Centre for Health Services Development awarded $1.5mil grant

Aug 11, 2003

The University of Wollongong's Centre for Health Service Development (CHSD) has been recognised for the significant contribution it has made to the funding and delivery of health services in NSW over the past 10 years by winning a NSW Health Capacity Building Infrasture Grant.

Awarded by the NSW Health Department, the grant is valued at $1.5 million ($500,000 per year for three years).

Director of the CHSD Professor Kathy Eagar says the grant will further enable the Centre to maintain and extend its existing close working relationships with NSW Health and the NSW health system more broadly.

She said the funds received under the grant would be used to build the CHSD's capacity to interpret and use research and development to inform health policy and practice.

"This will include an increased focus on national and international collaboration, staff career development,and postgraduate student research My goal is that the CHSD continues to operate as a prestigious and exciting centre and continues to attract, retain and develop excellent health service researchers," Professor Eagar said.

The grant will allow CHSD to further improve its national and international reputation as a centre of excellence in: Casemix classification across settings; Health and community care financing; Care coordination and integration; Health care outcomes; Health service delivery and organisation, and Management decision-making.

The CHSD was established in 1993 to undertake a continuing program of active research into methods to improve the management and provision of health services with the goal of making a significant contribution to improving the funding and delivery of health services tin Australia.

Since its establishment, it has undertaken approximately 150 health services research, development and evaluation projects, ranging in size from $10,000 to $1.5 million. These have included designing funding models for a number of programs, better models of aged care, boarding house reform, rehabilitation services and hospital emergency departments.

Media please note: For interviews about the Centre for Health Service Development, the centre director, Professor Kathy Eagar will be available tomorrow (Tuesday 12 August) on (02) 4268 2827.

For more information, contact:

media@uow.edu.au
University of Wollongong
Ph: (02) 4221 5942; fax (02) 4221 3128