Project Description

To learn more about what works and what benefits can result from integrating maternal and child health services, the Ministry of Health (MoH) funded the evaluation of demonstration pilots of integrated services at three District Health Boards (DHBs).

The evaluation sat alongside the pilots and informed the MoH and the integration pilot working groups on how to create a seamless system of care to improve the consumer experience, access, and health outcomes with regard to maternal and child health services. Our collaborative evaluation approach ensured we considered the individual aims of each pilot and the community and provider context in which they were developed.

The logic model developed for the evaluation provided a sound theoretical framework which was used to align the activities of the three sites. Key elements of integration were developed from a review of the literature and provided a basis for the evaluation.

Information to inform the evaluation was collected from stakeholder interviews, surveys of providers, analysis of integration activities, interviews and focus groups with consumers.
Regular reporting – formative evaluation report, process evaluation reports, summative evaluation report – and workshops assisted the Ministry and DHB teams to implement the projects.

Learnings and recommendations from the evaluation helped inform the MoH and DHB teams to deliver high quality integration pilots. The evaluation highlighted learnings and provided useable recommendations throughout the pilots in all areas, including governance, management, utilising the consumer voice, systems for integration, inter-provider relationships, communication, workforce development, quality improvement and new integrated service models.

For more detail on this evaluation the final report is available at: https://www.health.govt.nz/publication/integrated-maternity-and-child-health-services-outcomes-evaluation-report