The challenge
Coordinating a coherent response to the COVID-19 pandemic across the South Australian health system required stakeholders to collaborate in an environment of rapid and ongoing change.
The COVID-19 pandemic created extraordinary uncertainty and risk for health systems globally, requiring the South Australian health system to deliver a rapid, coordinated system-wide response at scale.
Planning was complicated by evolving clinical evidence, fluctuating case numbers and the need to align the response across community, primary, acute and regional care settings under consistent models of care. While individual parts of the system were responding in real time, there was a need for a unified approach to ensure clarity, consistency and safe delivery across all settings.
How we helped
An agile, system-wide strategy established clear direction while enabling rapid adaptation in a changing environment.
OCM was engaged by the Department for Health and Wellbeing to work closely with SA Health leadership to design and embed a coherent, system-wide response to COVID-19 during a period of sustained uncertainty.
Agile and iterative approaches were applied to develop strategies that could provide clear direction on COVID-19 management, while adapting to changing conditions. Through extensive engagement with executives, clinicians and operational leaders, four connected strategies were co-designed, covering system-wide, primary care, acute care and regional responses.
These strategies established clear patient flow pathways, escalation mechanisms and decision-making principles, supporting alignment across the system.
Complex State and Commonwealth guidance was synthesised into clear, practical models of care and visual artefacts, enabling leaders to interpret evolving information and apply it with confidence.
Results that matter
A unified framework enabled consistent, confident decision-making across the health system during a period of sustained pressure.
OCM’s work enabled SA Health to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic as a coordinated system, rather than a collection of independent services.
The development of a coherent, statewide framework provided role clarity across care settings, aligning services to a centrally coordinated model of care that enabled consistent and integrated responses.
The response strategies created a shared language across the system, supporting clearer communication, reducing ambiguity and enabling faster, more confident decisions under pressure. Designed for adaptability using agile principles, the strategies were iteratively refined as conditions changed, ensuring ongoing relevance across multiple phases of the pandemic.
Beyond the immediate response, the work strengthened SA Health’s system-level strategic capability, leaving a lasting foundation for improved coordination, planning and responsiveness to future system-wide challenges.
Our people
Jonathan Cherian
