Published on 2 Nov 2025

Evaluation of COVID+ Pathways Learning Network

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Allen + Clarke evaluated the COVID+ Pathways Learning Network for Safer Care Victoria, which connected healthcare staff delivering care to COVID-19 positive patients in their homes. Our mixed-methods approach included surveys, data analysis and stakeholder consultations. The evaluation identified effective knowledge-sharing practices and improvement opportunities. We provided recommendations that strengthened the network and created a framework that could be applied to other healthcare areas beyond the pandemic response.

Key Takeaways:

  • Our analysis revealed which knowledge-sharing methods were most effective for frontline healthcare staff during the pandemic.

  • The evaluation identified practical opportunities to adapt this learning model to other healthcare areas.

  • Our recommendations provided Safer Care Victoria with clear steps to improve the Learning Network's structure and content delivery.
Through this work, Allen + Clarke helped SCV turn a crisis-response initiative into a sustainable approach to knowledge sharing that continues to strengthen Victoria's healthcare system.

The Challenge

When the COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented challenges for Victoria's healthcare system, Safer Care Victoria (SCV) established the COVID+ Pathways Learning Network to support healthcare providers delivering care to COVID-19 positive patients in their homes. As the program evolved, SCV needed to understand its effectiveness and identify improvement opportunities, turning to Allen + Clarke for a comprehensive evaluation.

The pandemic required healthcare services to quickly share knowledge as they navigated the complex challenge of providing safe, effective care to COVID-19 positive patients while minimising hospital admissions. The Learning Network aimed to address this need by connecting health services across Victoria. SCV wanted to assess the effectiveness of this approach and identify ways to enhance it.

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Resources Block
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Our Approach

Allen + Clarke brought health service evaluation expertise to this project. Our understanding of healthcare systems and knowledge-sharing helped us design an evaluation that captured both performance metrics and insights about user experience.

We implemented a mixed-methods evaluation that combined multiple data sources:

  • End-user surveys - collecting feedback from healthcare staff about their experience with the Learning Network resources, and their impact on practice. 

  • Data analysis - examining patterns in webinar attendance and online resource usage to identify usage trends and content preferences.

  • Stakeholder consultations - conducting in-depth discussions with key stakeholders to understand strategic goals, implementation challenges, and perceived value.

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A valuable resource for healthcare providers

Our evaluation found the Learning Network was a valuable resource for healthcare providers during a critical time. It was particularly effective at sharing clinical updates and creating opportunities for staff to learn from each other across different health services. We also identified ways to improve user engagement, streamline content and better target resources to different staff groups.

The final report provided SCV with evidence-based insights for future planning. Our recommendations focused on practical improvements to strengthen the Learning Network's impact. Importantly, we showed how this knowledge-sharing approach could be adapted for other healthcare areas beyond COVID-19.

The evaluation delivered several benefits:

  • A scalable model - we outlined how successful elements of the Learning Network could be applied to other healthcare priorities.

  • Better resource allocation - our analysis helped SCV focus on the most effective knowledge-sharing methods.

  • Clear measurement framework - the evaluation established metrics and processes for ongoing monitoring of the Learning Network’s performance. 

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