Silver Chain: Evaluation of the Silver Chain Community Palliative Care Service Western Sydney – Social Impact Investment

Paxon Group was commissioned by Silver Chain to provide an independent evaluation of the service over a period of seven years (2017 – 2024). The purpose of the evaluation is to assess the implementation, effectiveness and cost effectiveness of the Community Palliative Care (CPC) service. This evaluation report is the first Implementation Evaluation Report and reports on the initial implementation of the service and the provision of services to the first cohort of participants between 1 July 2017 to 30 June 2018. It reports achievements and learnings to date and identifies opportunities to improve service delivery. An interim evaluation will be provided in February 2022 with the final evaluation report is to be submitted in February 2025.

The Community Palliative Care (CPC) service is one of the first health based social impact investment (SII) program in NSW developed in partnership with Silver Chain Group, Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD), NSW Health (Ministry of Health), and the NSW Office of Social Impact Investment. The service delivers enhanced community-based palliative care 24/7 in the home providing clinical care, practical support for daily activities, support for families and carers and bereavement support. The service was designed for (but is not confined to) people in their last three months of life and supports clients to die in the place of their choice.