scholarly journals Health Needs Assessment: Impact on Planning and Purchasing in the Public Health Sector in New Zealand

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Gregor David Coster
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Needs Assessment ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Document Analysis ◽  
Health Needs ◽  
Health Needs Assessment ◽  
The Public ◽  
Strategic Plans ◽  
The Impact

<p>Health needs assessment (HNA) is one of the features of the New Zealand health system established by the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000. District Health Boards (DHBs) are to conduct HNAs, and planning of health services is intended to take into account the health needs of the population. Key questions for research relate to the impact of HNA on DHB planning and purchasing in a political/bureaucratic model of governance. This research was undertaken within a public policy framework that focused on evaluating the reforms against policy goals and expectations, and particularly against the influences that might be predicted from the HNA and prioritisation policy. Consideration was given to the range and effectiveness of past HNAs as well as the expectations and experiences of the DHB model in regard to HNA. Document analysis and 34 interviews were conducted regarding 50 HNAs conducted in the public health sector from 1991-2000 to assess their impact on service delivery, decision-making, and policy. Document analysis was undertaken on DHB HNAs, prioritisation frameworks, board priorities, District Strategic Plans, and District Annual Plans for each of 20 DHBs. Planning and Funding managers were interviewed using semi-structured interview techniques to ascertain their experiences and views regarding the use of HNAs in planning. Grounded theory approaches were mainly used for the interview analysis. Case studies of five DHBs provided an in-depth understanding of the connections between health needs assessment, prioritisation, District Strategic Plans and District Annual Plans. Collection of contextual data provided an understanding of the influence of other policy decisions made locally or nationally. Using triangulation, conclusions were drawn regarding the effectiveness and impact of HNA and prioritisation on planning and health service purchasing by DHBs. The implications for public policy were then considered. Recent needs assessments conducted by DHBs mostly met the minimum requirements of the Ministry of Health, but the quality was variable. DHB Planning and Funding Managers were unanimously positive regarding the usefulness of HNAs, and felt that there were good connections between them and the planning process (Connection Score). However, the impact of HNAs on planning and purchasing measured using document analysis (Impact Factor) was lower than expected. A number of barriers to effective use were identified. More focused HNA by DHBs is recommended with the use of mixed scanning approaches and service development groups directed towards specific service planning areas. Recommendations are made regarding future policy for HNA and prioritisation.</p>

scholarly journals Health Needs Assessment: Impact on Planning and Purchasing in the Public Health Sector in New Zealand

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Gregor David Coster
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Needs Assessment ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Document Analysis ◽  
Health Needs ◽  
Health Needs Assessment ◽  
The Public ◽  
Strategic Plans ◽  
The Impact

<p>Health needs assessment (HNA) is one of the features of the New Zealand health system established by the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000. District Health Boards (DHBs) are to conduct HNAs, and planning of health services is intended to take into account the health needs of the population. Key questions for research relate to the impact of HNA on DHB planning and purchasing in a political/bureaucratic model of governance. This research was undertaken within a public policy framework that focused on evaluating the reforms against policy goals and expectations, and particularly against the influences that might be predicted from the HNA and prioritisation policy. Consideration was given to the range and effectiveness of past HNAs as well as the expectations and experiences of the DHB model in regard to HNA. Document analysis and 34 interviews were conducted regarding 50 HNAs conducted in the public health sector from 1991-2000 to assess their impact on service delivery, decision-making, and policy. Document analysis was undertaken on DHB HNAs, prioritisation frameworks, board priorities, District Strategic Plans, and District Annual Plans for each of 20 DHBs. Planning and Funding managers were interviewed using semi-structured interview techniques to ascertain their experiences and views regarding the use of HNAs in planning. Grounded theory approaches were mainly used for the interview analysis. Case studies of five DHBs provided an in-depth understanding of the connections between health needs assessment, prioritisation, District Strategic Plans and District Annual Plans. Collection of contextual data provided an understanding of the influence of other policy decisions made locally or nationally. Using triangulation, conclusions were drawn regarding the effectiveness and impact of HNA and prioritisation on planning and health service purchasing by DHBs. The implications for public policy were then considered. Recent needs assessments conducted by DHBs mostly met the minimum requirements of the Ministry of Health, but the quality was variable. DHB Planning and Funding Managers were unanimously positive regarding the usefulness of HNAs, and felt that there were good connections between them and the planning process (Connection Score). However, the impact of HNAs on planning and purchasing measured using document analysis (Impact Factor) was lower than expected. A number of barriers to effective use were identified. More focused HNA by DHBs is recommended with the use of mixed scanning approaches and service development groups directed towards specific service planning areas. Recommendations are made regarding future policy for HNA and prioritisation.</p>

