Table 1 Partnership types and participants
Site A | Site B | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Network type | Interagency network of one Aboriginal Medical Service and three mainstream health service organisations. | Hub-and-spoke service model with a travelling clinic for four Aboriginal communities; clinics coordinated from the regional hub. | ||
Partnership origin | Joint development by the Aboriginal Medical Service and mainstream area health service in 2003 in response to State Government funding. | Started in 2004 under a State Primary Health Care Initiatives grant focused on collaboration between agencies that provide services to local Aboriginal communities. | ||
Governance processes (before the research project) | Partnership formalised through a memorandum of understanding. | Management centred on a clinic coordinator and an earlier clinic management committee that had ceased to meet. | ||
Governance structures comprise: (1) a management committee of service managers and a representative from the local Aboriginal Health Advisory Council; and (2) a committee of service providers drawn from the partners who developed the service operations. Both committees have terms of reference. | No written agreement between the partners. | |||
No partnership meeting or review processes in place. | ||||
Dedicated partnership staff | Partnership program manager and a part-time project officer employed by the mainstream area health service. | A clinic coordinator employed by the mainstream area health service. | ||
Staff in the network | Aboriginal health workers, mainstream mental health service providers and service managers; employed in either one of the four organisations. | Aboriginal health workers and health education officers, medical officers, nurses and allied health clinic staff, and service managers; employed by the Aboriginal Medical Service, the mainstream area health service or as private practitioners. | ||
Survey and focus group participants | Identified (21) | Surveyed (20) | Identified (29) | Surveyed (22) |
· 5 Aboriginal | · 4 Aboriginal | · 10 Aboriginal | · 5 Aboriginal | |
· 16 non-Aboriginal | · 16 non-Aboriginal | · 19 non-Aboriginal | · 17 non-Aboriginal | |
Focus groups (9) | ||||
· 9 Aboriginal | ||||
Key informants | Identified (13) | Interviewed (11) | Identified (10) | Interviewed (8) |
· 6 Aboriginal | · 4 Aboriginal | · 6 Aboriginal | · 5 Aboriginal | |
· 7 non-Aboriginal | · 7 non-Aboriginal | · 4 non-Aboriginal | · 3 non-Aboriginal | |