March 25, 2025Northern Health is leading the way in transforming healthcare through the implementation of Value-Based Healthcare (VBHC) across the organisation.
This strategic shift reflects Northern Health’s commitment to delivering high-quality, person-centred care that prioritises the outcomes that matter most to our patients and community. A key focus of this approach is the Outcomes for Impact program, led by the Clinical Leadership, Effectiveness and Outcomes (CLEO) team.
Aligned with Northern Health’s new Strategic Plan, which emphasises innovation, digital transformation, and a focus on community needs, this initiative supports sustainable and impactful healthcare delivery in a rapidly evolving landscape.
This program is being rolled out across Northern Health and provides a clear, practical strategy for transforming care delivery, centred on three key principles:
- Measure what matters – Working together with patients and the community to identify and capture the health outcomes that matter most to them.
- Use what matters – Developing the skills, capabilities, and technologies that enable our staff, including non-clinical team, to translate data into meaningful action.
- Do what matters – Implementing, evaluating, and redesigning models of care using data and evidence to maximise impact on health outcomes.
By embedding these principles into practice, the Outcomes for Impact strategy will help Northern Health achieve its organisational vision: Creating a healthier future by working together, innovating and delivering great care.
To operationalise this approach, Outcomes for Impact workshops have been rolled out across Northern Health, with the first 2025 session successfully completed in February. Facilitated by the CLEO Team, these workshops empower clinicians and staff with the knowledge, skills, and tools to integrate VBHC principles and digital transformation into everyday practice and project design.
Workshop sessions are tailored for clinical, non-clinical, and advanced-level staff, ensuring relevance and accessibility for diverse teams. The workshops cover key topics such as:
- Defining and measuring person-centred outcomes
- Leveraging digital health tools to deliver improved health equity and accessibility
- Effectively managing change through data-driven decision-making
With a strong focus on partnering with consumers through co-design, lived experience groups, and shared decision-making, the program ensures Northern Health teams are empowered to create sustainable, impactful healthcare solutions.
Nicky Tully, Clinical Coordinator, Community Therapy Service, shared her experience, “The workshops are extremely well facilitated and the information presented was thought provoking. The workshop challenges traditional models of care and looking at value-based healthcare. I found myself questioning how and why we do the things we do. I have recommended the workshop to many of our community teams who are always looking at ways of doing things in more efficient ways and how technology can assist with delivery care. At this point in time, we still require the traditional ways to deliver care, but we now have opportunities to look at new and innovative ways to deliver it.”
By equipping teams with the ability to collect, analyse, and apply data effectively, Northern Health ensures that models of care are continuously refined and optimised to enhance patient outcomes and service delivery.
Debra Bourne, Chief Executive of Northern Health says, “I am really excited to see the progression of the work the CLEO team are doing around integrating Value-Based Healthcare into what we do every day at Northern Health. Not only does this align with our new Strategic Plan and direction to collaborate to deliver safe and effective care, but it also focuses on what truly matters to our patients and consumers.”
By embedding the Measure, Use, Do What Matters framework into everyday practice, Outcomes for Impact is shaping the future of healthcare at Northern Health, where care is driven by what truly matters to our patients and community.
