Journal Article (Australian)
Published: 14 Jan 2025
Brief Summary:
Acceptability, Feasibility, and Preliminary Effectiveness of a Wellbeing Coordination Program in an Integrated Health and Social Care Hub: A Mixed Methods Study
This program combined care navigation and social prescribing within an integrated health and social care Child and Family Hub
What is the aim?
This study evaluated the acceptability, feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of a Wellbeing Coordination (WBC) program to improve access to services.
Results/Outcomes:
Our findings suggest that the WBC program is generally acceptable, feasible, and has the potential to alleviate caregivers’ loneliness and enhance their global health, connection to the community, and knowledge and confidence in managing their child and family health and wellbeing. One potential enhancement for the future of the WBC program is the recognition of adequate and ongoing funding to support the development, implementation and evaluation of the wellbeing coordinator role, ensuring that the WBC program is a pivotal and clear inclusion within a Hub and securing its sustainability as a key component. Other future improvements encompass establishing effective communication strategies for the WBC program to facilitate appropriate referrals by practitioners and enhance self-referral by caregivers, implementing support mechanisms for wellbeing coordinators to reduce the likelihood of burnout, and developing a tiered WBC program to meet the needs of the communities served by the Hub.