Chapter 3: Our operating units

In this chapter, reports are provided for each unit of the AIHW involved in statistical analysis and reporting. The reports contain detailed information on the units' objectives, outputs and additional activities, as well as listing the committees and data collections that they support.

A short outline of the responsibilities of each of the AIHW's corporate units is also included.

Statistical groups

Information about the outputs and other activities undertaken during 2010–11 by each of the AIHW's statistical groups is detailed in this chapter.

• Continuing and Specialised Care
• Health
• Hospitals and Performance
• Housing and Homelessness
• Information and Statistics
• Social and Indigenous
• During the year, the AIHW had a unit-based structure under each of these groups (see Figure 6). Each unit was tasked with achieving planned outputs specified in the AIHW Work Plan 2010–11. The plan, which was approved by the AIHW Board in June 2010, included outputs such as:
• the publication of a specific document
• the delivery of data for a particular purpose to another organisation
• making a specific data release available to the public online.

The reports for each unit include information on the status of each planned output as well as other activities and responsibilities undertaken through the year. Other activities and responsibilities can include:

• outputs that were not planned at the time the AIHW's Work Plan 2010–11 was prepared
• milestone deliverables with a particular long-term objective
• review activities related to data collections or publications
• work related to representation at, or management support to, committees which provide an avenue for stakeholder consultation relevant to achieving the unit's objectives or outputs
• management of data collections relevant to achieving the unit's objectives or outputs, including the role of data custodian which includes providing assistance to external researchers requesting access to data.

The chapter also includes information about the activities of AIHW collaborating units:

• Collaborating units

Corporate groups

Information about the activities of the Business Group and the Governance and Communications Group is interspersed throughout the other chapters of this annual report, however the responsibilities of each are briefly outlined below.

The Business Group had the following unit-based structure.

• Finance and Commercial Services Unit provides services that support the AIHW's financial and business operations
• Information and Communication Technology Operations Unit is responsible for the Institute's computing and communications infrastructure and security (see 'ICT capability was enhanced')
• Information Technology Services Unit is responsible for applications development and services related to the AIHW's databases (see 'ICT capability was enhanced')
• People Unit is responsible for delivering a range of strategic and operational human resource management and facility services to AIHW staff (see Chapter 4 Our people)

The Governance and Communications Group had the following unit-based structure.

• Communications, Media and Marketing Unit provides communications, media and marketing services that support and enhance the AIHW's business, particularly its relationships with stakeholders and the community (see Chapter 5 Our communications)
• Executive Unit provides executive support and secretariat services for the AIHW Director, Board, Executive Committee and a number of national information committees that are included in Appendix 5  
• Information Governance Unit provides leadership and support in information governance and legal matters, including data management and release arrangements, ethics, privacy and effective agreement making, and in the strategic management of internal and external relationships critical to the AIHW's role as the statistical agency responsible for provision of health and welfare information (see 'AIHW Ethics Committee', 'Relationship management' and 'Parliamentary relations')
• Online Communications Unit manages the AIHW website, intranet and other related websites, for example MyHospitals, to deliver the Institute's online communication activities (see 'The AIHW's website')
• Publishing Services Unit provides publishing production services for print and online publications (see 'New publications')

Continuing and Specialised Care Group

Group heads

Ms Vicki Bennett (acting from August 2010 to January 2011)
Mr Brent Diverty (from January 2011)

What we do

The Continuing and Specialised Care Group develops, maintains and analyses national data to support monitoring and reporting on the health and welfare of key sub-populations and the use of services within a range of health and welfare sectors. In addition, the group carries the primary responsibility for producing biennial editions of the Australia's welfare publication.

Major achievements

During 2010–11, major achievements for the group were:

• completing a scoping study on the collection of mental health services delivered by non-government organisations, and pilot testing the draft Mental Health Interventions Classification using a range of data collection methodologies, including iPads
• producing the first analysis of information collected through the new Aged Care Funding Instrument with a particular focus on patients with dementia, and the first analysis of older people leaving hospital assisted by the Transition Care Program
• completing a review of the Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services National Minimum Data Set, providing the opportunity for critical assessment of the collection and identification of key development opportunities to ensure the collection remains policy relevant
• amalgamating several publications on various housing assistance programs into one compendium publication, Housing assistance in Australia, making it a one-stop-shop for information about the range of housing assistance programs available.
• developing the new Specialist Homelessness Services (SHS) National Minimum Data Set

Units in this group

• Ageing and Aged Care
• Drug Surveys and Services
• Housing
• Housing and Homelessness Integration
• Mental Health Services

The group was created in August 2010 following transfer of the Ageing and Aged Care Unit, Drug Surveys and Services Unit, and Mental Health Services Unit from three other groups. Since then, changes to the group's structure have occurred as follows:

• the Housing Unit and the Housing and Homelessness Integration Unit were transferred from the Housing and Homelessness Group in October 2010.

The group also hosted a temporary Australia's Welfare Unit during the year to assist with the production of the AIHW's biennial flagship report on welfare services to be published in 2011–12.

Ageing and Aged Care Unit

Unit heads

Ms Gail Brien (to November 2010)
Ms Judith Abercromby (from November 2010)

What we do

The Ageing and Aged Care Unit analyses and disseminates national information on aged care services, the informal care sector, and older people's health and social participation. The unit works closely with the Data Linkage Unit to analyse and report on the dynamics of the aged care system as a whole and its relationship with other key sectors (for example, acute care). Currently the unit has a particular focus on dementia, including an NHMRC grant-funded project on dementia services provided in hospitals.

Objectives

• Contribute data and information that supports the Australian Government's pursuit of the goal of ageing well and ageing productively under the National Research Priority 'Promoting and maintaining good health'
• Ensuring that the unit's projects and reporting identify implications for policy development, service planning and delivery that will improve the quality of life for older people
• Develop better ways of presenting aged care statistics and information that more clearly identify key findings of interest to priority stakeholder groups
• Build relationships with key stakeholders in government and non-government sectors that will increase the unit's appreciation of the policy and service issues that can be informed by statistical reporting

Performance against planned outputs in 2010-11
Contribute a chapter on ageing and aged care for Australia's welfare 2011	Work in progress To be published in 2011-12
Publish Older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people	Achieved
Contribute to reports on the Pathways in Aged Care project (National Health and Medical Research grant)	Achieved
Finalise and publish a report on dementia services in hospitals	Work in progress To be published in 2011-12
Finalise (jointly with the Data Linkage Unit) and submit for publication:
- The Hospital Dementia Services Project: Age differences in hospital stays for older people with and without dementia	Achieved Accepted for publication
- Alcohol-related cognitive impairment in NSW hospital patients aged 50 years and over	Achieved Revised after peer review
- The Hospital Dementia Services Project: a study protocol	Work in progress To be published in 2011-12
Publish Residential aged care in Australia: a statistical overview 2008-09	Achieved
Publish Aged care packages in the community 2008-09: a statistical overview	Achieved
Finalise a contribution to a report (by the Data Linkage Unit) on the use of hospitals by people in residential aged care	Achieved
Publish a report on dementia	Work in progress To be published in 2011-12
Develop a collection and reporting tool for the Dementia Behaviour Management Advisory Services program	Achieved

Additional projects

• Developed and published Dementia among aged care residents: first information from the Aged Care Funding Instrument
• Developed and published Older people leaving hospital: a statistical overview of the Transition Care Program in 2008–09
• Visited 19 NSW public hospitals and completed data collection for the Hospital Dementia Services Project Survey

Committees

• Aged Care Working Group: Member of this working group of the SCRGSP; the working group is chaired by Ms Rebekah Burton (Tasmanian Department of Premier and Cabinet)
• Dementia Collaborative Research Centre Advisory Committee: Member of this committee chaired by Professor Henry Brodaty (Primary Dementia Collaborative Research Centre)
• Dementia Collaborative Research Centre Steering Committee: Member of this committee chaired by Professor Henry Brodaty (Primary Dementia Collaborative Research Centre)
• The Dynamic Analyses to Optimise Ageing Project Steering Committee: Member of this committee chaired by Professor Kaarin Anstey (Australian National University)

Data collections managed

The unit does not collate data provided by multiple sources into national collections, but maintains, documents and analyses national data, provided by DoHA, held at the AIHW on residential aged care, Community Aged Care Packages, Extended Aged Care at Home, Extended Aged Care at Home Dementia, Transition Care, and Home and Community Care.

Drug Surveys and Services Unit

Unit head

Ms Amber Jefferson

What we do

The Drug Surveys and Services Unit manages and produces reports from the National Drug Strategy Household Survey, conducted every three years. It develops data and information and produces reports on publicly funded alcohol and other drug treatment services and opioid pharmacotherapy programs. It also compiles reports about tobacco, alcohol and other drug statistics and information from other sources.

Objectives

• Provide national leadership in statistics and information related to drug surveys and treatment services
• Develop collaborative relationships with key stakeholders involved in the National Drug Strategy
• Develop strategies for better integration and consistency between drug use and drug treatment data collections

Performance against planned outputs in 2010-11
Contribute to Australia's health 2012	Work in progress To be published in 2011-12
Finalise and publish a report on Drugs in Australia for 2010	Work in progress To be published in 2011-12
Publish Alcohol and other drug treatment services in Australia 2008-09: report on the National Minimum Data Set and a companion 2-page report profile	Achieved
Publish bulletins for each state and territory using the Alcohol and other drug treatment services National Minimum Data Set 2008-09 data	Achieved
Publish online-accessible data from the Alcohol and other drug treatment services National Minimum Data Set 2008-09	Achieved
Publish a report on the Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services National Minimum Data Set 2011-12: specifications and collection manual	Achieved To be published in July 2011
Publish National Opioid Pharmacotherapy Statistics Annual Data collection: 2010 report	Achieved
Publish National Opioid Pharmacotherapy Statistics Annual Data 2011 collection: data guide	Achieved
Publish the 2010 National Drug Strategy Household Survey report	Achieved To be published in July 2011
Publish a bulletin on reporting of the 2009 National Health and Medical Research Council Guidelines to Reduce Health Risks from Drinking Alcohol	Work in progress To be published in 2011-12
Publish Review of the Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services National Minimum Data Set	Achieved

Committees

• Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services National Minimum Data Set Working Group: Secretariat for this working group chaired by Mr Kieron McGlone (NSW Department of Health)
• National Opioid Pharmacotherapy Statistics Annual Data Working Group: Secretariat for this working group chaired by Ms Anne Lawrence (NSW Department of Health)
• 2010 National Drug Strategy Household Survey Technical Advisory Group: Chair, member and secretariat of this group

Data collections managed

• Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services National Minimum Data Set collection
• National Opioid Pharmacotherapy Statistics Annual Data collection
• National Drug Strategy Household Survey collection

Housing Unit

Unit heads

Ms Kate Mallen (to February 2011)
Ms Vicki Bennett (from February 2011)

What we do

The Housing Unit works with state housing authorities and other state and territory government representatives, FaHCSIA, and the not-for-profit sector to produce national housing information. In collaboration with these stakeholders, it develops national data standards, identifies data items for national collection, collects and analyses national housing data, makes data available for policy development and research, and produces national reports on housing and housing assistance. In particular, its work covers public rental housing, state owned and managed Indigenous housing, community housing, home purchase assistance, private rent assistance and Indigenous community housing.

The unit provides data to the Productivity Commission on performance indicators within the framework of the SCRGSP's Report on Government Services, as well as those under the National Affordable Housing Agreement (NAHA), supporting the COAG objectives for transparent and standardised performance information for the public.

