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Description
  
  
  
  
  
ArchivedHSS (Strengthening)11.0
The ‘Programmatic implementation and technical assistance (TA) for HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis (TB) prevention, care and treatment services throughout the health system in South Africa’ (SA SURE Plus) project strengthens and supports local capacity to provide sustainable HIV and TB-related care and treatment service delivery in South Africa through technical assistance (training, mentoring, coaching) and seconded direct service delivery.The ‘Plus’ at the end of the project name denotes the changed focus linked to the second round of funding.

Currently, the project focuses at all levels of the health system – provincial, district, facility and community – to support Department of Health (DoH) facilities in four PEPFAR focus districts in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Province: eThekwini, uMgungundlovu, uThukela, and Zululand.
https://www.hst.org.za/projects/Projects%20Details/SA%20SURE%20Plus%20'one-pager'_1%20April%202021.docx2022-05-13 12:00 AMNo
  
CurrentHST5.0
The ‘South Africa Sustainable Response to HIV/AIDS and TB’ (SA SURE Pro) project strengthens and supports local capacity to provide sustainable HIV and TB-related care and treatment service delivery in South Africa through technical assistance (training, mentoring, coaching) and supplemental support including direct service delivery.
South Africa Sustainable Response to HIV/AIDS (SA SURE) Plus projecthttps://www.hst.org.za/projects/Projects%20Details/SA%20SURE%20Pro%20'two-pager'_13%20May%202022.pdf2022-05-13 12:00 AMYes
  
CurrentHSR (Research)1.0
The TREATS project builds on the experience of ZAMSTAR and is nested within the ongoing HPTN 071 (PopART) trial in Zambia and South Africa (SA). This project will evaluate the effect of a combination TB/HIV prevention intervention implemented in the PopART trial to address the question of whether population level screening for tuberculosis, combined with universal testing and treatment (UTT) for HIV can significantly reduce the prevalence of TB and “End TB”. The overall aim of this project is to measure the impact of a combined TB/HIV intervention of population-level screening for TB, combined with universal testing and treatment (UTT) for HIV, delivered over four years, on notified TB incidence, prevalence of TB disease and incidence of TB infection. For more information visit project website: https://treatsproject.org/
2021-05-05 12:00 AMNo
  
CurrentHSR (Research)2.0
The South African Health Review (SAHR), an annual publication of HST since 1995, provides a South African perspective on prevailing local and international public health issues. It has rapidly become a flagship product that is widely read, used and quoted as an authoritative reference work in South Africa and abroad. It provides a combination of detailed information on health status and care, coupled with in-depth analysis of policies and practices affecting the provision of health services, as well as insight into the degree of success that has been achieved in policy implementation.
2021-05-05 12:00 AMNo
  
CurrentHSR (Research)2.0
Implementation of RoR scale-up began on 2 February 2015 in Lejweleputswa District, Free State Province. The aim of the project is to reduce the existing number of registers used in primary health care (PHC) facilities to a maximum of six standardised registers, namely:
• PHC Daily Tick Register plus Headcount Register
• TB Registers (for ETR.Net)
• ART Register (for TIER.Net)
• Delivery Register
• Theatre Register (for medical male circumcision [MMC] and TOPs)
• Midnight Census Register

The scale-up component of the RoR Project paved the way for full implementation of the six rationalised registers across the Free State, Eastern Cape, North West, Northern Cape, Mpumalanga and Limpopo Provinces; Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal will be involved in the scale-up once the finalisation of each of these provinces’ Provincial Indicator Data Set (PIDS) has been incorporated into the registers.



Monitoring the compliance of facilities in the use of the six rationalised registers is being conducted in Northern Cape Province. Ultimately, compliance monitoring will be implemented nationally.
2021-05-05 12:00 AMNo
  
CurrentHSR (Research)2.0
This project aims to develop a framework for District Health System management, clinical and support staffing. It includes the development of a standardised structure, job profiles and competency assessment tools – tailored to the local South African setting – for relevant district and sub-district staff.



