Research Evaluation Consultancy (REC) Ltd Funder: Ministry of Health Timeframe: 2008-10 Evaluation of the Māori Oral Health Providers project, Ministry of Health (published 2011)The Māori Oral Health Providers project was a project to enhance the capacity and capability of Māori oral health providers to deliver oral health services in their communities. This project was evaluated by a team of evaluators coordinated by Research Evaluation Consultancy Ltd. The team was Nan Wehipeihana, Judy Oakden, Kellie Spee, Fiona Cram, Kataraina Pipi and Lauri Porima. The full report can be accessed here.
The aims of the evaluation were to assess the extent that:
Conclusion: The specific aim of the Project was to enhance the position of these Providers to deliver oral health services in their communities consistent with the strategic vision for oral health (MoH, 2006a). It also aimed to strengthen Provider and DHB relationships and to raise the profile of Māori oral health providers as key contributors to the oral health needs of Māori and their communities. In summary, as a result of the Project:
There is a need to further investigate claims that Māori presenting with high levels of oral health needs, impact on service quality, delivery and costs. Despite the challenges of this Project, Providers would recommend to other Māori oral health providers to participate in a similar project This report identified possible efficiency gains which could be made in the future around Project implementation, bringing Providers and possibly DHBs together at critical stages of the project. However, the evaluation concluded that continued Ministry involvement is required to ensure an increased focus by DHBs on Māori oral health and to achieve greater presence of Māori oral health provider service delivery. A presentation at the 2012 AES Conference, 'Quizzing purposeful Relationships', discusses the relationship questionnaire used in this evaluation. Future Directions for a Māori Dental Therapy Workforce, Ministry of Health (published 2010)The Future Directions for a Māori Dental Therapy Workforce project was undertaken by Fiona Cram, Judy Oakden and Nan Wehipeihana under the auspices of Research Evaluation Consultancy Ltd.
The aim of the present project was to collate information on the status of the Māori dental therapy workforce, and analyse the needs of the Māori dental therapist workforce over the next eight years. The paper examines the current and future needs of the Māori dental therapy workforce in terms of the oral health service requirements of Māori and the supply of Māori dental therapists. These were considered within the context of a Māori 0–17-year-old population which is projected to grow by 13.7 percent to just under 300,000 by 2018 (or 21.2% of the young people in this age group). If nothing else changes, this growth in population alone can be expected to place heavier demands on dental therapy services in the next eight years. The premise underlying the analysis of the supply of Māori dental therapists is that every Māori child and young person (aged 0–17 years) should receive optimal oral health services. Four scenarios were explored for the provision of these services.
The full report can be accessed here. Also see a related project on the Māori medical workforce here. |
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