Objectives

• Develop performance indicators and output measures that meet the reporting needs of housing and community services ministers
• Build on the AIHW's positive relationship with key governance groups to ensure the unit collects, reports and provides data that meet the needs of these stakeholders
• Build on the data holdings of the National Housing Assistance Data Repository, to ensure it meets the needs of new national reporting requirements and is better able to support a wider range of policy-relevant analysis

Performance against planned outputs in 2010-11
Contribute to and coordinate the housing chapter of Australia's welfare 2011	Work in progress To be published in 2011-12
Develop a unit record collection for mainstream community housing	Work in progress Stakeholder consultations completed
Pilot test use of a statistical linkage key for housing datasets to contribute to a longitudinal housing and homelessness database	Achieved
Develop and finalise the scope and items for national minimum data sets for social housing data collections	Work in progress Completion expected 2012-13
Review Indigenous housing data collection to improve the quality and coverage of Indigenous community housing collection and to develop a reporting strategy following transitions to state housing authorities	Achieved
Published Young people and children in social housing (see the 'snapshot')	Achieved
Publish working papers on: – developing a community housing unit record data collection – integrated waitlist data for community housing	Achieved
Publish Housing assistance in Australia 2011	Achieved
Contribute to the report (by the Housing and Homelessness Integration Unit) Housing and homelessness services: access for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people	Achieved
Publish online-accessible data tables from the Public rental housing 2009-10, State owned and managed Indigenous housing 2009-10, Community housing 2009-10 and Indigenous community housing 2008-09 data collections	Achieved
Publish an analytical bulletin on the National Social Housing Survey 2010	Work in progress To be published in 2011-12
Publish an analytical bulletin on locational disadvantage in housing assistance	Not achieved Withdrawn from work plan
Provide performance data for the NAHA and associated quality statements for the COAG Reform Council's National Affordable Housing Agreement: Performance report for 2009-10	Achieved
Provide performance indicators for public rental housing, state owned and managed Indigenous housing, mainstream community housing and Indigenous community housing for the SCRGSP's Report on Government Services 2011	Achieved
Present a paper at the National Housing Conference 2011	Not achieved Conference cancelled

Additional projects

• Undertook experimental work aimed at improving the collection of community housing data by linking administrative housing datasets with the Australian Government Housing Data Set

Committees

• Housing and Homelessness Information Management Group: Member of this Housing and Homelessness Policy Research Working Group committee, chaired by Ms Maureen Sheehan (Queensland Department of Communities)
• Housing and Homelessness Working Group: Member of this working group of the SCRGSP; the working group is chaired by Ms Janelle Thurlby (Department of Treasury, Queensland)

Data collections managed

• Public Rental Housing data
• State Owned and Managed Indigenous
• Community Housing data
• Indigenous Community Housing data
• Australian Government Housing Data Set
• Private Rent Assistance data
• Home Purchase Assistance data
• National Social Housing Survey data Housing data

Housing and Homelessness Integration Unit

Unit heads

Ms Moira Hewitt

What we do

The Housing and Homelessness Integration Unit liaises with external stakeholders to further the AIHW's work on developing and reporting housing and homelessness data. The unit works closely with other housing and homelessness units at the AIHW to contribute to the development, measurement and reporting on the performance measures in the National Affordable Housing Agreement (NAHA) and associated partnership agreements as set out in the Intergovernmental Agreement on Federal Financial Relations.

A key component of the work program is the development of data and metadata to support reporting, including the development of related national minimum data sets. The unit also develops reports across housing and homelessness that support the measurement of progress towards the achievement of the targets specified in these agreements. The unit collaborates with jurisdictions to develop and integrate housing and homelessness data collections, metadata standards, performance reporting requirements and the national performance reporting framework.

Objectives

• Assist the housing and homelessness units at the AIHW to produce high-quality performance data to measure progress against goals and targets set by the NAHA and associated Partnership Agreements
• Promote the development of national housing and homelessness data, including the development of metadata standards, and contribute to data coordination and data linkage activities
• Explore innovative ideas to integrate mainstream service data with specialist homelessness service data in order to gain a clearer picture of the homeless pathways through service systems
• Support the improvement of the quality and coverage of Indigenous identification for reporting in the housing and homelessness data sets

Performance against planned outputs in 2010–11
Contribute to the housing and homelessness chapters of Australia's welfare 2011	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Publish Housing and homelessness services: access for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people	Achieved
Publish A profile of homelessness for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people	Achieved
Developed data standards for housing and homelessness data as follows:
– Report to HHIMG: Options for improving the alignment of national housing and homelessness data sets	Achieved
– Proposal for the housing and homelessness common data standards assessment project and endorsed by HHIMG	Achieved
– The housing and homelessness common data standards assessment project	Work in progress To be completed in 2011–12
Produce a Specialist Homelessness Services National Minimum Data Set	Achieved

Additional projects

• Investigated the potential to link mainstream service data with specialist homelessness service data in order to gain a clearer picture of the homeless pathways through service systems
• Undertook liaison work with the Productivity Commission for preparing housing and homelessness performance indicators required for COAG reporting

Committees

• Housing and Homelessness Information Management Group (HHIMG): Member of this Housing and Homelessness Policy Research Working Group committee, chaired by Ms Maureen Sheehan (ACT Department of Housing and Community Services)
• Homelessness Working Group: Observer at this Housing and Homelessness Policy Research Working Group committee, chaired by Ms Liz Treglown (FaHCSIA)
• Homelessness Data Project Board: Member of this Homelessness Working Group committee, chaired by Ms Julie Waylen (WA Department for Child Protection)
• The unit also contributed agenda papers to the Homelessness Delivery Review Board

Mental Health Services Unit

Unit head

Mr Gary Hanson

What we do

The Mental Health Services Unit reports on a range of hospital and community-based mental health services in Australia, and provides leadership in the development and refinement of the various data sets and indicators, including the mental health performance indicators for the National Healthcare Agreement (NHA). The unit also undertakes other mental health related projects under contract on behalf of various Federal and State Government entities. The unit is also responsible for a work program in support of the National Palliative Care Strategy launched in 2010.

Objectives

• Enhance the usefulness of the mental health information products that support the National Mental Health Information Priorities
• Improve the usefulness and relevance of the unit's work toward the objectives of the COAG National Action Plan on Mental Health 2006–11
• Keep under review the content, presentation and relevance of the annual series of reports on mental health services
• Develop and report on mental health-related performance indicators for the NHA

Performance against planned outputs in 2010–11
Finalise and publish a bulletin on community mental health care by socio-economic status	Not achieved Withdrawn from work plan
Finalise and publish Mental health services in Australia 2007–08 and associated online-accessible data	Achieved
Report on mental health performance indicators required for 2009–10 NHA reporting	Achieved
Publish a report on national palliative care performance indicators for 2009	Work in progress
Publish a report on mental health services for 2008–09 and associated outputs	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Contribute to the development and reporting of the Fourth National Mental Health Plan indicators	Achieved
Develop guidelines for data providers regarding the three major mental health-related National Minimum Data Sets	Achieved

Additional projects

• Pilot-tested the draft Mental Health Interventions Classification (see the 'snapshot')
• Undertook work to refine the NHA mental health performance indicators, including—for one indicator—linkage of datasets
• Improved the timeliness of reporting of performance indicators under the NHA that rely on the Mental Health National Minimum Data Set data collection
• Undertook a scoping study on the collection of mental health services delivered by non-government organisations

Committees

• National Minimum Data Set Subcommittee: Chair of and secretariat for this subcommittee of the Mental Health Information Strategy Subcommittee
• Mental Health Information Strategy Subcommittee: Member of this subcommittee of the Mental Health Standing Subcommittee; the Information Strategy Subcommittee is chaired by Dr Aaron Groves (Queensland Health)
• National Mental Health Performance Subcommittee: Member of this subcommittee of the Mental Health Information Strategy Subcommittee; the Performance Subcommittee is chaired by Ms Ruth Catchpoole (Queensland Health)

Data collections managed

• Admitted Patient Mental Health Care National Minimum Data Set database
• Mental Health Establishments National Minimum Data Set database
• Community Mental Health Care National Minimum Data Set database
• Residential Mental Health Care National Minimum Data Set database
• Palliative Care Performance Indicators data collection

Health Group

Group heads

Ms Lynelle Moon (acting to August 2010)
Ms Lisa McGlynn (from August 2010)

What we do

The Health Group develops and maintains national data to support monitoring and reporting on the health of Australians. This includes monitoring the determinants of health, health status and diseases, and related quality of life. The group reports on the health of populations and chronic disease monitoring, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, kidney disease, arthritis and asthma. It also reports on related health services such as cancer screening and primary care. It carries the primary responsibility for producing the flagship publication Australia's health and coordinates the AIHW's international work for the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the WHO and the Institute's input into the national e-health agenda.

Major achievements

During 2010–11, major achievements for the group were:

• revision of the presentation of data in the Cancer in Australia: an overview 2010 publication and its companion Cancer in brief 2010 publication (see the 'snapshot')
• production of a user-friendly, accessible online snapshot of information and statistics on asthma
• publication of other reports on:
  • Health and the environment: a compilation of evidence showing how human health can be positively and negatively influenced by the environment
  • The health of Australia's males including a companion report summary, showing that many Australian men could be doing more to protect and improve their health (see the 'snapshot')
  • Cardiovascular Disease: Australian facts 2011 which is produced only every 4–5 years
  • End-stage kidney disease in Australia: total incidence, 2003–2007, which includes a new method for counting, that now covers people with the disease who are not treated with dialysis or receiving a transplant as well as those patients who are
• ensuring that the information contained in the standards and specifications for the developing e-health information environment conform with or can be mapped to the standards contained in the National Health Data Dictionary.

Units in this group

• Cancer and Screening
• Cardiovascular, Diabetes and Kidney
• E-Health
• Population Health
• Primary Health and Respiratory and Musculoskeletal Monitoring

During the year, there were changes to the structure of the Health Group as follows:

• the Drug Surveys and Services Unit transferred to the new Continuing and Specialised Care Group in August 2010
• the former Respiratory Conditions and Primary Care Unit and former Musculosketetal Diseases Unit combined to become the Primary Health and Respiratory and Musculoskeletal Monitoring Unit in August 2010
• the E-Health Unit transferred from the Information and Statistics Group in August 2010.

Cancer and Screening Unit

Unit head

Ms Chris Sturrock

What we do

The Cancer and Screening Unit monitors, investigates and reports on cancer incidence, mortality, survival and prevalence as well as population-based cancer screening indicators. This includes maintaining the Australian Cancer Database as part of the National Cancer Statistics Clearing House in collaboration with the Australasian Association of Cancer Registries. The unit is responsible for annual monitoring of the national breast cancer, bowel cancer and cervical cancer screening programs. The unit also undertakes record linkage with the Australian Cancer Database for health research approved by the AIHW Ethics Committee. In addition, the unit is responsible for the National Centre for Monitoring Cancer which was established in 2009.

Objectives

• Provide high quality analyses of existing cancer data to inform policy
• Produce comprehensive and timely national cancer statistical reports
• Provide timely, accessible national cancer data online
• Prepare timely national, state and territory performance indicators for the national screening programs for breast, cervical and bowel cancer

Performance against planned outputs in 2010–11
Contribute to Australia's health 2012	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Finalise and publish Cancer in Australia: an overview 2010 and its companion summary report Cancer in Australia: in brief 2010	Achieved
Publish the sixth edition of Australian Cancer Incidence and Mortality 'books' (data spreadsheets)	Achieved
Publish Australian Cancer Incidence data cubes 1982–2007	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Contribute to The health and welfare of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: an overview 2011	Achieved
Publish Cervical cancer screening in Australia 2008–09	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Publish BreastScreen Australia monitoring report 2008–09	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Publish National Bowel Cancer Screening Program: annual monitoring report 2009 data supplement 2010	Achieved
Publish The National Bowel Cancer Screening Program: Phase 2 report	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Provide biannual operational reports to the program managers of the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program	Achieved
Provide biannual reports on implementation of the 2005 guidelines for the management of cervical cancer abnormalities to the Safety Monitoring Committee	Achieved
Publish Calculating screening rates for bowel cancer: Methodologies for the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program and National Healthcare Agreement performance indicators explained	Achieved
Produce a data dictionary for the National Bowel Cancer Screening program	Work in progress Long-term project; timing uncertain

Additional projects

• Implemented revised cervical cancer screening monitoring indicators
• Revised the National Cervical Cancer Prevention Dataset
• Reviewed the content and format of the Cancer in Australia publication (see the 'snapshot')
• Developed a draft population-based National Minimum Data Set for cancer
• Provided input to a business case aimed at including a question about Indigenous status on pathology service request forms
• Undertook a study of breast cancer screening characteristics and breast cancer survival in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women
• Reviewed the statistical methodology for projections of cancer incidence and for survival after a diagnosis of cancer

Committees

• Cancer Monitoring Advisory Group: Secretariat for this AIHW committee, chaired by Professor Jim Bishop (Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre), which provides advice for the National Centre for Monitoring Cancer
• Australasian Association of Cancer Registries Executive Committee: Secretariat for this committee chaired by Professor Alison Venn (Menzies Research Institute Tasmania)
• Cancer Australia data advisory group: Member
• National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre data advisory group: Member
• National Bowel Cancer Screening Program Advisory Group: Member
• Safety Monitoring Committee for the revised NHMRC guidelines for women with abnormal Pap tests: Member

Data collections managed

• Australian Cancer Database (in collaboration with the Australasian Association of Cancer Registries)
• BreastScreen Australia Database
• Cervical Screening (Safety monitoring) Dataset
• National Bowel Cancer Screening Database

Cardiovascular, Diabetes and Kidney Unit

Unit heads

Ms Susana Senes
Ms Anne Broadbent (acting to August 2010)
Ms Lynelle Moon

What we do

The Cardiovascular, Diabetes and Kidney Unit undertakes national monitoring of three diseases, including analysis of incidence and prevalence, mortality, morbidity, functioning and disability, risk factors, and associated health services. This work is carried out through the National Centre for Monitoring Cardiovascular Disease, the National Centre for Monitoring Diabetes (including the National Diabetes Register) and the National Centre for Monitoring Chronic Kidney Disease.

