A clinical audit of public antenatal medical records is required to optimally generate evidence to support policy and service planning for substance using mothers related to the First 2000 days.
Key information
- Status: Closed
- Grant amount: $150,000
- Application opened: 16 December 2024
- Application closed: 10 March 2025, 10:00 am
Program objective
A clinical audit of public antenatal medical records is required to optimally generate evidence to support policy and service planning for substance using mothers related to the First 2000 days.
The information collected via clinical audit would enhance our current understanding of routinely collected data on antenatal and inpatient AOD screening and referral pathways and potential opportunities for improvement.
Scope
The clinical audits would focus on the ambulatory and inpatient arms of maternity services. In order to account for potential differences in referral pathways due to local variations in service availability, four sites would be selected, two in regional areas and two in outer urban areas. Fifty files would be reviewed in each site (n=25 ambulatory, n=25 inpatient). Auditors would purposively select at least 15 files in each site where a) alcohol use and b) cannabis use are identified. Sites with relatively high levels of AOD use in pregnancy and significant Aboriginal and CALD populations would be selected. The required activities include:
- Review of the data available in the clinical record pertaining to maternal substance use and related clinical actions.
- Detailed recording of what pieces of relevant information are recorded and where in the clinical record they are stored.
- Creation of a data extraction form.
- Detailed audit of fields related to maternal substance use and subsequent clinical actions taken.
- Analysis and synthesis of findings.
- Written report and oral presentation of findings.
This program is funded and administered by NSW Health.
Eligibility
This is a new, one-off targeted grant funded and administered by the Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence (CEE) and the Centre for Alcohol and Other Drugs (CAOD) - NSW Ministry of Health. It will run for 12 months and is suitable for organisations that have a strong background in alcohol and other drugs and formal relationships with Local Health Districts to support data access.
We encourage all potential respondents to read all the details in these guidelines prior to responding.
Who can apply
Applications are only eligible for consideration if they meet the following criteria:
- The applicant team includes at least one member of DACRIN.
- The research focus of the applicant is primarily alcohol and other drugs research.
- The applicant is fully located in NSW.
- The applicant is not-for-profit.
- The applicant is a discrete operational entity that can demonstrate it has: For collaborations - a written agreement between the Chief Executives of their member organisations formalising the collaboration.
- The applicant has formal links with at least one Local Health District/Specialty Health Network.
- The applicant is, or is part of a parent organisation which is, a legal entity.
Applicants or their parent organisation must be a legal entity or, if a joint tender, consortium, collaboration or otherwise, be legal entities with the capacity to contract. The Ministry will only enter into a Standard Grant Agreement with such legal entity or entities.
Any application which is submitted by a combination of two or more organisations, as a joint venture, a consortium, collaboration or otherwise, must include in the application:
- applicant information for each member of the group.
- a clear statement of the nature of the association between the members of the group and the basis upon which they propose to enter into the agreement with the Ministry; and
- a statement that each member of the group is jointly and severally liable for the performance of the other members of the group under the resultant agreement or that one member of the group is fully liable for the performance of all members of the group.
- The Ministry may ask an applicant to provide evidence of its legal status or capacity to contract. If applications from entities propose to contract in their capacity as trustees, such evidence may include copies of the relevant trust deeds.
A legal entity may include:
- A Local Health District
- Specialty Health Network
- University or
- An independently constituted medical research institute.
Who can’t apply
- individuals or groups of individuals
- unincorporated organisations
- for-profit commercial organisations
- applicants who are partially or fully located outside of NSW.
What your application needs to include
Download a copy of the Clinical Audit Grant Guidelines for detailed information on:
- project scope
- the mandatory selection criteria
- the eligibility criteria
- the assessment criteria including specific information and evidence required
- weighting allocation for the assessment criteria.
Prepare your application with this checklist
Prior to your application, you will need to collate the following essential information to support your application:
- Public Liability policy of insurance to the value of at least $10M
- Professional Indemnity insurance policy to the value of at least $10M
- Workers Compensation Insurance.
Address the eligibility criteria
Applications are only eligible for consideration if they meet the following criteria:
- The applicant team includes at least one member of DACRIN
- The research focus of the applicant is primarily alcohol and other drugs research.
- The applicant is fully located in NSW.
- The applicant is not-for-profit.
- The applicant is a discrete operational entity that can demonstrate it has:For collaborations - a written agreement between the Chief Executives of their member organisations formalising the collaboration.
