Review and Evaluation

Reviewing A Plan

The Act states that every council must review its MPHP annually and if appropriate, amend the Plan.

Reviewing a plan annually allows councils to revise or amend sections of the MPHP without rewriting the whole plan. It is an opportunity to focus on the strategies which have been undertaken in the previous twelve months and to evaluate their effectiveness.

However, review of the MPHP does not have to take the form of a once a year exercise, it may be done regularly throughout the year by the implementation committee. This is a particularly easy task if performance indicators have been included in the original plan.

Reviewing gives the implementation committee an opportunity to reflect on its processes and make adjustments to the plan or expected outcomes, before commencing the next years program. Priorities may have changed within council or the community and some strategies may be discarded as unrealistic, others may have to have timelines revised. By reviewing the MPHP on a regular basis it can be kept current, manageable and achievable.

Evaluating A Plan

Councils are required to rewrite their MPHP every three years. For most councils this should be a relatively easy process, particularly if a review has been carried out regularly.

An evaluation, by its nature, will be more thorough than a review and involve more of the people affected by the plan. An evaluation is an opportunity to redefine goals and objectives, take a fresh look at the issues raised previously, which might now be included in the new plan.

An evaluation will allow community members and health agencies to comment on changed priorities or circumstances within the municipality, which may alter the approach the plan will take for the following three years.

An evaluation will provide opportunity for the MPHP, if it has not already done so, to be linked more closely to the corporate plan.