Evaluation of the Trialhub Pilot Program

Purpose
Alfred Health engaged HealthConsult to independently evaluate TrialHub, a pioneering clinical trial partnership initiative funded by the Australian Government. The evaluation aimed to assess TrialHub’s effectiveness in enhancing access to clinical trials for patients in regional, rural, and outer metropolitan areas in Victoria, with a focus on cancer trials.
Approach
HealthConsult undertook a structured and detailed independent evaluation involving:
- Extensive stakeholder engagement: Conducted surveys of clinical trial participants, staff, and training participants, along with targeted case studies and stakeholder interviews.
- Quantitative and qualitative analysis: Monitored clinical trial activity, workforce development, and funding sustainability through periodic reporting and interactive dashboards.
- Capability assessment: Developed and applied a structured capability framework aligned with the National Clinical Trials Governance Framework to assess and guide site development.
- Evaluation of strategic activities: Reviewed and evaluated the effectiveness of workforce capability building, community engagement, partnerships, trial access strategies, and teletrial implementations.
Outcome
HealthConsult’s independent evaluation highlighted the following key outcomes achieved by TrialHub:
- Workforce development: Identified significant increases in clinical trial staff (61%) and lead investigators (148%) due to structured training programs, mentorship initiatives, and professional development pathways.
- Effective partnerships: Confirmed the successful establishment of 32 formal partnerships, which significantly improved clinical trial capabilities and financial sustainability across the flagship sites, facilitating direct industry engagement and increased clinical trial activity.
- Community engagement: Found that TrialHub’s community engagement strategies - including the Ambassador Program, structured communications, and culturally tailored resources - significantly increased awareness and participation in clinical trials among diverse community groups.
- Expanded clinical trial activity: Documented the initiation of 138 new clinical trials, including diverse therapeutic areas and complex trial phases, indicating substantial growth and maturity in clinical trial capabilities at flagship sites.
- Improved clinical trial access: Validated the successful expansion of trial access through teletrials and innovative care models, significantly reducing geographical barriers and increasing patient participation.
- Sustainable capability: Confirmed the international recognition and practical adoption of the TrialHub Capability Framework, and demonstrated sites’ ability to diversify funding streams, reducing dependency on external grants and establishing sustainable clinical trial operations.
HealthConsult concluded that TrialHub successfully established sustainable, independent clinical trial capabilities across regional and outer metropolitan Victorian health services, providing a scalable and replicable model to enhance clinical trial participation and healthcare equity nationwide.
Alfred Health published a high-level summary of our key findings here.
The Final Evaluation Report is available here: https://www.alfredhealth.org.au/images/resources/patient-resources/TrialHub_Independent_Evaluation_Report_01-06-2025.pdf