- The applicant has formal links with at least one Local Health District/Specialty Health Network.
- The applicant is, or is part of a parent organisation which is, a legal entity.
Applicants or their parent organisation must be a legal entity or, if a joint tender, consortium, collaboration or otherwise, be legal entities with the capacity to contract. The Ministry will only enter into a Standard Grant Agreement with such legal entity or entities.
Any application which is submitted by a combination of two or more organisations, as a joint venture, a consortium, collaboration or otherwise, must include in the application:
- applicant information for each member of the group
- a clear statement of the nature of the association between the members of the group and the basis upon which they propose to enter into the agreement with the Ministry; and a statement that each member of the group is jointly and severally liable for the performance of the other members of the group under the resultant agreement or that one member of the group is fully liable for the performance of all members of the group.
The Ministry may ask an applicant to provide evidence of its legal status or capacity to contract. If applications from entities propose to contract in their capacity as trustees, such evidence may include copies of the relevant trust deeds.
A legal entity may include:
- a Local Health District
- Specialty Health Network
- University or
- an independent constituted medical research institute.
Address the assessment criteria
Selection criteria have been developed to reflect the objectives and expected outcomes of this grant. This selection criteria will be as the basis for ranking and selection of successful applicants.
Criterion 1 – Demonstrated expertise in drug and alcohol research
Applicants must demonstrate a significant track record related to alcohol and other drug (AOD) related research in general, expertise in research related to substance use in pregnancy is particularly desirable.
Track records will be assessed on the basis of:
- number, type, quality and relevance of publications (particularly peer-reviewed publications)
- relevant research income (particularly income from peer-reviewed sources)
- nature, depth and importance of collaborative research ventures with relevant local, interstate, national and/or international partners.
Criterion 2 – Relevant clinical skills
Teams must include members with clinical skills, as evidenced by appropriate qualifications and experience, to support understanding and synthesis of information included in clinical records.
Clinical backgrounds related to alcohol and other drug use and/or maternity care are particularly relevant for this project.
Criterion 3 – Demonstrated experience of working successfully in partnership with LHDs and policy agencies on relevant projects
Applicants must:
- provide evidence of outputs (for example, papers and reports) produced in partnership with LHDs and policy agencies.
Criterion 4 – The applicant’s plan
Suitability of the high-level overview of approach to the project provided:
- how funding will be used to support the proposed activities
- how findings will be shared with the grantees.
After the application is submitted
Successful applications will be decided by: Director, Evidence and Evaluation Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence NSW Health
The assessment of applications will involve a two-step process.
Step 1: Eligibility assessment
Applications must first meet the eligibility criteria set out in section 2 of the guideline document.
Any applications that do not meet all eligibility criteria will not progress to Step 2. Eligibility assessment will be undertaken by NSW Ministry of Health staff, who may contact applicants directly to clarify any issues with their application.
Step 2: Selection of applicants for funding
Applications that meet all eligibility criteria will be reviewed by a selection panel appointed by the Executive Directors of the Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence and Centre for Alcohol and Other Drugs, NSW Ministry of Health. The selection panel will include senior members of staff with expertise in alcohol and other drugs and/or epidemiological linked data analysis.
The selection panel will evaluate and rank applications in order of merit against the selection criteria. In doing so, they will take into account the weighting assigned to each group of selection criteria.
The selection panel will undertake this process in March 2025.
The selection panel will recommend:
- the successful applicants, in accordance with their merit
- the amount of funding to be provided to each successful applicant from the funds available under the program and bearing in mind the bid put forward in the application. The selection panel may, in its discretion, determine not to award the full amount sought by the applicant. A rationale will be provided to the successful applicant if the full amount is not awarded.
The selection panel may contact applicants by telephone during the selection process to seek clarification of their application.
A senior representative of the applicant team should be available to be contacted by telephone on the date of the selection panel meeting in March 2025 (date will be confirmed ahead of time). This representative should be in a position to clarify any matters relating to the application at the time of the enquiry. It will not be possible to respond to the selection panel’s queries at a later date.
The selection panel is not obliged to recommend all or any funding under the program if, in their opinion, an application does not meet the selection criteria to a sufficiently high standard.
Unsuccessful applicants will be notified via email after the panel has decided on the successful applicant and will be given an opportunity to seek feedback. The successful applicant will be notified in writing.
Publication of the successful applicant will be made on Grants and Funding page of the NSW Government website.