This work builds on a previous study concluded by HST in 2013, Assessment of the General Management and Public Health Competencies of Facility and Other Sub-district Managers, which revealed gaps in leadership and management capacity-building in the country, as well as the need to refine competency assessment techniques and processes, and to extend this intervention to other categories of staff working within the District Health System.



The project will contribute to a strong evidence base underpinning the interventions that will subsequently be implemented to improve the level of competence of all levels of staff functioning with the District Health System.
2021-05-05 12:00 AMNo
  
CurrentHSR (Research)2.0
The Quality Improvement Co-ordination Project focuses on the provision of technical assistance for co-ordination and learning, enabling: the National Department of Health (NDoH) and the Office of Health Standards Compliance (OHSC) to conduct visits to the provinces; the co-ordination of meetings on behalf of the NDoH; the development of OHSC video material; and the documentation of relevant resources and good practices.



Health Systems Trust has documented and analysed the outcomes of a series of district and provincial workshops where QI and core standards work was discussed, and challenges and potential solutions identified. A workshop was held to review all activities conducted by the participant non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
2021-05-05 12:00 AMNo
  
CurrentHSR (Research)3.0
As part of the dialogue on improving public expenditure management and spending for results in South Africa, the World Bank is coordinating a public expenditure tracking survey and quantitative service delivery survey (PETS-QSDS) in the Gauteng Province for HIV and AIDS spending. The PETS component tracks the flow of finances from treasury to the final destination i.e. health facilities, highlighting the leakages, bottlenecks or diversion in finances. The QSDS component collects information (inputs, outputs, quality, incentives, challenges, etc.) to understand facility level performance and associated factors.



The aim of the study is to conduct the PETS-QSDS study in approximately 200 public primary health clinics and a number of public hospitals in Gauteng, including administrative levels within the supply chain of public health facilities. It is expected that the study will contribute to improving efficiencies in the use of public resources for health.
2021-05-05 12:00 AMNo
  
CurrentHSR (Research)2.0
Developed by HST in collaboration with the National Department of Health (NDoH), the National Health Research Database (NHRD) is a web-based tool for use by the National Health Research Committee (PHRC) to monitor and track health research being conducted in South Africa. In the last financial year (2014/15), HST consolidated refinements to the database and piloted it in three provinces, namely KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape and Free State. The official launch took place on 29 October 2015; since then, the database has been used nationally by the Provincial Health Research Committees.



Through ongoing funding in the 2015/16 financial year, HST will continue to train PHRC administrators and maintain the database whilst preparing for the next phase of NHRD development for use by National Health Research Ethics Committees (NHRCs).



An evaluation of the NHRD has been concluded with the analysis of the findings being written into a report.
2021-05-05 12:00 AMNo
  
CurrentHSR (Research)2.0
This is a rapid assessment (RA) of injury morbidity presenting at district-level health services in six facilities across two out of five previously identified high-violence communities in the Western Cape Province, with the aim of establishing a risk profile of injuries presenting in these areas. The study entails a series of six-monthly RAs conducted over three years (between September 2013 and October 2015) in order to identify high-risk population sub-groups and high-risk areas for injury, and to monitor trends over time. The areas covered in this assessment are Khayelitsha and Nyanga, and the facilities comprise district-level hospitals and community health centres (CHCs).



This study builds on findings of a previous study A Rapid Assessment of the Injury Morbidity Burden at the Health Services in three High Violence Communities in the Western Cape conducted in 2012 that also included Elsies River.



The repeat surveillance also forms part of two IDRC-funded studies: Evaluating the effectiveness of urban upgrading for violence prevention in selected low-income communities in the Western Cape Province, South Africa and Evaluating the effectiveness of the Western Cape Liquor Act in Khayelitsha, a large low-income community in Cape Town, South Africa.
2021-05-05 12:00 AMNo
  
CurrentHSR (Research)2.0
In July 2013, the Ideal Clinic Realisation and Maintenance (ICRM) initiative was launched as a way of systematically improving the deficiencies in South Africa’s public sector primary health care (PHC) clinics. The Ideal Clinic is envisaged to offer a comprehensive range of integrated diagnostic, curative, rehabilitative and palliative services. Using existing clinic functions and staff duties in a different and systematic manner, the goal of this initiative is to ensure universally available high-quality PHC services.



