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