Service provider perspectives on implementing the NSW Get Healthy at Work program.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Promotion
• Organizational Psychology

Background:

• Governments increasingly utilize public-private partnerships (PPPs) for public initiatives.
• Workplace health programs are a key area for PPP implementation.
• The perspective of private service providers in PPPs remains under-researched.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a qualitative process evaluation of the "Get Healthy at Work" program in Australia.
• To explore the experiences of private service providers within a state-wide workplace health initiative.
• To identify benefits and challenges from the private sector's viewpoint in a PPP.

Main Methods:

• Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine private service providers.
• Interview transcripts were analyzed using inductive qualitative methods.
• The study focused on the under-researched perspective of service providers.

Main Results:

• Service providers noted alignment in motives and skills as a partnership benefit.
• Identified misalignments included program value realization, program cycle vs. business operations, and capacity building vs. business expectations.
• These misalignments challenged sustained provider engagement.

Conclusions:

• While some PPP success factors were present, process and expectation misalignments impacted provider involvement.
• Effective cross-sector engagement management is crucial for sustainable PPPs in health promotion.
• Ensuring mutual sustainability alongside public health goals requires careful consideration of PPP operational dynamics.