To transition clinics from their current state to an ‘ideal’ state, a set of almost 200 items needed to be improved to an acceptable level of functionality. Progress within these 200 items is monitored through the Ideal Clinic Dashboard which scores the item as either Green (achieved), Amber (partially achieved) or Red (not achieved). Identification of the standards and indicators helps to convey a sense of what is required, but does little to support and catalyse the change necessary to transition clinics from their current state to the envisaged ideal state.



Various change and/or Lean Management models are currently implemented within the public health sector. Some health facilities are supported by development partners that use different Change and/or Lean Management models. Ensuring that there is understanding of the National Department of Health (NDoH) standards for health service delivery and compliance to protocol across the entire health system is critical.



Health Systems Trust (HST) serves as the co-ordinating body for the development and implementation of the Change Management model that would facilitate the success of the ICRM initiative.
2021-05-05 12:00 AMNo
  
CurrentHSR (Research)2.0
The first draft of the report for the National Good Practice Project entitled “Documenting Good Practices in the Public Health Sector of South Africa” is complete. The report is being prepared for dissemination and provides the reader with successes, challenges and lessons learnt from a compendium of 16 Good Practices across South Africa.  In light of the current PHC re-engineering policy, this document highlights some of the achievements made at the “coalface” of PHC service delivery. The Good Practices included in this publication have been grouped into three areas of practice, namely; clinical services, quality improvements and corporate governance. The project has unveiled a number of lessons for provincial departments of health and researchers practicing within these areas. This report is aimed at enabling the replication of successful practices by avoiding the mistakes of others. As we prepare for the formal presentation of this project, we hope that the documenting and sharing of good practices will create momentum towards improved excellence in health care service delivery.
2021-05-05 12:00 AMNo
  
CurrentHSR (Research)2.0
The Eastern Cape Department of Health (ECDoH) requested Health Systems Trust (HST) through the SA SURE project to provide support with quality improvement initiatives at two district hospitals in OR Tambo.  In collaboration with ECDoH Epidemiology and Research Directorate, the HST SA SURE Evaluations Unit will principally provide evaluation support to assess the quality of maternal and child health services rendered in two of the hospitals.
2021-05-05 12:00 AMNo
  
CurrentHSR (Research)2.0
The project will encompass a cross-sectional, descriptive study utilising a mix of quantitative and qualitative research methods.
2021-05-05 12:00 AMNo
  
CurrentHSR (Research)2.0
uMzinyathi Health District in KwaZulu-Natal, as an NHI pilot district implemented the Benguela Referral method since January 2013, in an effort to strengthen the PHC approach in the district and to realize the outputs of the Department of Health’s (DoH) Negotiated Service Delivery Agreement (NSDA) and to meet its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The District’s aim to strengthen the referral system within the district, in line with the Primary Health care re-engineering framework, is part of its NHI planned activities to improve service provision through ensuring that all residents of the district have access to appropriate, efficient and quality health services. It is envisaged that the strengthened referral system will result in improved access to quality healthcare services.



This project aims to qualitatively assess the referral system at district level for equity, accessibility, efficiency and effectiveness.
2021-05-05 12:00 AMNo
  
CurrentHSR (Research)2.0
The National Department of Health (NDoH) in collaboration with HST is undertaking a study to assess progress towards implementing the PHC re-engineering model in South Africa. In addition the study aims to assess barriers and facilitators to the implementation of this policy primarily at provincial and district levels. Fieldwork has already been carried out in the North West and KZN provinces and is in the process of being analysed. Planning for data collection in the other seven provinces is currently underway. HST and UWC along with other partners have formed a Consortium, known as the Outreach Team Rapid Assessment (OTRA). Together these organisations will focus on collecting in-depth information on the progress of implementing ward-based outreach teams. HST will continue its focus at the provincial and partly on the district levels, and UWC will focus on the district, sub-district and lower levels.
2021-05-05 12:00 AMNo
  