Objectives

• Continue to provide high-quality, policy-relevant analysis of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and kidney data, including analysis of prevention and health inequalities where possible
• Continue to develop a broader range of products to better meet the varied needs of the AIHW's audiences, including short summaries of publications, fact sheets, better use of the AIHW's website and presentations at relevant conferences
• Build on the solid base of the National Diabetes Register to extend its scope and use
• Continue to work with linked administrative data sets wherever possible to demonstrate the added value and usefulness of the information obtained through analysing the data in this way

Performance against planned outputs in 2010–11
Contribute to and coordinate a chapter for Australia's health 2012	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Contribute to The health and welfare of Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: an overview 2011	Achieved
Publish the Contribution of chronic disease to the adult mortality gap between Indigenous and other Australians	Achieved
Finalise and publish Cardiovascular disease: Australian facts 2011	Achieved
Publish a report on monitoring acute coronary events using national hospital morbidity data: trends and issues	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Finalise creation of a diabetes master file based on National Diabetes Services Scheme data	Achieved
Finalise and publish an analysis of mortality among registrants on the National Diabetes Register	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Finalise and publish Incidence of Type 1 diabetes in Australian children 2000–2008	Achieved
Publish Prevalence of Type 1 diabetes in Australian children 2000–2008	Achieved
Finalise a journal article on the prevalence of Type 1 diabetes in Australian children	Not achieved To be submitted in 2011–12
Publish a report on diabetes among young people	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Produce online-accessible data on insulin-treated diabetes from the National Diabetes Register	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Draft a report on trends in use of insulin pumps among people with diabetes	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Publish Diabetes in pregnancy: its impact on Australian women and their babies	Achieved
Finalise and publish Diabetes and poor mental health and wellbeing: an exploratory analysis	Achieved
Publish End-stage kidney disease in Australia: total incidence 2003–2007	Achieved
Finalise and publish Chronic kidney disease hospitalisations in Australia 2000–01 to 2007–08	Achieved
Publish a report on projections of the incidence of treated end-stage kidney disease for 2010–2020 and a working paper on projections for Indigenous Australians	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Finalise and publish a report on chronic kidney disease in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for 2010	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12

Additional projects

• Drafted a report on trends in risk factors for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and chronic kidney disease in different age groups
• Drafted a report on acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease
• Provided performance indicator data on the incidence of end-stage kidney disease and on diabetes required for 2009–10 National Healthcare Agreement reporting
• Drafted a report on the treatment methods for end-stage kidney disease in Australia

Committees

• Cardiovascular Disease Monitoring Advisory Committee: Secretariat for this National Centre for Monitoring Cardiovascular Disease committee, chaired by Professor Andrew Tonkin (Monash University)
• Chronic Kidney Disease Monitoring Advisory Committee: Secretariat for this National Centre for Monitoring Chronic Kidney Disease advisory committee, chaired by Associate Professor Tim Mathew (Kidney Health Australia)
• National Diabetes Data Working Group: Secretariat for this National Centre for Monitoring Diabetes committee, chaired by Associate Professor Jeff Flack (University of New South Wales)

Data collections managed

• National Diabetes Register

e-Health Unit

Unit head

Mr Gordon Tomes

What we do

The e-Health Unit scans the national information environment in the areas of health, welfare, housing, disability and community services. Within the AIHW, the unit disseminates and brokers information across the Institute for the national e-health agenda. It seeks to contribute to the continual improvement of statistical use of data to support better health and welfare outcomes. The e-Health Unit leads the AIHW's engagement with cross-cutting e-health initiatives, supports the Australian Collaborating Centre for the WHO Family of International Classifications (WHO-FIC), and provides advice on best practice for information management.

Objectives

• Play a leading role in developing a framework for the statistical uses of data generated in the e-health environment
• Seek to ensure e-health infrastructure is consistent with recognised adopted statistical standards
• Support the AIHW to engage in the developing e-health infrastructure for the supply of health information for statistics and research

Performance against planned outputs in 2010–11
Develop governance arrangements for the adoption of health classifications	Work in progress Contributing to an external process
Publish a report on e-Health benefits realisation measurement framework (jointly with National E-Health Transition Authority (NeHTA)	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Publish a report on secondary use service-data provisioning arrangements for statistical data supply (jointly with NeHTA)	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Publish a working paper on the statistical use of e-discharge summary data	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12

Committees

• National Health Information Regulatory Framework Working Group of the National E-Health and Information Principal Committee: Support to the Institute's member on this Group, chaired by Ms Rosemary Huxtable (DoHA)
• Joint Standing Committee of Health Informatics Standards: Support to the committee co-chaired by Dr David Filby (Chair, National Health Information Standards and Statistics Committee) and Mr Peter Williams (Chair, National Health Chief Information Officers Forum)
• Education and Implementation Committee: Member of this WHO-FIC Network committee, chaired by Ms Sue Walker (National Centre for Health Information and Training, Queensland University of Technology)
• Informatics and Terminology Committee: Member of this WHO-FIC Network committee, chaired by Dr Stefanie Weber (German Institute of Medical Documentation and Information)
• Health Informatics Committee (IT-014): Member of this Standards Australia committee, chaired by Ms Heather Grain (Consumer Health Forum and Llewellyn Grain Informatics)
• Clinical Terminology and Information Reference Group: Member of this NeHTA committee, chaired by Dr Michael Legg (NeHTA Clinical Lead and Health Informatics Society of Australia)
• General Practice SNOMED Clinical Terminology Reference Set Support Group: Member of this NeHTA committee, chaired by Dr John Bennett (NeHTA Clinical Lead and Royal Australian College of General Practitioners representative)
• Australian Clinical Terminologies User Group: Member of this NeHTA user forum, chaired by Mr Graeme Pegler (NSW Department of Health)
• National e-Health Transition Authority Clinical Leads Working Group: the Group Head is an observer of this group chaired by Dr Mukesh Haikerwahl (general practitioner and NEHTA)

Data collections managed

• Australian Medicines Terminology (for internal use)
• Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine - Clinical Terms - Australian Release (for internal use)

Population Health Unit

Unit head

Mr Mark Cooper-Stanbury

What we do

The Population Health Unit develops and reports information on the health of the Australian population and priority sub-populations, and covers health inequalities. It undertakes specific projects in the areas of environmental health and veterans' health, and hosts the National Centre for Monitoring Mandatory Folic Acid and Iodine Fortification. The unit also takes a 'population health' approach to its work in monitoring chronic diseases and associated determinants of health, management of the National Mortality Database, provision of official Australian data to international organisations (notably OECD and WHO), management of topic-specific population health surveys, and in support of the Institute's use of demographic and survey data.

Objectives

• Help the development of Australia's capacity to undertake national surveillance of chronic diseases and associated determinants
• Support the AIHW's work on health inequalities (including social determinants of health), and the health of specific populations
• Contribute to improved national understanding of significant male health issues through monitoring, analysing and disseminating male health data
• Contribute to improved national understanding of environmental health data sources with an emphasis on climate change and health
• Build capacity to monitor food and nutrition, including the effects of the mandatory fortification of food with folic acid and iodine
• Coordinate the AIHW's input to international reporting obligations
• Support the AIHW's needs for population and related data, ABS health-related unit record files, and national cause of death data.

Performance against planned outputs in 2010–11
Contribute to Australia's welfare 2011	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Contribute to and coordinate a chapter of Australia's health 2012	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Prepare General Record of Incidence Mortality 'books' for 2008 year of registration (national) and year of death (state and territory) (set of Excel workbooks)	Not achieved Source data unavailable; 'books' now superseded
Finalise and publish a report on Australia's food and nutrition	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Finalise and publish a report on international comparisons of Australia's health	Work in progress Redefined report to be published in 2011–12
Publish Health and the environment: a compilation of evidence	Achieved
Finalise and publish Premature mortality from chronic disease	Achieved
Finalise and publish a bulletin on comorbidity of mental health and chronic disease	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Finalise and publish a bulletin on children's physical activity patterns	Not achieved Removed from work plan
Publish Key indicators of chronic disease and associated determinants: data report	Achieved
Publish Mandatory folic acid and iodine fortification in Australia and New Zealand: baseline report for monitoring	Achieved
Publish 2009 Adult Vaccination Survey: summary results	Achieved
Publish 2010 Pandemic Vaccination Survey: summary results	Achieved
Publish a report on the 2010 Australian National Infant Feeding Survey	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Produce an interactive online database as a guide to overweight and obesity data sources	Achieved
Contribute to the OECD's Health at a glance publication (see the 'snapshot')	Achieved
Publish Electoral roll matching project	Achieved

Additional projects

• Prepared a set of mortality data spreadsheets as an alternative to the General Record of Incidence Mortality 'books' for 2008
• Established a project about male health information, including publication and Ministerial launch of The health of Australia's males during Men's Health Week (June 2011) (see the 'snapshot')
• Developed a set of core national breastfeeding indicators including convening a national consensus workshop and publishing the National breastfeeding indicators: workshop report (to be released in July 2011)
• Drafted a supplementary report on folic acid and iodine fortification baseline data (to be published in 2011–12)
• Supported an AIHW Ethics Committee application for data from the Female Vietnam Veteran Health Register
• Produced a pamphlet for AIHW staff describing sources and contacts for population data
• Published Drinking patterns in Australia, 2001–2007

Committees

• Population Health Information Development Group: Secretariat for this subcommittee of the Australian Population Health Development Principal Committee; the subcommittee is chaired by Mr Jim Hyde (Victorian Department of Health) (internally and externally funded)
• National Partnership Agreement on Preventive Health Implementation Working Group Technical Advisory Group: Member
• Australian Population Health Development Principal Committee—Interim Food and Nutrition Sub-Committee: Observer
• Australasian Mortality Data Interest Group: Member of this interest group chaired by Dr James Harrison (Flinders University)
• ABS Mortality Statistics Advisory Group: Member
• Australian National Infant Feeding Survey Technical Advisory Group: Chair of and secretariat for this AIHW advisory group
• Food Standards Australia New Zealand Dietary Modelling Stakeholder Advisory Group: Member

Data collections managed

• National Mortality Database
• AIHW Population Database
• Adult Vaccination surveys
• Pandemic Vaccination Survey
• Australian National Infant Feeding Survey
• Selected veterans and defence health databases and nominal rolls
• Chronic Disease Indicators Database
• Guide to anthropometric data sources database

Primary Health and Respiratory and Musculoskeletal Monitoring Unit

Unit head

Dr Adrian Webster

What we do

The Primary Health and Respiratory and Musculoskeletal Monitoring Unit is responsible for monitoring and reporting on three health areas.

• Primary health care: The unit is responsible for contributing to improving the primary health care information available nationally, including engaging with key stakeholders surrounding a variety of related data development activities and acting as data custodian of Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health (BEACH) survey of general practice data.
• Chronic respiratory conditions including asthma: The unit works in collaboration with the Australian Centre for Asthma Monitoring at the Woolcock Institute for Medical Research to monitor asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other chronic respiratory conditions nationally.
• Musculoskeletal conditions including arthritis and osteoporosis: The AIHW National Centre for Monitoring Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Conditions undertakes surveillance and monitoring of various bone and joint conditions in Australia. The centre is a source of statistical information about various musculoskeletal conditions and their associated problems.