scholarly journals Green Deal as a Climate Changes Dam on the Road to Health

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
M Jevtic ◽  
C Bouland
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Climate Change ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Clinical Medicine ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Road ◽  
National Public Health ◽  
On The Road ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Public health professionals (PHP) have a dual task in climate change. They should persuade their colleagues in clinical medicine of the importance of all the issues covered by the GD. The fact that the health sector contributes to the overall emissions of 4.4% speaks to the lack of awareness within the health sector itself. The issue of providing adequate infrastructure for the health sector is essential. Strengthening the opportunities and development of the circular economy within healthcare is more than just a current issue. The second task of PHP is targeting the broader population. The public health mission is being implemented, inter alia, through numerous activities related to environmental monitoring and assessment of the impact on health. GD should be a roadmap for priorities and actions in public health, bearing in mind: an ambitious goal of climate neutrality, an insistence on clean, affordable and safe energy, a strategy for a clean and circular economy. GD provides a framework for the development of sustainable and smart transport, the development of green agriculture and policies from field to table. It also insists on biodiversity conservation and protection actions. The pursuit of zero pollution and an environment free of toxic chemicals, as well as incorporating sustainability into all policies, is also an indispensable part of GD. GD represents a leadership step in the global framework towards a healthier future and comprises all the non-EU members as well. The public health sector should consider the GD as an argument for achieving goals at national levels, and align national public health policies with the goals of this document. There is a need for stronger advocacy of health and public-health interests along with incorporating sustainability into all policies. Achieving goals requires the education process for healthcare professionals covering all of topics of climate change, energy and air pollution to a much greater extent than before.

Assessing health needs

2020 ◽  
pp. 42-53
Author(s):  
Andrew O’Shaughnessy ◽  
John Wright ◽  
Ben Cave
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Professional ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Service Planning ◽  
Health Needs ◽  
Health Needs Assessment ◽  
Healthcare Needs ◽  
Health Agencies

HNA (health needs assessment) is a systematic method of identifying the unmet health and healthcare needs of a population and recommending changes to meet these unmet needs. It is used to improve health and other service planning, priority setting, and policy development. HNA is an example of public health working outside the formal health sector and presenting back to colleagues. Successful HNAs will also ensure that non-health agencies benefit from their findings. This chapter will describe why HNA is important and what it means in practice. Professional training and clinical experience teach that a health professional must systematically assess a patient before administering any treatment that is believed to be effective. This systematic approach is often omitted when assessing the health needs of populations

scholarly journals Health needs assessment: Whose priorities? Listening to users and the public

BMJ ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 316 (7145) ◽  
pp. 1668-1670 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Jordan ◽  
T. Dowswell ◽  
S. Harrison ◽  
R. J Lilford ◽  
M. Mort
Keyword(s):  
Needs Assessment ◽  
Health Needs ◽  
Health Needs Assessment ◽  
The Public

Lessons for commissioning and health outcomes from Her Majesty’s Prison Birmingham

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 224-227
Author(s):  
Jan Cassidy ◽  
Woody Caan
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Needs Assessment ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Health Needs ◽  
Health Needs Assessment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Prison Health

Purpose This study of HMP Birmingham was part of a much larger investigation of health needs assessment (HNA), in the context of a new “HNA Toolkit” developed by Public Health England for use in the prison service. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach In 2015, details of prison healthcare in HMP Birmingham had figured in the authors’ analysis of documents. In 2018, a crisis in Birmingham typified problems developing more widely in England and Wales. Was the crisis predictable from the initial HNA? Findings Recommendations embodied in the 2015 HNA were not acted upon; the eventual problems that combined to overwhelm the running of HMP Birmingham were predictable. Originality/value Lessons from this case study could inform more coherent commissioning of prison health services. This in turn could promote timely developments for improved health and morale in the prison, amongst prisoners and staff. Longer term, this might help to avoid future crises.

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