CurrentHSR (Research)2.0
Since 2010, HST has led work in the area of competency assessments focusing on sub-district and PHC facility managers. The Assessment of the General Management and Public Health Competencies of Facility and other Sub-district Managers was concluded in 2012/13; this study revealed gaps in leadership and management capacity-building in the country, as well as the need to enhance competency assessment techniques and processes and extend this to other categories of staff working within the district health system. HST has been working closely with the National Department of Health (NDoH) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in pursuit of expanding this work. The study now continues as a CDC-funded project aimed at honing the competency assessment tools and up-scaling competency assessments in additional HST-supported districts using refined competency assessment techniques.
2021-05-05 12:00 AMNo
  
CurrentHSR (Research)2.0
One of the key performance areas of the National Department of Health (NDoH) is to publish a regular report containing key health indicators. Together with key external contributors, HST has been commissioned by the NDoH to produce an Annual National Health Statistics publication in electronic format which will serve as authoritative resource on national health statistics. These data comprehensively reflect service delivery and are disaggregated into national, provincial, district and sub-district levels. This requires in-depth mining of the available health statistics, as well as packaging and presenting them in an informative and accessible manner.
2021-05-05 12:00 AMNo
  
CurrentHSR (Research)2.0
The National Department of Health has funded Health Systems Trust’s research activities for many years and since 2011, there has been a renewed commitment to fund our research outputs, including the District Health Barometer and the South African Health Review. This has enabled HST’s Health Systems Research (HSR) Unit to conduct a number of key studies generating a strong body of evidence relating to all health system building blocks that can inform policymaking. 



An assessment of these efforts and outputs will demonstrate how Health Systems Trust has established a unique and important contributory presence in priority research fields through stipulating and supporting innovative programmes to address research priorities. The project will synthesise key research findings and determine how our investigations have helped to inform the development of policies and strategies, and the implementation thereof.



Collection of data on the various projects and research activities included collation and extraction of relevant documents and consultations with authors. The synthesis project database has been developed and updated with key documents. Using a research methodology framework, data have been extracted from all project-related documents. Authors (project managers and researchers) have been consulted to validate extracted data elements for data analysis.



Data analysis and report-writing are underway. The synthesis project report will document key research findings and evidence across the building blocks of the health system, highlighting information on research efforts and expertise for policy implementation, whilst indicating cross-cutting issues and trends that provide insight to national health strategies.
2021-05-05 12:00 AMNo
  
CurrentHSR (Research)3.0
The DHB is a flagship publication of HST produced annually. It provides a summary of socioeconomic, health and health-related data for each district in South Africa.
2021-05-05 12:00 AMNo
  
CurrentHSR (Research)3.0
2021-05-05 12:00 AMNo
  
CurrentHST2.0
What is ‘CCMDD’?
The acronym ‘CCMDD’ is the short-form term for the National Department of Health’s ‘Central Chronic Medicine Dispensing and Distribution’ programme, which distributes and dispenses medicine from a central point for patients with chronic conditions who are stable on their medication.
The CCMDD Storyhttp://www.hst.org.za/projects/Projects%20Details/The%20CCMDD%20Story%20Jan%202019_HC23Jan19_JK23Jan19%20(1).docx2019-04-12 12:00 AMYes
  
CurrentHSS (Strengthening)1.0
The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Treasury, as one of the Principal Recipients (PRs) of the South African Global Fund (TGF) (2016−2019) Grants, appointed Health Systems Trust to act as a Sub-Recipient (SR) for the implementation of tailored, targeted and high-impact HIV and TB interventions to reach identified vulnerable populations in selected wards in the Amajuba and uThukela Districts.
http://www.hst.org.za/projects/Projects%20Details/Global%20Fund%20project%20description_JK26Oct18_FINAL.docx2019-03-08 12:00 AMYes
  
CurrentHSS (Strengthening)3.0
The project aims to address the unfinished business of pediatric and adolescent HIV in KwaZulu-Natal by using a quality improvement and KidzAlive strategies to accelerate the identification and enrollment of HIV positive children and adolescents on treatment, and ensuring that they are retained in care.