Objectives

• Conduct national monitoring of asthma and linked respiratory diseases including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• Conduct national monitoring of musculoskeletal conditions including arthritis and osteoporosis
• Support improved access to primary health care information nationally
• Be a reliable source of information on the epidemiology of respiratory and musculoskeletal conditions, and on the health care needs of people with these conditions
• Generate data to track the impact of health policy and of prevention and management strategies on respiratory and musculoskeletal conditions and primary health care
• Promote and apply uniform statistical standards, methods and definitions for respiratory and musculoskeletal conditions as well as for primary health care
• Promote improvements in primary health care information, including working with stakeholders to identify data needs, gaps and recommendations for data development

Performance against planned outputs in 2010–11
Finalise and publish:
– The use of disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs for the management of rheumatoid arthritis	Achieved
– When musculoskeletal conditions and mental disorders occur together	Achieved
–Use of health services for arthritis and osteoporosis	Achieved
– A snapshot of arthritis in Australia 2010	Achieved
– Population differences in healthcare use for arthritis and osteoporosis in Australia	Achieved To be published in August 2011
– The use of antiresorptive agents for osteoporosis management	Achieved To be published in August 2012
Publish:
–A snapshot of osteoporosis in Australia 2011	Achieved
– 'The Asthma Snapshot'— a web-based product showing key trends in asthma	Achieved
– Asthma in Australia 2011	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Commence drafting a baseline report of primary care service delivery nationally	Work in progress

Additional projects

• Finalised a paper on the proposed National Minimum Data Set for primary care for the National Health Information and Statistics Standards Committee

Committees

• National Asthma and Linked Chronic Respiratory Conditions Monitoring Advisory Group: Secretariat for this group chaired by Professor Carol Armour (The University of Sydney)
• National Centre for Monitoring Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Conditions Advisory Group: Secretariat for this group; the Chair is yet to be appointed
• Advisory Committee Geographic and Remote Analysis in Primary Health Care: the Group Head is a member of this Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute committee chaired by Mr Robert Wells (Menzies Centre for Health Policy and Australian National University)
• Advisory Committee for Practice level Indicators of Safety and Quality for Primary Health Care: the Group Head chairs this ACSQHC committee
• National Advisory Committee for the Centre of Research Excellence in accessible and equitable primary health service provision in rural and remote Australia: the Group Head is a member of this Monash University School of Rural Health committee chaired by Professor John Humphreys (Monash University)
• Victorian Community Health Indicator Project group: the Group Head is a member of this Victorian Department of Health group chaired by Mr Paul Ireland (Victorian Quality Council)

Data collections managed

• BEACH survey data, as data custodian

Hospitals and Performance Group

Group head

Ms Jenny Hargreaves

What we do

The Hospitals and Performance Group provides statistical leadership, develops and compiles data, undertakes analyses and disseminates policy relevant statistical information about hospitals and about health sector performance, including the safety and quality of health care. Major outputs are the Australian hospital statistics suite of products and data and information content for the MyHospitals website.

The group has a focus on shaping the AIHW's future role in hospital data management and reporting, and in health sector performance reporting, within the changing environment of the national health reforms.

The group contributes to national and international data and information infrastructure development through participation in a range of national activities and forums relating to information on hospitals, health care safety and quality and performance reporting. The group also has responsibility for the coordination of aspects of Australia's international health classification work.

Major achievements

During 2010–11, major achievements for the group were:

• conducting an independent stakeholder review of the Australian hospital statistics suite of products to inform their further development (see the 'snapshot')
• development of an online hospitals data validation tool, Validata^®, to improve timeliness and quality of the national hospital statistics products (see the 'snapshot')
• a contribution to the development of the MyHospitals website and the timely delivery of quality information on hospital performance (see the 'snapshot').

Units in this group

• Health Care Safety and Quality
• Health Performance Indicators
• Hospitals Data
• Hospitals Information Improvement
• Hospitals Reporting

The former Economics and Health Services Group changed its name to the Hospitals and Performance Group in August 2010. This followed the transfer in August 2010 of:

• the Expenditure and Economics Unit to the Information and Statistics Group
• the Mental Health Services Unit to the Continuing and Specialised Care Group.

Other changes at that time were that:

• the former Hospitals Unit and the former (temporary) Hospitals Website Data Unit (transferring from the Governance and Communications Group) were reorganised into three units—Hospitals Data Unit, Hospitals Information Improvement Unit and Hospitals Reporting Unit.

Health Care Safety and Quality Unit

Unit heads

Ms Cheryl Harkins (to August 2010)
Dr Julia Tresidder (acting from August 2010)

What we do

The Health Care Safety and Quality Unit focuses on the development and reporting of safety and quality information in relation to Australia's health care services. Major priorities are medical indemnity information and partnership work with the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC) to improve the quality and availability of national information on health care safety and quality. The unit also contributes to the development of specifications and data for the National Healthcare Agreement (NHA) performance indicators on health care safety and quality and the OECD's Health Care Quality Indicators project.

Objectives

• Continue to develop medical indemnity information, including developing a data set specification and online data cubes to enhance reporting
• Contribute to the core hospital-based outcome indicator of the ACSQHC. This project will produce robust national core hospital-based outcome indicators for the monitoring and review of safety and quality
• Develop and report on the NHA performance indicators on adverse events in hospitals and potentially preventable hospitalisations
• Continue to strengthen involvement in the OECD's Health Care Quality Indicators project, with a view to ensuring the AIHW's work is both nationally and internationally relevant
• Work with stakeholders to ensure that the unit provides and presents information in the most timely and user-friendly way, including using web-based communication and presentation of information

Performance against planned outputs in 2010–11
Contribute to Australia's health 2012	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Collate and provide data on 8 NHA performance indicators of adverse events in hospitals, hospital re-admissions, and potentially preventable hospitalisations	Achieved
Publish Australia's public sector medical indemnity claims 2007–08 and Public and private sector medical indemnity claims in Australia 2007–08	Achieved

Additional projects

• Undertook data development for NHA performance indicators for adverse events in hospitals and potentially preventable hospitalisations
• Provided support and advice to the ACSQHC on information matters
• Drafted reports for publication on public sector medical indemnity claims for 2008–09 and on public and private sector medical indemnity claims for 2008–09 (to be published in 2011–12)
• Collated public and private sector data for 2009–10 for the Medical Indemnity National Collection and began preparing reports
• Drafted a Data Set Specification for the Medical Indemnity National Collection for consideration by the National Health Information Standards and Statistics Committee (NHISSC)
• Completed a review of the Medical Indemnity National Collection, including a stakeholder workshop held in collaboration with the Medical Indemnity Data Working Group
• Contributed to the preparation of national data for international publication through the OECD Health Care Quality Indicators project
• Produced reports for the ACSQHC to support the development of methods for national core hospital-based outcome indicators

Committees

• Medical Indemnity Data Working Group: Secretariat for and member of this working group of the NHISSC, chaired by Ms Michele Murphy (NSW Department of Health)
• Medical Indemnity National Collection Coordinating Committee: Secretariat for and member of this committee, chaired by Mr Paul Currall (DoHA)
• Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia Working Group: Chair of and secretariat for this working group of the NHISSC
• Potentially Preventable Hospitalisations Working Group: Secretariat for and member of this working group of the NHISSC, chaired by Professor Chris Baggoley (ACSQHC)
• Adverse Events in Hospitals Working Group: Chair of and secretariat for this working group of the NHISSC

Data collections managed

• Medical Indemnity National Collection
• Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia data collection (for NHA reporting)

Health Performance Indicators Unit

Unit head

Ms Louise York

What we do

The Health Performance Indicators Unit develops, compiles and analyses data relevant to the performance monitoring of Australia's health care system. The unit's major focus is on coordinating the development and delivery of high-quality performance indicators under the National Healthcare Agreement (NHA), in consultation with national information and data committees. The unit also coordinates AIHW contributions for the SCRGSP's Report on Government Services (published through the SCRGSP), and works with stakeholders to develop national data collections required for health performance reporting, particularly for non-admitted hospital patients.

Objectives

• Work closely with the National Health Information Standards and Statistics Committee to further develop and review indicators associated with the NHA and to help in meeting the national reporting requirements for the Intergovernmental Agreement on Federal Financial Relations
• Coordinate the provision of high-quality performance reporting material under the NHA from the AIHW and other relevant authorities to central agencies according to agreed deadlines
• Enhance the availability and timeliness of health-related information by participating in the AIHW's work to capitalise on the new information and strategic environment as it relates to healthcare performance indicators

Performance against planned outputs in 2010–11
Contribute to Australia's health 2012	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Quality assure 48 performance indicators required for National Health Agreement reporting and associated data quality statements supplied by the AIHW to the SCRGSP	Achieved
Publish a bulletin on the data development requirements for hospital emergency department services	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Publish a report on welfare indicators	Not achieved Incorporated into Australia's welfare 2011
Publish a bulletin on socio-economic/remoteness gradients in selected National Healthcare Performance Indicators	Not achieved Removed from work plan due to competing priorities

Additional projects

• Developed a Non-Admitted Patient Data Set Specification in consultation with all Australian jurisdictions
• Progressed development of a proposed radiotherapy waiting times National Minimum Data Set and associated business case
• Published Access to health and services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• Provided technical guidance to AIHW and collaborating unit staff developing and reviewing indicator and datasets for NHA reporting

Committees

• National Health Information Standards and Statistics Committee: provided support to the AIHW member on this committee chaired by Dr David Filby (consultant to the Australian Health Ministers' Conference)
• Radiotherapy Waiting Times Working Group: Secretariat for and member of this working group of the NHISSC, chaired by Peter Brandt (NSW Health)

Hospitals Data Unit

Unit head

Mr George Bodilsen

What we do

The Hospitals Data Unit is the custodian of the AIHW's national hospitals databases. The unit is responsible for the collation and maintenance of the databases, and for improving data quality and timeliness (such as by managing use of the online validation tool, Validata^®). It also provides support for the use of the hospitals data by AIHW staff and staff in collaborating units. The unit undertakes hospitals data development, focusing on establishment-level data.

Objectives

• Develop processes to support earlier receipt, preparation and validation of national hospital data
• Finalise the development of a private hospital establishments Data Set Specification
• Collate and maintain hospitals databases
• Support use of hospitals data by AIHW staff and collaborating units
• Support the use of hospitals data by the public

Performance against planned outputs in 2010–11
Publish Weight Loss Surgery in Australia	Achieved
Respond to ad hoc data requests from internal and external stakeholders	Achieved

Additional projects

• Successfully launched Validata^® (the online hospital validation tool), in collaboration with the Business Group
• Successfully produced hospital databases on time for release of more timely Australian hospital statistics products
• Undertook preparatory metadata development related to the introduction of a new ABS geographical classification
• Finalised the development of a private hospital establishments Data Set Specification in preparation for field testing

Undertook receipt and validation of quarterly Non-Admitted Patient Emergency Department Care data on behalf of DoHA

Data collections managed

• National Hospital Morbidity Database
• National Public Hospital Establishments Database
• National Elective Surgery Waiting Times Data Collections (Removals and Census)
• National Non-admitted Patient Emergency Department Care Database
• National Outpatient Care Database

Hospitals Information Improvement Unit

Unit head

Ms Cheryl Harkins (from August 2010)

What we do

The Hospitals Information Improvement Unit has a strategic focus on hospitals information development, in the context of the national health reforms. It is the AIHW's focal point for health classifications (such as ICD-10-AM), contributing to national and international classification development, and providing a source of expert advice for staff working with classifications and coded data. The unit undertakes development of performance reporting for the MyHospitals website, undertakes development of other hospital data (focussing on admitted patients) and contributes to the OECD's Health Care Quality Indicators project.

Objectives

• Develop indicators (including for safety and quality) for reporting on the MyHospitals website, and work towards other content improvement for the website
• Contribute to shaping the AIHW's role in hospitals information development and dissemination, in the context of the national health reforms
• Improve the quality of admitted patient care data and analysis, through metadata improvements and contribution to an assessment of the quality of Indigenous identification data
• Improve health care safety and quality reporting for the National Healthcare Agreement (NHA), and the OECD's Health Care Quality Indicators project

Performance against planned outputs in 2010–11
Provide health care quality indicator data for an OECD Health at a glance 2011 report	Achieved
Publish a report on OECD health care quality indicators in Australia: results and appropriateness of their use	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Produce guidelines for the analysis and interpretation of administrative data to describe the quality of health services	Work in progress An internal document
Publish OECD patient safety indicators: Australian evaluation	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12

Additional projects

• Contributed to AIHW strategic positioning for hospitals work
• Further developed COAG NHA performance indicators on adverse drug events in hospitals and hospital re-admissions
• Coordinated AIHW contributions to the WHO Family of International Classifications (WHOFIC) Australian Collaborating Centre
• Contributed to the initial phases in the redevelopment of the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases
• Developed internal seminar on coded diagnosis and procedures hospitals data to improve the quality of AIHW analysis and reporting
• Undertook performance indicator development for the MyHospitals website
• Produced requested advice for national health committees on possible options for reporting on patient continuity of care using the Admitted patient care National Minimum Data Set
• Contribute to the closing the data gaps Indigenous identification project (joint project with the Indigenous Data Gaps Unit)

Committees

• Adverse Events in Hospitals Working Group: Chair and secretariat for this National Health Information Standards and Statistics Committee working group
• MyHospitals Development Steering Committee: Member (Group Head) and lead developer of performance indicator advice
• Australian Collaborating Centre for WHO-FIC: Chair and secretariat

Hospitals Reporting Unit

Unit head

Katrina Burgess (acting from August 2010)

What we do

The Hospitals Reporting Unit is responsible for statistical reporting on hospitals, including the preparation of the Australian Hospital Statistics suite of products and the data component of the MyHospitals website. The unit also prepares hospital performance indicators for National Healthcare Agreement (NHA) reporting and for the SCRGSP's Report on Government Services.

