Primary Care Impact Grants Evaluation

The Primary Care Impact Grants Program was established to support innovative, locally designed approaches to chronic disease prevention and multidisciplinary team-based care across the North Coast. While the grants program has funded a wide range of projects, Healthy North Coast identified a need to understand which approaches have been most effective, what outcomes have been achieved, and how future commissioning can be improved. The evaluation addresses this need by examining the design, implementation, outcomes and impacts of the grants program and identifying lessons that can strengthen future investment in primary care and community health initiatives.

The program uses an independent evaluation approach to assess the effectiveness of the Primary Care Impact Grants Program. The evaluation examines both the Chronic Disease Prevention Grants and Multidisciplinary Team Care Grants streams, reviewing how grants were designed, awarded and implemented, and the outcomes achieved by funded projects. Particular emphasis is placed on understanding the effectiveness of Healthy North Coast’s small-grant, locally driven commissioning model and comparing it with more centralised commissioning approaches used elsewhere. The evaluation uses evidence from program data, stakeholder engagement and funded projects to inform future decision-making and continuous improvement.

The evaluation is designed to incorporate perspectives from funded providers, primary care professionals, stakeholders and communities involved in the grants program. It seeks to understand the experiences of organisations delivering funded initiatives and identify the factors that contributed to success, challenges or unintended outcomes. The evaluation also includes a strong focus on cultural safety, inclusive engagement and respectful consultation with Aboriginal organisations and diverse communities. Input from internal stakeholders also informed the evaluation design and procurement process

Key activities of the evaluation include:

• – Assessing the design, assessment and funding processes used within the Primary Care Impact Grants Program.
• – Evaluating the outcomes and impacts of funded Chronic Disease Prevention and Multidisciplinary Team Care projects.
• – Examining how locally designed grant-funded initiatives contributed to health outcomes and service improvements.
• – Comparing Healthy North Coast’s small-grant commissioning approach with alternative PHN commissioning models.
• – Identifying factors influencing project success, challenges and variation in outcomes.
• – Developing recommendations to improve future grant rounds, commissioning strategies and program design.

The evaluation aims to provide a clear understanding of the effectiveness, outcomes and value of the Primary Care Impact Grants Program. It seeks to identify what worked well, what could be improved and how future grant programs can maximise impact for communities and primary care providers. The findings will support continuous quality improvement, strengthen future commissioning decisions and help determine when and how flexible, locally driven grant models should be expanded, refined or complemented by other approaches. Ultimately, the evaluation aims to improve the effectiveness of future investments in chronic disease prevention, multidisciplinary care and primary care innovation.