The project works alongside the SA SURE project and community partners and supports 62 project-linked health facilities in three KwaZulu-Natal districts.
Unfinished Business project on Paediatric and Adolescent HIV, TB andhttp://www.hst.org.za/projects/Projects%20Details/Unfinished%20Business%20nj.pdf2018-05-04 12:00 AMYes
  
CurrentHSS (Strengthening)4.0
The VCT II Project (“The Power of Knowing”) collaborates with private service providers (NGOs, general practitioners, nurses and pharmacies) to provide efficient and effective HIV counselling and testing (HCT) and supplemental services such as TB screening as part of an “HCT franchise network”. This three-year initiative which was endorsed by the National Department of Health) ran from October 2014 to September 2017 and was then extended to December 2018. The project uses a franchise model which promotes formal collaboration among public, private and non-governmental sectors, in order to increase the HCT coverage in two provinces: Northern Cape and Limpopo. Service providers in this project provide testing for free, and refer clients who do not have private medical insurance to the public sector for ART initiation and treatment. This model facilitates continuous training and quality control for all service providers who join the franchise.
Implementation of HIV Counselling and Testing Services in the private and non-governmental sectors (VCT II Project)http://www.hst.org.za/projects/Projects%20Details/VCT%20II%20project%20description%2010%20January%202018%20for%20Website%20+nj.docx2018-04-04 12:00 AMYes
  
ArchivedHST2.0
The aim of the project is to develop a training manual on research methodology and to conduct training in the Northern Cape and Gauteng provinces. The manual has been finalised on 4 October. URC have requested another week to have a final look; however they seem happy with the product. The training will be completed in the first half of 2012.
Development of a Research Training Manual2017-11-16 12:00 AM
  
ArchivedHSS (Strengthening)2.0
The Soul City Institute of Health and Development Communication (Soul City Institute) is a social change project which uses mass media combined with social mobilisation and advocacy to bring about social change and improved health outcomes.

The Soul City Institute was awarded a grant to develop programme interventions to strengthen the demand for quality health services by the South African population in order to increase access to improved quality health care.

A literature review on the Revitalisation of Primary Health Care was commissioned, with a key focus on the role of communities in strengthening PHC and improving quality of care.  This literature review will contribute towards the development of the Soul City series 12, and the Soul  Buddyz Clubs. The purpose of the drama series is to model greater engagement of  communities with PHC delivery, and to promote accountability.
2017-06-23 12:00 AM
  
ArchivedHSR (Research)2.0
This exciting project explores a new avenue of research for HST as the team aims to conduct an in-depth health sector market needs and implementer landscape analysis of four pre-selected Southern African countries. The project lasts a period of 60 days and the project team is conducting fieldwork which entails visiting the four countries for face-to-face key informant meetings. The relevant implementers and donors will be greeted by an ACHAP project team member who seeks to understand more about the constraints in the market and just what it takes to create an enabling environment for private-public partnerships’ to flourish. The ACHAP project team will provide interesting and useful information on how one can partner with ACHAP.
2017-06-23 12:00 AM
  
ArchivedHSS (Strengthening)2.0
Through the support of the Millennium Challenge Account, the Lesotho Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW) has engaged a Health Systems Strengthening (HSS) firm to augment the Ministry’s efforts in implementing the ongoing National Health Sector Reform Programme. The design of the HSS-Technical Assistance serves to mitigate the negative economic impacts of poor maternal health, HIV and AIDS, Tuberculosis, and other diseases by substantially strengthening the country’s health-care infrastructure and its ability to deliver quality health services to the Basotho.
2017-06-23 12:00 AM
  
ArchivedHSR (Research)3.0
Evidence informed guidance is needed for decision makers. PEECHi lays out the framework to develop a South African initiative to make the connection between evidence and decisions on public spending that would spell out the opportunity costs of one decision versus another. HST’s role is to conduct a systematic literature review. The PEECHi team will follow this with a literature review of cost-effectiveness data pertaining to maternal and child health, selection of interventions for costing, collection and modelling of data required for costing related to maternal and child health interventions in South Africa, development of costing models, costing of interventions and cost-effectiveness analysis of selected interventions. This step wise approach fulfils the over-arching objective to develop a South African initiative to make the connection between evidence and decisions on public spending that would spell out the opportunity costs of one decision versus another.
2017-06-23 12:00 AM
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