Objectives

• Produce comprehensive and timely national hospital statistics for publication in a suite of Australian Hospital Statistics products
• Prepare data for the MyHospitals website
• Prepare hospital-related NHA indicators
• Manage a comprehensive stakeholder review of the Australian hospital statistics suite of products
• Continue to liaise with stakeholders to ensure the ongoing development and policy relevance of the Australian Hospital Statistics suite of products, in the light of the recent review of the suite
• Contribute to communicating knowledge of the hospitals data within the AIHW

Performance against planned outputs in 2010–11
Publish Australian Hospital Statistics 2009–10	Achieved
Publish Australia's hospitals 2009–10 at a glance	Achieved
Publish Australian hospital statistics 2009–10: emergency department care and elective surgery waiting times	Achieved
Prepare 12 hospital-based performance indicator data and data quality statements for NHA reporting	Achieved
Respond to ad hoc data requests from within the AIHW and from external stakeholders	Achieved

Additional projects

• Prepared data for the MyHospitals website

Committees

• Australian Hospital Statistics Advisory Committee: Chair and secretariat for this AIHW committee

Data collections managed

• Supplementary private hospitals data collection (for the MyHospitals website)

Housing and Homelessness Group

Group head

Mr Geoff Neideck
Dr Ken Tallis was Division Head with responsibilities covering Housing and Homelessness Group prior to his resignation in August 2010.

What we do

The Housing and Homelessness Group is responsible for producing statistics, analysis and information on housing and homelessness. The Group aims to describe and analyse the services and forms of assistance which help all Australians to find or maintain safe, secure and affordable housing.

In 2010–11, the Group has had lead responsibility at AIHW for production of performance indicators to support the COAG reform agenda, as articulated in the National Affordable Housing Agreement, the National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness, the National Partnership Agreement on Social Housing and the National Partnership Agreement on Remote Indigenous Housing.

The group works closely with stakeholders in the Housing and Homelessness Policy and Research Working Group (HHPRWG), the Homelessness Data Project Board, and the Housing and Homelessness Information Management Group for which AIHW acts as the Secretariat.

Major achievements

• Development of an improved and expanded National Minimum Data Set for the Specialist Homelessness Services (SHS) data collection
• Development of systems to collect and process homelessness data
• Development of a client management system for specialist homelessness services to manage and report client information (see the 'snapshot')
• Improved reporting of Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP) data

Units and teams in this group

• Client Management System Team
• Homelessness Business Transition
• Homelessness Data Collection
• Specialist Homelessness Services Collection System Team

During the year several functional changes were made to the group, to accommodate the expanded work program associated with the former SHS Project as follows:

• the Housing Unit and the Housing and Homelessness Integration Unit transferred, as an expected interim arrangement, to the new Continuing and Specialised Care Group in September 2010
• the responsibilities of the former Housing and Homelessness Analytics and Research Unit were transferred partially to the Economics and Expenditure Unit and partially to the Housing and Homelessness Integration Unit in October 2010
• a new Client Management System Team was created in September 2010
• the SHS Project became the Homelessness Business Transition Unit and the Specialist Homelessness Services Collection System Team in February 2011.

Client Management System Team

Unit head

Ms Alana Shaw (acting from September 2010)

What we do

The Client Management System team is responsible for the development and implementation of the new Client Management System for the homelessness sector. This system has been deployed to help agencies that work directly with people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness to run their core business and concurrently capture the data required for reporting purposes.

Objectives

• Assist jurisdictions in implementing the new client management system among their specialist homelessness services agencies
• Provide advice and support for helpdesk and other support to agencies and jurisdictions in implementing the new client management system

Performance against planned outputs in 2010–11
Provide support to States and Territories in a plan for procuring a client management system for homelessness agencies	Achieved
Successfully procure a client management system that would deliver quality data to AIHW for the SHS Collection	Achieved
Support development for new NMDS items	Achieved

Additional projects

• Designed and documented business requirements and system architecture for the client-based homelessness data collection, which replaced the SAAP collection

Homelessness Business Transition Unit

Unit head

Ms Penny Siu (from January 2011)

What we do

The Homelessness Business Transition Unit was established to develop a series of communication, training and transition products to ensure the success of the business implementation of the new Specialist Homelessness Services (SHS) data collection.

Objectives

The unit managed the transition from previous homelessness data collections to the new collection by:

• communicating with the homelessness sector and State and Territory governments on implementation plans for the new collection are in place
• developing and delivering a training package on various modules of the new SHS data collection to training staff within each state and territory jurisdiction
• developing a paper form instrument and data collection contingency plan involving paper forms as a business continuity option for agencies
• creating change management materials in order to communicate information and a training schedule to ensure all internal staff are informed and learn the skills required for the new collection.

Performance against planned outputs in 2010–11
Complete Ethics Committee application for the SHS data collection	Achieved
Develop external stakeholder communication products such as e-newsletters, flyers, webpage updates, presentations for use by peak bodies/organisations, brochures and posters	Work in progress Partly complete
Develop a national training framework and manage the delivery of the trainer package in all State and Territory jurisdictions	Achieved
Develop a transition plan and new group structure including roles and responsibilities at each level of the new data collection	Achieved
Develop a training program for internal staff along with operational procedures	Achieved
Contribute to the development of data collection manuals, technical guides and procedural documentation	Achieved
Develop a paper form instrument for the SHS data collection	Achieved
Develop a paper form contingency plan for the SHS data collection	Achieved

Additional projects

• Monitored the progress of SHS data collection training nationally and provide support in meeting training targets
• Created a contingency plan for states or territories unable to commence the SHS data collection on 1 July 2011, including increased flexibility for implementation and additional training assistance
• Communicated key messages and updates to stakeholders concerning the SHS data collection implementation
• Established relationships and governance structure to work with key internal and external stakeholders on the development of the new homelessness data system

Committees

• Specialist Homelessness Services Steering Committee: Chair of this committee
• Specialist Homelessness Services User Advisory Group: Secretariat for this external user group chaired by the AIHW
• Homelessness Data Project Board (HDPB): Observer at this Housing Ministers' Advisory Committee board; chaired by Ms Julie Waylen (WA Department of Child Protection)

Homelessness Data Collection Unit

Unit heads

Ms Alana Shaw (acting to September 2010)
Dr Edmond Hsu (from November 2010 to March 2011)
Ms Felicity Murdoch (acting October 2010; March 2011 to May 2011)
Ms Cathy McNickle (acting from May 2011)

What we do

The Homelessness Data Collection Unit collects data on government-funded specialist homelessness services and the Victorian Homelessness Data Collection (VHDC). The Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP) ceased in 2008. However, the unit continues to collect data, via the SAAP National Data Collection (NDC), on existing government-funded specialist homelessness services and new services that began with the advent of the National Affordable Housing Agreement.

The unit collects, processes and reports on data collected from specialist homelessness agencies pending the introduction of a new national homelessness data system in 2011, and for the VHDC. It also works closely with other agencies in conducting the above-mentioned collections.

Objectives

• Support a smooth transition from the SAAP NDC to the Specialist Homelessness Services (SHS) data collection to ensure the continued provision of relevant data for jurisdictions and their agencies
• Provide hotline support to specialist homelessness agencies
• Report on data collected from specialist homelessness agencies, including preparation of agency reports, annual reports, turn-away reports and confidentialised unit record files
• Continue work on the VHDC project, including preparation of agency reports, annual reports, confidentialised unit record files and telephone hotline support to agency workers
• Ensure the continued provision of relevant data for jurisdictions and their agencies
• Review draft reports, supply data and provide advice to other AIHW units

Performance against planned outputs in 2010–11
Contribute a chapter on homelessness for Australia's welfare 2011	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Produce confidentialised unit record files of homelessness services collections for each state and territory (including SAAP NDC and VHDC)	Achieved
Report against interim COAG performance indicators	Achieved
Produce agency reports for each agency supplying specialist homelessness services, including VHDC	Achieved
Deliver papers and presentations at relevant conferences in 2010–11	Not achieved Conference postponed

Additional projects

• Published Government-funded specialist homelessness services: SAAP National Data Collection annual report 2009–10 Australia and eight associated state and territory supplementary reports
• Published People turned away from government-funded specialist homelessness accommodation 2009–10 (see the 'snapshot')
• Produced an annual report for the 2009–10 VHDC
• Produced ad hoc data for specialist homelessness stakeholders, including VHDC
• Supported additional elements of the COAG reform agenda relevant to homelessness
• Published Demand for government-funded specialist homelessness accommodation 2008–09: a report from the SAAP National Data Collection, and accompanying summary document

Committees

• Housing and Homelessness Information Management Group: Observer at this Housing and Homelessness Policy Research Working Group committee, chaired by Ms Penny Gillespie (Queensland Department of Communities)
• Housing Working Group: Observer at this working group of the SCRGSP; the working group is chaired by Mr John O'Connell (Queensland Department of Treasury)

Data collections managed

• Supported Accommodation Assistance Program Administrative Collection
• Supported Accommodation Assistance Program Client Collection
• Supported Accommodation Assistance Program Demand for Accommodation Collection
• Victorian Homelessness Data Collection

Specialist Homelessness Services Collection System Team

Unit head

Mr Anthony MacLean (from February 2011)

What we do

The Specialist Homelessness Services Collection System Team will improve the evidence base with regard to homelessness and services to support the homeless by building a new homelessness data collection system. The primary objective of this team is to provide a system that will allow submissions of specialist homelessness client data, the storage and administration of this data, and a flexible reporting system that will be able to provide reports for the Commonwealth, jurisdictions, agencies and AIHW. The new homelessness data collection will be an important contributor to the evidence base for monitoring and evaluating homelessness in Australia.

Objectives

• Design and document a new national specialist homelessness services (SHS) data collection
• Liaise with relevant AIHW and inter-jurisdictional governance committees to ensure necessary agreements are in place to support the SHS data collection
• Build, implement and deliver systems to support the new SHS data collection
• Support and advise other AIHW units regarding homelessness data for COAG reporting requirements, while managing the transition from existing homelessness collections

Performance against planned outputs in 2010–11
Produce a technical specification of a new SHS data collection including requirements for data collection, business systems and system architecture	Achieved
Produce a technical specification to support the collection of administrative data from jurisdictional data suppliers	Achieved
Build a computerised system to support a new client-based SHS data collection	Work in progress Substantively complete

Additional projects

• Provided expert advice to the Housing an Homelessness Information Management Group on national performance reporting issues, including national data standards
• Provided advice to the HHIMG, the Housing and Homelessness Performance Review Working Group and other Commonwealth agencies, regarding the establishment of collection systems to support national reporting requirements as specified by the National Affordable Housing Agreement
• Resolved technical issues associated with the collection and reporting of homelessness data

Information and Statistics Group

Group head

Ms Teresa Dickinson

What we do

The Information and Statistics Group is responsible for supporting the statistical excellence of the AIHW through metadata and information management services, data linkage, statistical quality assurance work, support and conduct of advanced statistical research and continual improvement of AIHW's statistical infrastructure, including classifications and standards.

The group also publishes policy-relevant statistical information about the financial and human resources used in health and welfare. Expenditure is analysed in a number of ways, including by state, by funding source and for different groups, such as indigenous Australians. The group manages the statistical reuse of information from the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme for health professionals, as well as providing other information relating to the workforce in health and community services occupations and industries in Australia.

During 2010–11, the Information and Statistics Group was also responsible for producing reports on functioning and disability in Australia and for managing national minimum data sets relating to disability. From January 2011, it also took on oversight of work performed by the Dental Statistics and Research Unit—a collaborating unit of AIHW, based at the University of Adelaide.

Major achievements

Major achievements for the group during 2011–12 are listed below.

• The group continues to build its experience and capability in data linkage through development of data linkage methodologies and infrastructure as well as by undertaking increasingly large and complex data linkage projects. This work is consistent with the AIHW's intention to apply to become an Accredited Integrating Authority, and so be authorised to undertake high risk complex data linkage projects involving Commonwealth data.
• The release of the publication Australian health expenditure by remoteness: a comparison of remote, regional and city health expenditure provided a new opportunity for AIHW data users to comprehensively examine spending in remote and regional Australia compared with urban areas (see the 'snapshot').
• Production of substantial updates to the national data dictionaries for the health and community services sectors promulgates data standards throughout the health and community services data communities.
• Release of the National Indicator Catalogue, containing all COAG performance indicators and their specifications, which is a substantial AIHW contribution to the COAG reporting agenda (see the 'snapshot').

