In 2007 five Māori health providers received one-off Ministry funding to purchase their capital requirements to deliver oral health services (the Project). Four providers built Mobile Dental Units and one provider developed a two-chair static clinic. The providers then signed contracts with DHBs for the support and delivery of new oral health services and/or to maintain or expand their existing oral health services. Overall, providers’ well-developed oral health business cases, combined with Ministry support, funding and leverage, provided the mechanisms for DHB engagement with and support for Māori oral health service provision by Māori health providers. The Project therefore enhanced the position of the Māori health providers to deliver oral health services within their communities, and DHB understanding of Māori health provider capabilities and capacity.
Purpose
The aims of the evaluation were to assess the extent that the Project was aligned to capacity and capability development literature and ‘good’ practice the provision of one-off funding impacted on the capacity and capability of the Providers to develop and/or establish appropriate oral health services the relationships between the Ministry, Project Providers and their respective DHBs improved as a result of the Project there is sufficient evidence that overall, this kind of initiative should be repeated.
Methodology
The evaluation employed a mixed method approach to address the evaluation aims and objectives. The methods employed in this evaluation were: a literature review, development of intervention (project) logic, document review, two phases of key informant interviews, a relationships survey and a one day workshop involving all five providers, the evaluation team and Ministry representatives.
The literature review and intervention logic informed the development of a capacity and capability framework, adapting work of Baser and Morgan (2008).
Five core capabilities are identified by Baser and Morgan (2008) as essential to capacity development; the capability to:
- commit and engage
- carry out technical, service delivery and logistical tasks;
- relate and attract;
- balance diversity and coherence; and
- adapt and self renew.
This framework was used to assess the Project relative to the evaluation aims.