Expression of InterestINWPCP Organisational Health Literacy Project

Issue Date: Thursday 31 March 2016

Submission Due Date: Monday 18 April 2016

Lodgement: Please complete and return your EOI Application Form to:

Decision: Applicants will be notified of the outcome of the Expression of Interest process by Wednesday 4 May 2016

Contact:

Anita Trezona

Health Literacy Project Coordinator

E:

Ph: 03 9389 2279

Attachments:

EOI Application Form

Background:

Health literacy is widely acknowledged as an important public health issue, both in Australia and internationally. Health literacy refers to the characteristics and social resources needed for people to access, understand and use information to make decisions about their health, and the ability to communicate, assert and enact these decisions (Dodson et al. 2015).

It is now also acknowledged that health systems and services are often structured in ways that make it difficult for people to access and navigate information and support. As a result, there is an increasing emphasis on research and interventions that promote health system improvements and organisational responsiveness to the health literacy needs of consumers. Health literacy responsiveness describes the way in which services, environments and health resources make health information and support available and accessible to people with different health literacy strengths and limitations(Dodson et al. 2015).

Health literacy is a strategic priority for the Inner North West PCP, and weare currently implementing a project in partnership with Deakin University that will pilot the Organisational Health Literacy Responsiveness Self-Assessment Tool.

The self-assessment tool has been developed as part of the Building Organisational Health Literacy Responsiveness Project, a PhD study led by Anita Trezona at Deakin University. The tool has been developed following extensive consultations with over 200 professionals working in the health and social services sectors across Victoria and Australia.

It is comprised of the following seven impact areas:

1.Policy and funding mandate

2.Leadership and culture

3.Systems, policies and processes

4.Access to services and programs

5.Community engagement and partnerships

6.Communication with consumers

7.Workforce

Through the implementation of this project, in partnership with organisations in the inner north west catchment, we will bei) contributing to the evidence base on organisational health literacy responsiveness, ii) contributing to the evaluation of a new tool that will have national and international reach and utility, and iii) assessing and strengthening the health literacy responsiveness of organisations in the catchment.

Project Aim:

To pilot the organisational health literacy responsiveness self-assessment tool with partner organisations across the Inner North West PCP catchment.

Project Objectives:

  1. Evaluate the usefulness and usability of the self-assessment tool, and inform improvements to the tool as required.
  2. Support partner organisations with an assessment of theirhealth literacy responsiveness, and determine their strengths and limitations.
  3. Support partner organisations with the development of health literacy actions plans, based on the results of the self-assessment.

Project Outcomes:

1.Organisations have a shared understanding of health literacy responsiveness and a commitment to addressing the health literacy needs of their clients and communities.

2.Organisations have an awareness of their health literacy responsiveness, including thestrengths and limitations in their health literacy practice.

3.Organisations have increased capacity for undertaking organisational health literacy assessments and planning health literacy service/system improvements.

4.Organisations apply a consistent approach to organisational health literacy assessment by using evidence based health literacy tools and resources.

Eligibility criteria:

To be eligible to participate in the project and implement pilot activities within your organisation, you must meet the following criteria:

  • You are a member of the Inner North West PCP
  • Health literacy is a strategic priority, as demonstrated in one or more organisational plans
  • You have the authorisation and support of your executive to undertake the self-assessment, and participate in all aspects of project implementation and evaluation
  • You have a dedicated contact person who can liaise with the INWPCP Health Literacy Project Coordinator to support project implementation
  • You are willing to sign a consent form outlining your commitment to participating in the evaluation, and sharing the results of your self-assessment with the INWPCP and Deakin University

Requirements of participation:

Pilot activities will be undertaken between June and August 2016, and it is anticipated that the self-assessment will take approximately six weeks to complete. Participation in pilot activities will involve:

  • Project set up meeting with the INPWPC Health Literacy Coordinator (1-2 hours)
  • 2-3 workshops with small groups/teams of staff (6-9 hours in total)
  • Development of a health literacy action plan (optional)
  • Evaluation focus groups/interviews (2-3 hours, depending on the number of staff)

There will be two options for participating in this project:

Option One: Intensive Support

Up to four organisations will be provided with intensive support to undertake the self-assessment. The INWPCP Health Literacy Project Coordinator will be available to facilitate the self-assessment workshops, assist with the interpretation of results, and support with the development of health literacy action plans.

Option Two: Advisory Support

Up to six organisations will be provided with advisory support to undertake the self-assessment. The INWPCP Health Literacy Project Coordinator will be available to provide advice on how to administer the tool, how to conduct the workshops and how to interpret the results of the self-assessment.

Organisations who participate in Option One and Option Two will be required to participate in an evaluation of pilot activities, as well as provide the results of their assessment to the INWPCP and Deakin University, for inclusion in the project evaluation report and academic publications associated with the project.

Decision making process:

The assessment panel will be made up of the INWPCP Executive Officer, the INWPCP Health Literacy Project Coordinator, and a member of the Health Systems Improvement Unit and Deakin University.

Applications will be assessed based on the eligibility criteria outlined above, and the demonstrated capacity of organisations to fulfil all requirements of the project.

The project seeks to include organisations from a range of sectors, which will be taken into consideration when determining the four organisations that receive intensive support.

Organisations that are not selected for Option One will be offered an opportunity to participate in Option Two (providing all eligibility criteria are met).

All applicants will be advised of the outcomes of the selection process by Wednesday 4 May 2016.

Reference

Dodson S, Good S, Osborne RH. Health literacy toolkit for low and middle-income countries: a series of information sheets to empower communities and strengthen health systems. New Delhi: World Health Organization, Regional Office for South-East Asia, 2015.

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