A new study led by a team from Metro South Health has established a tool to evaluate the impact of consumer partnerships on health service governance.
The study explores a way to quantify the effectiveness of involving consumer partners on National Safety and Quality in Health Service (NSQHS) Standard Committees. The project, led by Rae Parker and co-produced with a diverse Metro South Health team including Dr Jodie Nixon, Dr Faiza El-Higzi, Melanie Lynch and Dr Ruth Cox, is the first of its kind.
“This research is important because it helps us build an evidence base for consumer partnerships, a relatively new but vital area in healthcare governance,” said Dr Jodie Nixon, Manager of Consumer Partnering.
Jodie explained that consumer partners are a recent innovation to health service planning that adds complexity and nuance through the sharing of their lived experiences.
“It shows that when staff and consumer partners work together, we achieve more diverse, inclusive and person-centred outcomes.”
The findings highlight that consumer involvement is having a positive impact on committee work, and the new evaluation tool gives other health services a practical framework to assess their own partnerships.
“This research will help us celebrate what’s working well and identify areas for growth,” Jodie said.
“Stronger committee partnerships can lead to more equitable and person-centred health service planning, design and evaluation.”
The team is focused on applying the evaluation tool across all NSQHS committees over the next two months.
Jodie, Rae, Ruth, Melaine and Faiza thanked Metro South Health’s Clinical Governance, Risk and Legal team and the QEII Allied Health Team for their in-kind support and acknowledged the culture of collaboration that made the research possible.
“This project was only possible because of the incredibly positive culture of partnering with consumers at Metro South Health,” she said.
“We’re proud to have created something that will benefit not just our service, but the broader health system.”
The research is part of the MSH Consumer and Community Engagement Strategy 2023–2026, reinforcing Metro South’s commitment to elevating the voice of the community in healthcare decisions.