Units in this group

• Data Linkage
• Expenditure and Economics
• Functioning and Disability
• Labour Force
• METeOR and Metadata Unit

During the year a number of structural changes were made to the Information and Statistics Group, as follows:

• the Expenditure and Economics Unit transferred from the former Economics and Health Services Group in August 2010
• the former Metadata Information Services – Information Environment Unit changed its name to e-Health Unit and was transferred to the Health Group in August 2010

Data Linkage Unit

Unit head

Dr Phil Anderson

What we do

The Data Linkage Unit facilitates the development and analysis of person-centred (rather than program-centred) data to support whole-ofgovernment and whole-of-life approaches to policy. The unit achieves this by investigating data linkage and analytical methods, by undertaking data linkage and analyses of linked data sets, and by providing leadership and assistance to analyses undertaken elsewhere within the AIHW, through close collaboration with subject matter staff. The unit is the main point of contact with the wider national and international data linkage communities. The unit also undertakes record linkage with the National Death Index, the National Cancer Statistics Clearing House and other data to support internal and external linkage-based research projects that have received AIHW Ethics Committee approval. All data linkage takes place within the strict ethical and privacy arrangements determined by the AIHW Board, the AIHW Ethics Committee and the AIHW Director.

Objectives

• Develop the AIHW's capacity to fill information gaps through the continued enhancement of data linkage and analytical methodologies
• Increase confidence in, and acceptance of, data linkage by explaining its benefits and by publicising the AIHW's strong privacy protections
• Prepare and apply for becoming an accredited integrating authority under the new guidelines for data integration involving Commonwealth data for statistical and research purposes
• Develop better ways of presenting key findings from linked data and integrating the findings with other statistical analyses in the AIHW's reports
• Enhance methods and systems to create the data sets required for the AIHW's expanded program of linkage-based statistical analysis and research
• Support the production of those COAG performance indicators that will be derived from linked data views of Australians' health and welfare, by undertaking and supporting analyses of linked data

Performance against planned outputs in 2010–11
Publish Comparing an SLK-based and a name-based data linkage strategy: an investigation into the PIAC linkage	Achieved
Produce a report on data linkage methods used for the Hospital Dementia Services outcomes project (National Health and Medical Research Council grant)	Not achieved Not required as described elsewhere
Contribute to Australia's welfare 2011 and other AIHW publications	Not achieved Not required
Publish reports and articles on the care pathways of older Australians (National Health and Medical Research Council grant):
– Pathways in aged care services: program use after assessment	Achieved
– a journal article on care trajectories through community and residential aged care services: disease effects	Achieved Submitted for publication
– Pathways in aged care: do people follow recommendations?	Achieved To be published in 2011–12
– a bulletin on the effect of community care and entry into permanent residential aged care	Work in progress To be published 2011–12
Finalise and publish a report on the use of hospitals by people in residential aged care	Work in progress To be published 2011–12
Publish a bulletin on the Hospital Dementia Services Project: age differences in hospital stays for older people with and without dementia	Achieved Format changed; a paper submitted for publication
Finalise and publish a report on the implementation of the linkage of Supported Accommodation Assistance Program, child protection and juvenile justice data	Work in progress To be published 2011–12

Additional projects

• Undertook data linkage work that responded to the needs of internal and external stakeholders
• Completed data linkage for a project on Low dose radiation – Effects of CT scans in childhood
• Produced AIHW protocols for the creation, analysis and protection of linked data; the protocols have been adopted for a number of internal projects

Committees

• Integrating Authorities Working Group: Member of this working group of the Health Policy Priorities Principal Committee chaired by DoHA
• Cross Portfolio Statistical Integration Committee Working Group: Member of this committee chaired by ABS

Data collections managed

• National Death Index

Expenditure and Economics Unit

Unit head

Mr Richard Juckes (to March 2011)
Ms Gail Brien (from April 2011)

What we do

The Expenditure and Economics Unit develops, collates and reports information on expenditure relating to the provision of specific types of health and welfare services, and expenditure by disease. The unit also undertakes other economic analysis work relevant to health and welfare.

Objectives

• Make expenditure data more accessible, more relevant to policy and timelier. In particular, provide expenditure data to support the Intergovernmental Agreement on Federal Financial Relations' performance indicator reporting process
• Redevelop the health expenditure database to improve the efficiency and timeliness of the collation, processing, editing and output of expenditure data
• Improve the methodology used for estimating expenditure statistics, in particular for Indigenous and (subject to resources) welfare expenditure

Performance against planned outputs in 2010–11
Contribute welfare expenditure data for 2008–09 to Australia's welfare 2011	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Publish Health expenditure Australia 2008–09	Achieved
Produce health expenditure data cubes for 2008–09	Achieved
Produce estimates for inclusion in OECD's international health and social expenditure databases (see the 'snapshot')	Achieved For the OECD's health expenditure database; AIHW's welfare expenditure collection is under review
Produce performance indicators and data quality statements for National Healthcare Agreement reporting	Achieved
Contribute health and aged care expenditure data by disease to various AIHW processes and publications	Achieved A report on lung cancer is to be published in 2011–12
Finalise and publish Public health expenditure in Australia 2008–09	Achieved
Produce public health expenditure data cubes for 2008–09	Achieved
Publish a report on public health expenditure for 2009–10	Not achieved Public health expenditure collection is being reviewed
Publish a report on health system expenditure on disease and injury for 2007–08	Work in progress Output redefined; analyses to be included in Australia's health 2012
Contribute to The health and welfare of Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, an overview, 2011	Achieved
Publish Australian health expenditure by remoteness: a comparison of remote, regional and city health expenditure (see the 'snapshot')	Achieved
Finalise and publish a bulletin on Expenditure on health for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people 2006–07: an analysis by remoteness and disease	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Publish Expenditure on health for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people 2008–09	Achieved
Publish a bulletin on expenditure on health for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people 2008–09: an analysis by remoteness and disease	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12

Additional projects

• Redeveloped the Health Expenditure Database
• Progressed development of a new methodology for attributing aged care expenditure to disease categories, initially in relation to dementia
• Provided advice to the relevant government departments about the development of data and collection systems that will facilitate the reporting of comprehensive expenditure data that are comparable across jurisdictions
• Provided advice to the Productivity Commission on its Indigenous expenditure reporting
• Participated in data development and reporting work of the WHO and the OECD

Committees

• Health Expenditure Advisory Committee: Chair of and secretariat for this committee
• Public Health Expenditure Technical Advisory Group: Secretariat for and member of this advisory group chaired by Ms Robyn Clark (Queensland Department of Health)
• Indigenous Health Expenditure Technical Advisory Group: Secretariat for and joint chair with Ms Jenean Spencer (Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health, DoHA)
• Indigenous Expenditure Framework Steering Committee: Member of this committee chaired by Mr Robert Fitzgerald, Productivity Commission
• Welfare Expenditure Australia Committee: Chair of and secretariat for this committee that reports to National Community Services Information Management Group

Data collections managed

• Health expenditure National Minimum Data Set collection
• Public health expenditure database
• Welfare expenditure database
• Indigenous health expenditure database
• Disease expenditure database

Functioning and Disability Unit

Unit head

Mr Sean Ackland

What we do

The Functioning and Disability Unit measures the need for and use of disability support services and monitors trends in the prevalence of disability in Australia. The main focus of disability monitoring is the analysis and dissemination of information on levels of functioning, and types and levels of disability (including disability related to specific health conditions) in the Australian population. Disability services monitoring also includes the collection and analysis of data on specialist disability services provided or funded under the National Disability Agreement (NDA), including the development of data for the purpose of monitoring demand for specialist services. The unit strives to make information about disability and disability services accessible to a wide audience including government, disability service users and service providers, and the general public.

Data development and enhancement in the area of functioning and disability is a significant area of activity for the unit. This work is done in consultation with the ABS, the Disability Policy and Research Working Group (DPRWG) and their associated technical advisory groups, and other stakeholders. It involves the development, promotion and implementation of national and international data standards across the health and community services fields in Australia.

Objectives

• Support the information requirements of the NDA, particularly in the areas of national performance indicators and data development
• Strengthen the capacity of the Disability Services National Minimum Data Set to meet the strategic needs of government
• Provide leadership on national disability data to improve understanding of disability and the need for, use and provision of disability services
• Improve data definitions and data sources for measuring demand for disability services
• Build analytical capability to make greater and enhanced use of existing data on specialist disability services
• Develop the unit's products to better meet the information needs of government, disability service providers, people with disability and their carers, and the broader community

Additional projects

• Undertook analysis of disability data in the National Health Survey and Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing
• Completed documentation outlining redevelopment strategies to improve the content, quality and timeliness of the Disability Services National Minimum Data Set
• Undertook the development of performance indicators and supplied data to support the NDA
• Undertook scoping project to assess the feasibility of establishing a register for Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Provided expert advice on the ABS 2009 Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC) Confidentialised Unit Record File (CURF) design
• Provision of expert advice to other AIHW units on use of the ABS 2009 SDAC CURF
• Ad-hoc analyses of disability data for internal and external stakeholders
• Published Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with a disability

Committees

• National Disability Data Network: Secretariat for this National Disability Information Management Group committee, chaired by Ms Alison Crisp (Ageing, Disability and Home Care, Department of Human Services NSW)
• National Disability Information Management Group: Secretariat for this DPRWG committee, chaired by Mr Jim Moore (Ageing, Disability and Home Care, Department of Human Services NSW)
• Disability Policy and Research Working Group: Observer, and recently member, of this working group of the Community and Disability Services Ministers' Advisory Committee; the working group was chaired by Mr Jim Moore (Ageing, Disability and Home Care, Department of Human Services NSW)
• Disability Services Working Group: Observer at this working group of the SCRGSP; the working group was chaired by Mr Tony Bates (Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance)
• National Disability Strategy Development Officials Working Group Data Sub-group: Member of this committee chaired by Ms Helen Bedford (FaHCSIA)

Data collections managed

• Disability Services National Minimum Data Set collection
• Younger People in Residential Aged Care National Minimum Data Set collection

Labour Force Unit

Unit head

Mr David Braddock

What we do

The Labour Force Unit provides information relating to the workforce in health and community services occupations and industries in Australia, drawing on a range of AIHW and external data sources. A major focus is the statistical reuse of information from the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (NRAS) for health professionals and the collation of national data on the health labour forces and the production of annual reports and online statistics based on them.

The unit also manages the relationship between the AIHW and the AIHW's collaborating Dental Statistics and Research Unit.

Objectives

• Ensure that labour force data collation and reporting work links to broader national health and community services workforce planning infrastructure and information needs
• Compile and publish information from the NRAS for health professionals, in consultation with stakeholders
• Ensure that labour force outputs complement and contribute to the work of the Health Workforce Principal Committee of the Australian Health Ministers' Advisory Council and Health Workforce Australia, including the National Training Plan and other workforce planning projects and work to implement the COAG health workforce reforms

Performance against planned outputs in 2010–11
Contribute a chapter on workforce to Australia's welfare 2011	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Collate and report data on health workforce performance indicators for the National Healthcare Agreement	Achieved
Publish a bulletin and associated online data tables for Medical labour force 2008	Achieved
Publish a bulletin and associated online data tables for Nursing and midwifery labour force 2008	Achieved
Produce data collation and reporting tools for statistical data from the new NRAS for health professionals	Work in progress Delayed due to late supply of NRAS data
Revise the Registered health professional labour force Data Set Specification to include four new professions	Work in progress Delayed due to late supply of NRAS data
Publish labour force bulletins on, and associated online data for, 14 health professions for 2010–11	Work in progress Delayed due to late supply of NRAS data; to be published in 2011–12
Publish a working paper comparing medical workforce data sources	Work in progress Delayed due to late supply of NRAS data; to be published in 2011–12

Additional projects

• Collated and analysed 2009 data for medical and nursing labour force surveys
• Established online data cubes for medical and nursing and midwifery data from 1997 to 2008
• Provided an ad hoc data request service

Committees

• National Training Plan Technical Reference Group: Member
• Workforce Planning and Research Advisory Committee: Member

Data collections managed

• Nursing and Midwifery Labour Force Data Collection
• Medical Labour Force Data Collection
• Pharmacy Labour Force Data Collection
• Physiotherapy Labour Force Data Collection
• Podiatry Labour Force Data Collection
• Psychology Labour Force Data Collection
• Optometry Labour Force Data Collection
• Osteopathy Labour Force Data Collection
• Chiropractic Labour Force Data Collection

Metadata Information Services–METeOR and Metadata Unit

Unit head

Ms Melanie Taylor

What we do

The Metadata Information Services – METeOR and Metadata Unit aims to improve the comparability, consistency, relevance and availability of national health, community services, housing and homelessness information. The unit manages Australia's national health and community services data definitions and standards, which provide the national infrastructure for the gathering and analysis of information in these areas. The unit also ensures that the AIHW and its many stakeholders have access to, and benefit from, world-leading data standard and metadata management technologies. In particular, the unit manages METeOR—a web-based data standard management system. This system enables the online creation and dissemination of shared data standards that are the basis of consistent, comparable and linkable data collections.

