Case studies - Innovation and best practice in the COVID-19 NSW public health response

On this page

1. Communications and engagement
2. Outbreak management and response
3. Impact on population health services
4. Priority populations
5. Public health response
6. Data, systems and workforce

Communication and engagement

Effective communication and engagement strategies build trust and confidence in the government pandemic response, and support the community to understand and action necessary behavioural changes which help to control the spread of disease.

The following case studies describe examples of how NSW Health communicated and engaged with communities and clinical groups.

• Reaching high priority clinical groups through trusted advice: information update webinars with the Chief Health Officer
• COVID-19 Help us save lives,  Help us stop the spread citizen safety campaign
• COVID-19 Staying Safe business campaigns

Outbreak management and response

The following case studies describe management and response to localised COVID-19 outbreaks in NSW across a range of settings.

• Managing the first outbreak in rural and remote NSW during the Delta wave
• COVID-19 outbreak onsite management for apartments of concern and places of shared accommodation in South Eastern Sydney
• An outbreak of COVID-19 in a large meal kit factory in Sydney, Australia
• COVID-19 Stop and Stay rapid risk assessment for homeless people in Eastern Sydney
• The Northern Beaches outbreak: An explosive COVID-19 outbreak linked to two super-spreading events controlled by timely case and contact investigations, targeted community movement restrictions and a strong community commitment to testing

Impact on population health services

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the disruption of many population-based prevention programs and services.

The following case studies describe the response to impacts on population health service and program delivery across four policy areas of health protection, preventative health, oral health and alcohol and other drugs.

• Teledentistry in Western NSW Local Health District
• Re-orienting the Opioid Treatment Program to meet the challenges of COVID-19
• Development of the Healthy and Active for Life Online program for older adults
• Pivoting Health Protection NSW branches to support local public health unit responses to significant infectious disease threats during the COVID-19 pandemic

Priority populations

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of priority population groups and settings in NSW required a more targeted public health response due to an increased risk of COVID-19 transmission and/or an increased risk of negative health outcomes following COVID-19 infection.

The following case studies describe various aspects of the public health response for Aboriginal people, culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities, residential aged care facilities, correctional settings and educational settings.

• Establishing a cultural governance model to support public health actions in Hunter New England LHD
• Enhancing community engagement during COVID-19 in Western Sydney: an equity engagement model
• Using research evidence to inform public health response in childcare and education settings
• RAC-off COVID: COVID-19 preparedness in local aged care facilities in Western NSW
• Staff and patient COVID-19 risk matrices and public health management for correctional and youth justice settings

Public health response

The following case studies provide examples of different activities implemented to support the public health response across NSW.

• Rapid stand-up of the Central Contact Tracing Team in early 2020
• Rapid establishment of the Venue Management Team in the Public Health Response Branch
• Rapid establishment of COVID-19 Information Call Centre by the Centre for Population Health, NSW Ministry of Health
• NSW vaccine effectiveness study
• Supporting businesses to provide COVID-safe environments

Data, systems and workforce

The following case studies describe the use of surveillance and information systems, data and workforce programs that were critical to supporting the public health response in NSW.

• Developing enhanced surveillance of adverse events following COVID-19 immunisation in NSW
• Investment in surveillance tools: The SIGNAL Program
• Connecting available data and systems to respond to COVID-19: Implications for real-time monitoring of hospitalisations and impact on public health decision making
• Whole genome sequencing to track COVID-19
• COVID-19 wastewater monitoring
• COVID-19 Modelling and the Modelling Science Table
• Contribution of NSW training programs to the NSW public health response workforce