Sarah Castle Consultancy

Human Resources for Health and Health Systems Strengthening

Adequate human resources and health financing are part of wider issues related to health systems strengthening and policy making and call for approaches comprising transparency, accountability and governance at national and local levels. I have experience in facilitating District-level decision-makers and local health committees in improving access and equity as well as in leveraging domestic financing. In addition, improvements in service delivery and quality also require the strengthening of health information systems. I am particularly interested in m-Health approaches to routine data collection (via national systems such as DHIS2) and in the use of data for supervision, quality assurance and resource allocation.

November 2021 - Results for Development (R4D)/USAID Mali: Technical lead for qualitative research for the Rapid Feedback Monitoring Evaluation Research and Learning (RF MERL) approach. Adaptive learning activities for ongoing course correction of two large USAID initiatives around governance, accountability and finance in relation to community health and health systems strengthening.
August 2021 - WHO/Prevention of Unsafe Abortion Unit (PUA): Evaluation of the impact of mitigation measures during the COVID-19 pandemic to facilitate the continued provision of safe abortion in Bolivia (IPAS), Mali (PSI), Palestine (IPPF) and Nepal (MS Reproductive Choices). In-depth interviews with key staff and stakeholders outlined what adaptations had been put in place. Task-shifting and health systems strengthening in response to COVId-19 improved access to information and services. The study identified the necessary conditions for these to be sustained beyond the pandemic.
December 2017 - Management Sciences for Health: Design of evaluation framework for roll-out of the Leadership, Management and Governance programme in 9 regions of Côte d'Ivoire.
May 2017 - Care, Atlanta, Ga: Technical assistance for a DFID proposal to reinforce community empowerment strategies and health systems strengthening in rural Bangladesh.
January 2016 - Ernst and Young (US office): Technical support for review of Millennium Challenge Fund activities in Lesotho. Produced evidence-based reviews relating to institutional capacity and stakeholder engagement as well as the integration of traditional healers and community health workers into the health system.
January 2013 - Management Sciences for Health/USAID, Democratic Republic of Congo: Integrated Health Project (IHP): Implementation and evaluation of frameworks to ensure timely and accurate submission of local health service data to the National Health Information System. Challenges include poor infrastructure and communications, weak health sector capacity and frequent stock-outs of commodities and tools for data collection.

Links

MSH Leadership, Management & Governance Project

Integrated Health Project: Resources

Gao Nursing School Bottleneck Study