Objectives

• Ensure AIHW staff and data developers more broadly have access to high quality advice and support on statistical approaches and methods to be used in collecting, analysing and reporting information and statistics
• Support ministerial committees by providing expert assessment of the metadata developed under the Intergovernmental Agreement on Federal Financial Relations
• Manage the metadata development and assessment work program on behalf of ministerial committees
• Ensure the accessibility of up-to-date national data standards for the health, housing and homelessness, community services, and early childhood, education and care sectors, including by providing high-quality training, advice and support for users of METeOR technologies
• Ensure the accessibility of up-to-date national performance indicator technical specifications through the national indicator catalogue
• Provide effective data standard and metadata management technologies that are responsive to changing user needs and are up to date with emerging trends

Performance against planned outputs in 2010–11
Publish updates since version 15.0 of the National Health Data Dictionary version 15 on the METeOR website	Achieved
Publish updates since version 6.0 of the National Community Services Data Dictionary version 6 on the METeOR website	Achieved
Publish a report that reviews the financial management program data sets	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Publish the National Housing Data Dictionary version 1 and updates to it on the METeOR website	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12

Additional projects

• Provided METeOR helpdesk service, support and training workshops for users and stakeholders
• Participated in work of associated committees responsible for the development of health information standards
• Managed the data development and evaluation work program covering tasks levied by the National Health Information Standards and Statistics Committee and other funded activities from health related agencies
• Provided expert technical advice and support for those developing data standards for consideration by the National Community Services Information Management Group
• Participated in work of committees responsible of the development of housing and homelessness data standards, including the Housing and Homelessness Information Management Group
• Published the National Indicator Catalogue which contains all performance indicators produced by the AIHW that are required for COAG reporting, and their specifications

Data collections managed

The unit manages significant metadata collections held on the AIHW's METeOR website.

Social and Indigenous Group

Group head

Dr Fadwa Al-Yaman

What we do

The Social and Indigenous Group provides leadership both within the AIHW and externally in the area of mothers, children, youth and families, in addition to Indigenous health and welfare information and statistics. It carries out data development work, analysis and reporting on health and welfare issues relating to mothers, children, youth, families and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The group is responsible for national analyses and reporting against:

• the National Indigenous Reform Agreement
• the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Performance Framework
• the Indigenous specific primary health care national key performance indicators
• the child health check and follow-up services in the NT
• the health, development and wellbeing of Australia's children and young people.

The group also produces statistics on juveniles in the juvenile justice system and on prisoners' health and provides expert advice and information related to these areas to key stakeholders in both government and non-government sectors.

The group maintains strong working relationships within and outside of governments, and works closely with many of these stakeholders to deliver a range of products. This includes overseeing the Closing the Gap Clearinghouse and leading the production of the biennial report on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and welfare and the online Indigenous observatory.

The group continues to work to improve the quality of Indigenous identification in key data sets in order to improve reporting against the COAG targets.

Major achievements

Major achievements for the group during 2010–11 are listed below.

• Launch of the AIHW Indigenous Observatory and overview report. The observatory provides on line access to key reports and information updates and currently houses nine papers which address various health and welfare issues of relevance to the Indigenous population (see the 'snapshot').
• Publication of the annual report of the Closing the Gap Clearinghouse and a report on What works to overcome Indigenous disadvantage: key learnings and gaps in the evidence, 2009–10 (see the 'snapshot').
• Progress towards development of an indicator-based reporting framework for early childhood development to measure progress against the Early Childhood Development Outcomes Framework released by COAG in July 2009.
• Completion of work on methods of presenting Indigenous data which has led to agreement with the ABS and other major stakeholders to use direct age-standardisation for presenting Indigenous information in all key national reports.

Units in this group

• Child and Youth Welfare
• Children, Youth and Families
• Indigenous Analyses and Reporting
• Indigenous Community and Health Service Reporting
• Indigenous Data Gaps
• Indigenous Research and Evaluation

During the year there were changes to the organisational structure of the Social and Indigenous Group, as follows:

• the Ageing and Aged Care Unit was transferred to the Continuing and Specialised Care Group in August 2010
• a new Indigenous Program Monitoring Unit was created in July 2010, which was renamed Indigenous Research and Evaluation Unit in May 2011.

Child and Youth Welfare Unit

Unit heads

Mr Tim Beard
Ms Cynthia Kim (to March 2011)

What we do

The Child and Youth Welfare Unit coordinates, develops and disseminates national statistical analysis and reporting for a diverse range of child and youth welfare issues, including adoptions, child protection services (covering out-of-home care, educational outcomes and family support services), juvenile justice and prisoner health.

Objectives

• Engage with policy agendas by ensuring that projects and reporting are relevant to and identify implications for policy development, service planning and delivery that will improve the quality of life for children and young people
• Improve reporting on children in the child protection system through the continued development and pilot testing of a unit record data collection and through developing specifications for a support services collection
• Expand the range of information reported in relation to the Juvenile Justice National Minimum Data Set, including a more comprehensive annual report and publication of policy relevant, subject-specific bulletins
• Expand the national prisoner health data collection to provide more relevant information

Performance against planned outputs in 2010–11
Contribute to the chapter on children, youth and families for Australia's welfare 2011	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Publish a Prisoner Health Data Set Specification on METeOR	Achieved
Publish Adoptions Australia 2009–10	Achieved
Publish Child protection Australia 2009–10 (see the 'snapshot')	Achieved
Contribute to a report on Young Australians: their health and wellbeing 2011	Achieved
Contribute to the annual COAG report on the National Framework for Protecting Australia's Children	Achieved
Publish Educational outcomes of children on guardianship or custody orders—a pilot study, Stage 2	Achieved
Publish Juvenile justice in Australia 2008–09 and an earlier interim report with main tables (see the 'snapshot')	Achieved
Publish two thematic bulletins relating to young people under juvenile justice supervision	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Contribute data to the child protection and juvenile justice sections of the SCRGSP's Report on Government Services 2011	Achieved

Additional projects

• Undertook analysis of pilot data for the child protection unit record file
• Undertook development of a national relative/ kinship carers data collection
• Developed a scope and draft specifications for a national child protection treatment and support services collection
• Completed development of relative/kinship data for inclusion in the national child protection collection
• Commenced development of a carer's module to support the collection of unit record level national child protection data in relation to foster care and relative/kinship care
• Undertook the second Prisoner Health Census
• Collected offence data relating to young people under juvenile justice supervision for selected states and territories
• Commenced developmental work to expand the Juvenile Justice National Minimum Data Set
• Assisted the development of juvenile justice performance indicators and collection of relevant data
• Published Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child safety

Committees

• Juvenile Justice Research and Information Group: Secretariat for this Australasian Juvenile Justice Administrators committee, chaired by Ms Jackie Bray (SA Department of Families and Communities)
• Prisoner Health Information Group: Secretariat for this committee chaired by Mr Alun Richards (Queensland Health)
• Performance and Data Working Group (for child protection): Member of this National Framework Implementation Working Group committee chaired by Mr Paul Wyles (ACT Department of Disability, Housing and Community Services) and Ms Bette Kill (Queensland Department of Communities)
• Child Protection Data Working Group: Secretariat for this Performance and Data Working Group committee chaired by Mr John Prent (Victorian Department of Human Services)

Data collections managed

• Juvenile Justice National Minimum Data Set
• Prisoner Health Census collection
• Adoptions data collection
• Child abuse and neglect (child protection) data collection
• Children in out-of-home care (child protection) data collection
• Children on care and protection orders (child protection) data collection
• Foster carer (child protection) data collection
• Relative/kinship carer (child protection) data collection
• Intensive family support services (child protection) data collection

Children, Youth and Families Unit

Unit head

Ms Sushma Mathur (to March 2011)
Ms Melinda Petrie (acting from April 2011)

What we do

The Children, Youth and Families Unit monitors, investigates and reports on the health and wellbeing of Australia's children and young people. It does this by developing, analysing and disseminating high quality and timely national information and statistics on the health, development and wellbeing of this target population group. The unit undertakes work in the areas of child and youth health, development and wellbeing, encompassing early childhood development, health status, risk and protective factors, education and employment, family and community environments, and safety and security.

Objectives

• Provide high quality data and information on how Australia's children and young people are faring, that contributes to informed community discussion and supports the development of public policy
• Undertake data development and reporting to strengthen the policy relevance of the Unit's work, including improving national data standards and reporting for children in the early childhood education and care sector

Performance against planned outputs in 2010–11
Contribute to the chapter on children, youth and families for Australia's welfare 2011	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Finalise and publish Young Australians: their health and wellbeing 2011 (see the 'snapshot')	Achieved
Finalise and publish papers:
– Shelter: development of a Children's Headline Indicator	Achieved
– Family social network: development of a Children's Headline Indicator	Achieved
– Social and emotional wellbeing: development of a Children's Headline Indicator	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Finalise and publish Headline indicators for children's health, development and wellbeing, 2011	Achieved To be published in July 2011
Update online-accessible interactive data for 12 children's headline indicators	Work in progress To be released in 2011–12
Publish National outcome measures for early childhood development: development of an indicator-based reporting framework	Achieved To be published in July 2011
Draft and publish a technical paper on operational definitions and data issues for key national indicators in the Early Childhood Development Outcomes Framework	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12

Additional projects

• Investigated issues around the affordability of preschool services and provided a report to the Early Childhood Data Sub Group
• Improved national data standards and reporting for children in the early childhood education and care sector
• Improved the quality and availability of data on maternal morbidity and mortality together with National Perinatal Epidemiology and Statistics Unit

Committees

• National Youth Information Advisory Group: Secretariat for this AIHW committee chaired by Professor George Patton (The University of Melbourne)
• Early Childhood Data Sub Group: Member of this group chaired by Ms Ngaire Hosking (DEEWR)
• National Perinatal Data Development Committee: Secretariat for this committee chaired by Ms Sue Cornes (Queensland Health)

Data collections managed

The unit maintains, documents and analyses national ABS and AIHW data related to child and youth health, development and wellbeing.

Indigenous Analyses and Reporting Unit

Unit head

Dr Indrani Pieris-Caldwell

What we do

The Indigenous Determinants and Outcomes Unit provides statistics and information on the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians through a range of statistical reports. The unit is responsible for reporting against the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Performance Framework, which is published every two years. The unit also manages and reports on a major data collection on the Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER) Child Health Check Initiative and associated follow-up services data collections.

In May 2011 the unit name changed from Indigenous Determinants and Outcomes Unit.

Objectives

• Provide timely and high-quality information necessary to respond to important policy questions related to Indigenous people
• In conjunction with DoHA's Office For Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Health, work on the evaluation of the NTER Child Health Check Initiative and the Expanding Health Services Delivery Initiative
• Identify emerging information needs, information gaps and information required by stakeholders to support the development of public policy in the area of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and welfare
• Develop better ways of presenting statistics and information on Indigenous Australians which clearly identify key findings
• Build relationships with key stakeholders in government and non-government sectors to increase our appreciation of the policy and service issues which can be informed by statistical reporting

Performance against planned outputs in 2010–11
Publish Life expectancy and mortality of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people	Achieved
Publish Substance use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people	Achieved
Present a report summarising the outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Data Principles Review to the National Advisory Group on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Information and Data	Achieved
Finalise a report on extended measures for assessing the social and emotional wellbeing for Indigenous Australians to DoHA	Achieved
Finalise a report on geographical analyses of health status to the National Advisory Group on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Information and Data	Achieved
Produce progress reports on 'Child Health Check' referrals and follow-up care:
– Dental health of Indigenous children in the Northern Territory: findings from the Closing the Gap Program (see the 'snapshot')	Achieved

Additional projects

• Produced papers supporting the work of the National Advisory Group on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Information and Data
• Produced a preliminary report assessing various data sources available for estimating the Indigenous preschool-age population aimed at the development of a reliable denominator for reporting COAG early childhood education performance indicators

Committees

• Northern Territory Emergency Response Child Health Initiative MoU Management Committee: Member of this AIHW–DoHA committee chaired by Dr Brendan Gibson (Office For Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Health, DoHA)
• Health Performance Framework Technical Reference Group: Member of this DoHA committee, chaired by Ms Kirrily Harrison (Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health, DoHA)

Data collections managed

• NTER Child Health Check Initiative data collection
• NTER Dental health follow-up data set
• NTER Audiology follow-up data set
• NTER Ear, Nose and Throat follow-up data sets

Indigenous Community and Health Service Reporting Unit

Unit head

Dr Norbert Zmijewski

What we do

The Indigenous Community and Health Service Reporting Unit's areas of work include reporting on primary health care, substance use and 'Bringing Them Home' services and specialised programs such as the Healthy for Life program that aims at improving quality of services and health outcomes for Indigenous mothers, babies and sufferers of chronic diseases. In collaboration with DoHA's Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health (OATSIH), jurisdictions and services, and using METeOR, the unit has developed national key performance indicators for Indigenous specific primary health care services. Collection, analyses and reporting of data on a subset of those indicators will commence in 2011–12. The unit also provides advice on data collection and taxonomy of services to OATSIH.

