Leveraging experience-based co-design to support an innovative health workforce: a graduate certificate in health services innovation case study

The dual challenge of population growth and ageing is placing unprecedented pressure on Australia’s healthcare system, necessitating innovative approaches to workforce education and service delivery. This case study examines how Experience-Based Co-Design (EBCD) can be applied to a postgraduate workforce education program to strengthen healthcare professionals’ capability in navigating complex systems. This work was undertaken within a broader hybrid type II implementation-effectiveness evaluation. This paper reports the co-design component as an embedded qualitative case study of developing a Graduate Certificate in Health Services Innovation (GCHSI). The GCHSI was delivered through a partnership between a university and a large Hospital and Health Service, engaging stakeholders from clinical, academic, and executive domains. Outcomes indicate that a structured, multi-staged co-design process grounded in EBCD principles is both feasible and acceptable in producing a program that is academically rigorous and professionally relevant. Stakeholder engagement contributed to authentic assessment design, curriculum relevance and inclusive learning strategies. Case study outcomes demonstrate the feasibility of using a structured EBCD-informed co-design process to develop a postgraduate program that is academically rigorous and operationally relevant. The co-design approach is recommended as a practical method to strengthen alignment between education design and service context.