Pictured: NWMPHN’s Austen Keating (L), Esther Munyisia, Laura-May Willems, Dr Carly Molloy, Chinonye Maduka and Ashlee Bailey.

Monitoring, evaluation, research and learning – MERL for short – are core activities which intersect and underpin the effectiveness of NWMPHN’s commissioning approach. 

The research and evaluation carried out by the MERL team ensures that organisational decisions – including investment, program design, and strategy – are grounded in evidence and supported by a culture that values critical inquiry, transparency, and continuous learning. 

Through NWMPHN’s Research and Evaluation Strategic Action Plan, MERL Framework, training modules and consultations, the team is supporting staff to build a culture of evidence-based decision-making. 

In 2024-25, the team partnered with commissioning units to develop new monitoring and evaluation supporting tools for more than 30 NWMPHN programs. Highlights included a theory of change, program logic model and key performance indicators to underpin the Health Care Neighbourhood Project as part of the Australian Government’s Strengthening Medicare reforms, and evaluations of the Early Interventions for Healthy Ageing and The Zone alcohol and other drug programs.

Sarah O’Leary, NWMPHN director of integrated care, is overseeing the Health Care Neighbourhood Project. Sarah noted that the tools and the collaborative approach taken by the MERL team laid the foundations for productive conversations with contracted providers. 

“It’s been great to talk to service providers using the theory of change and setting out our clear objectives and aims from the outset,” she said. 

“It will drive how we plan and deliver this project over the next two to three years.” 

MERL activities also include fostering research partnerships with leading institutes to address emerging health system priorities. 

In 2024–25, NWMPHN supported 19 research collaborations, including with the University of Melbourne, the Royal Melbourne Hospital, and the Australian Institute of Health Innovation. These efforts have contributed to a growing evidence base and recognition in peer-reviewed journals. 

• Improving Data-Based Decision-Making in Early Childhood Services: A Systematic Review Informed by the Capability Opportunity and Motivation Model of Behaviour 
• Intervention overuse in paediatric care in Australian metropolitan general practice.

NWMPHN also showcased its work at the 2025 PHN Cooperative Data and Digital Showcase, and will do so again at the International Forum on Quality and Safety in Healthcare later in the year, presenting an innovative allied health program that reduced falls risk in residential aged care homes.



Looking ahead, NWMPHN continues to embed MERL principles across its commissioning approach, ensuring decisions are evidence-based, impactful, and aligned with community needs.