Objectives

• Work to coordinate existing reporting systems and to reduce reporting burden on services
• Provide expert advice on the development of key performance indicators for primary health
• Improve data collections for DoHA's Office for Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Health Service Reporting and Healthy for Life
• Report on mapping of services in Indigenous remote area

Performance against planned outputs in 2010–11
Contribute to The health and welfare of Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: an overview 2011	Achieved
Provide final and summary Healthy for Life individual service reports for 2009–10 to service agencies who contribute to the national collection	Achieved
Publish the National report for the Healthy for Life data collection 2011	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Publish the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Services Report, 2008–09: OATSIH Services Reporting - key results	Achieved
Update online data for 2007–08 and 2008–09 for the Fixing Housing for Better Health program which is a targeted program of small-scale critical repairs and maintenance carried out in Indigenous houses in remote communities	Achieved
Provide quarterly reports to FaHCSIA and Health Habitat on users of online data for the Fixing Housing for Better Health program	Achieved
Produce a summary report for mapping health, disability, aged care and child protection services in Indigenous remote areas	Achieved

Additional projects

• Reviewed data collections for DoHA's Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Service Reporting and taxonomy of OATSIH services

Committees

• Online System for Comprehensive Activity Reporting Design and Development Working Group: Member of this working group chaired by Mr Kevin Swift (Menzies School of Health Research)

Data collections managed

• Healthy for Life data collection
• Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Service Reporting data collection
• National Indigenous Specific primary health care Key Performance Indicators data collection

Indigenous Data Gaps Unit

Unit heads

Ms Barbara Gray (acting to October 2010)
Mr Conan Liu (from October 2010 to February 2011)
Mr Anthony Cowley (from February 2011)

What we do

The Indigenous Data Gaps Unit manages a range of data activities that seek to improve Indigenous identification in key health data sets in order to better monitor the COAG Indigenous 'Closing the Gap' targets as outlined in section F of the National Indigenous Reform Agreement (NIRA).

Major projects include assessment of the level of Indigenous identification in key health data sets (hospitals, mental health, perinatal, diabetes, cancer, alcohol and other drugs and general practitioner data), in conjunction with the development of best practice guidelines for linking data relating to Indigenous Australians and the enhancement of Indigenous mortality data. The Unit is also involved in the development of indicator specifications and a data collection instrument for reporting under the Indigenous Early Childhood Development National Partnership Agreement and in reporting against the NIRA.

Objectives

• Undertake data-based projects aimed at improving Indigenous identification in key data sets in line with 'Closing the Gap' targets relating to COAG and NIRA
• Ensure that projects are relevant to the policy, planning and service delivery that assist in closing the gap in outcomes between Indigenous and other Australians
• Improve reporting on outcomes and service delivery for Indigenous Australians through data development and analysis for indicators in the NIRA and Indigenous indicators in the National Healthcare Agreement
• Improve reporting by developing and implementing methodologies to assess Indigenous identification in key health data sets
• Improve data quality, in particular on life expectancy for Indigenous Australians, through the development of data linkage and national best practice Indigenous data linkage guidelines

Performance against planned outputs in 2010–11
Provide analyses and data quality statements for 2009–10 reporting against COAG NIRA performance indicators and Indigenous-specific reporting in other COAG agreements	Achieved
Prepare a paper on measuring need and access to services by Indigenous people	Work in progress
Progress appropriate methodologies for assessing the quality of Indigenous data in seven key health datasets and assess the impacts on the measurement of COAG targets	Work in progress
Finalise and publish guidelines for national best practice for Indigenous data linkage	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Progress Indigenous identification in hospital separations data project	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Finalise and publish a report using the Enhanced Mortality Database for Estimating Indigenous Life Expectancy	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Finalise a business case for the inclusion of Indigenous status on pathology forms to improve Indigenous information available through health registers	Achieved To be endorsed through relevant national committees

Additional projects

• Developed indicator specifications and a data collection instrument for reporting under the Indigenous Early Childhood Development National Partnership Agreement
• Developed Principles to guide direct age standardisation for Indigenous mortality data to assist COAG reporting on 'Closing the Gap' targets

Committees

• National Indigenous Reform Agreement Performance Information Management Group: Observer at this COAG Working Group on Indigenous Reform committee chaired by Mr Matthew James (FaHCSIA)
• Tasmanian Over–arching Bilateral Implementation Planning group: Member Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Expert Referencing Group: Member

Indigenous Research and Evaluation Unit

Unit heads

Ms Vicki Bennett (to October 2010)
Ms Barbara Gray (acting jointly from October 2010 to February 2011)
Ms Helen Johnstone (acting from October 2010)

What we do

The main area of work of the Indigenous Program Monitoring Unit is managing the Closing the Gap Clearinghouse, which is funded by COAG and delivered in collaboration with the Australian Institute of Family Studies. The unit coordinates the production of the biennial report on the health and welfare of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and leads the development of the online AIHW Indigenous Observatory. The unit is responsible for monitoring and evaluating the youth demonstration projects for improving sexual health among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

In May 2011 the unit name changed from Indigenous Program Monitoring Unit.

Objectives

• Further develop and promote the Closing the Gap Clearinghouse as a key source of evidence for policy makers through greater synthesis of the evidence, collaboration with the experts and engagement with policy and research areas
• Provide national leadership in statistics and information related to the health and wellbeing of Indigenous Australian through developing and promoting the AIHW Indigenous Web Observatory and overview report to ensure that they are well used and a credible source of information
• Increase the Institute's evaluation expertise through taking up opportunities for evaluation work.

Performance against planned outputs in 2010–11
Publish The health and welfare of Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people overview report 2011	Achieved
Contribute to the publication of:
–Comparing life expectancy of Indigenous people in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States	Achieved
– Eye health in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people	Achieved
Establish the AIHW Indigenous Observatory website (see the 'snapshot')	Achieved
Publish the annual paper for Closing the Gap Clearinghouse What works to overcome Indigenous disadvantage: key learnings and gaps in the evidence, 2009–10 (see the 'snapshot')	Achieved
Produce biannual monitoring reports for OATSIH on the Improving Sexual Health in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Demonstration Projects	Achieved
Develop a communication and dissemination strategy for best practice guidelines for collecting Indigenous status information	Work in progress Established a helpline—the National Indigenous Data Improvement Support Centre

Additional projects

• Completed field work for the evaluation of Improving Sexual Health in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Demonstration Projects
• Published Closing the gap clearinghouse annual report 2009–10
• Coordinated publication of resource sheets for the Closing the Gap Clearinghouse, summarising the evidence on:
  • Anti-tobacco programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
  • Closing the school completion gap for Indigenous students
  • Early childhood and education services for Indigenous children prior to starting school
  • Reducing alcohol and other drug-related harm
  • Teacher and school leader quality and sustainability
  • Pathways for Indigenous school leavers to undertake training or gain employment
  • Community development approaches to safety and wellbeing of Indigenous children
• Coordinated publication of issues papers for the Closing the Gap Clearinghouse, reviewing the literature on:
  • School readiness: what does it mean for Indigenous children, families, schools and communities?
  • School attendance and retention of Indigenous Australian students

Committees

• Closing the Gap Clearinghouse Board: secretariat for this board chaired by Dr Meredith Edwards (University of Canberra)
• Closing the Gap Clearinghouse Scientific Reference Group: Secretariat for this group of the Closing the Gap Clearinghouse Board

Data collections managed

• Closing the Gap Clearinghouse data collection

Collaborating units

The AIHW has collaborative arrangements in place during 2010–11 with a number of research organisations, based mainly at universities (see Appendix 6).

These organisations work collaboratively with the AIHW and provide their expertise for specific tasks funded by the AIHW.

• Australian Centre for Asthma Monitoring at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research Limited
• Australian General Practice Statistics and Classification Centre at The University of Sydney
• Dental Statistics and Research Unit at The University of Adelaide
• National Injury Surveillance Unit at the Flinders University of South Australia
• National Perinatal Epidemiology and Statistics Unit at the University of New South Wales

Australian Centre for Asthma Monitoring

The AIHW has an agreement with the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research Limited for the enhanced monitoring of asthma and linked chronic respiratory conditions by the Australian Centre for Asthma Monitoring. The centre is based at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research in Sydney.

The agreement continues to 30 June 2013.

Unit head

Professor Guy Marks

What we do

The Australian Centre for Asthma Monitoring aims to help in reducing the burden of asthma in Australia by developing, collating and interpreting data relevant to asthma prevention, management and health policy.

Objectives

• Develop a systematic approach to the surveillance of asthma in Australia
• Monitor and report on disease levels and the burden and trends associated with asthma in the general population and specific population groups
• Examine social, geographical and environmental differentials that may influence the disease levels and burden associated with asthma
• Identify the potential for improved asthma prevention and management strategies
• Track the impact of changes in asthma prevention and management strategies
• Develop and manage special projects and collaborations for the integration and enhancement of asthma-related information

Outputs in 2010–11
Publish Time trends and geographical variation in re-admissions for asthma	Achieved
Finalise and publish Asthma in Australia 2011	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Present at Australasian Epidemiological Association Conference, Sydney	Achieved
Present at Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand annual scientific meeting	Achieved

Australian General Practice Statistics and Classification Centre

The AIHW had an agreement with the University of Sydney related to the collection and dissemination of information by the Australian General Practice Statistics and Classification Centre (AGPSCC) about the characteristics of patients of general practitioners and the medical and pharmaceutical prescriptions provided to patients. The AGPSCC is located at the Westmead Hospital campus of the University of Sydney in association with the Family Medicine Research Centre of the University's School of Public Health.

The agreement ended on 30 June 2011.

Unit head

Professor Helena Britt

What we do

The AGPSCC continuously collects information about clinical activities in general practice in Australia, including characteristics of the general practitioners, patients seen, reasons people seek medical care, the problems managed and how they are managed by the GP. The Centre is also responsible for the development of primary care classification systems.

Objectives

• Provide information about activities in general practice by conducting continuous data collection in general practice and widely disseminating the results
• Continue development and testing of data collection and analytical methods for gathering data through electronic means
• Further develop and maintain classification and terminology systems for primary care.

Outputs in 2010–11
Publish General practice activity in Australia 2009–10	Achieved
Publish General practice activity in Australia 2000–01 to 2009–10: 10 year data tables	Achieved

Dental Statistics and Research Unit

The AIHW has an agreement with The University of Adelaide for the operation of the AIHW Dental Statistics and Research Unit at the university. The unit was established for the purposes of collecting, collating and analysing statistics relating to dental care and oral health, and on dental services and service providers; and for initiating and undertaking associated research studies.

The agreement continues to 30 June 2012.

Unit head

Dr Liana Luzzi (from August 2010)
Dr Jane Harford (from August 2010)

What we do

The Dental Statistics and Research Unit aims to improve the oral health of Australians through the collection, analysis and reporting of dental statistics, and through research on dental health status, dental practices and use of dental services, and the dental labour force.

Objectives

• Conduct the Child Dental Health Survey and collect dental labour force statistics
• Produce reports in the form of the 'Dental statistics and research' series, research reports, and 'Data watch' articles
• Provide advice and undertake data analysis and provision to meet the Intergovernmental Agreement on Federal Financial Relations reporting requirements

Performance against planned outputs in 2010–11
Publish a report on child oral health for 2008–09	Work in progress Delayed data supply; to be published in 2011–12
Finalise and publish reports on the dental labour force:
– Dentists, specialists and allied practitioners in Australia: Dental Labour Force Collection, 2006	Achieved To be published in August 2011
– Oral health practitioner labour force projections, 2006–2025	Achieved To be published in August 2011
– Oral health practitioners in Australia, 2006	Achieved To be published in August 2011
Report on dental performance indicators required for COAG reporting under the National Healthcare Agreement	Achieved
Produce a report on key facts and figures in dentistry that overviews major areas of oral health status and dental service use	Work in progress Deliverable redefined by funder; to be published in 2011–12
Publish ARCPOH 'Data watch' journal articles:
– Supply and demand for oral and maxillofacial surgeons and services in Australia	Achieved
– Practice profiles of male and female dentists in Australia	Achieved
– Chronic disease and use of dental services in Australia	Achieved Submitted for publication
– Dental caries experience among young Australian adults	Achieved
– Trends in child oral health 1977–2007	Achieved Submitted for publication
Publish Dental Statistics and Research Unit Research series reports:
– Changes in child tooth brushing over time	Achieved To be published in August 2011
– Visits supplied in dental practice in Australia	Achieved To be published in August 2011
Publish Dental Statistics and Research series reports:
– Insurance cover and use of dental services	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
– Child Dental Health Survey for 2005–06	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
– dental health behaviours among children	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
– oral health and use of dental services; National Dental Telephone Interview Survey 2008	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
– Child Dental Health Survey 2007 covering data from 1977–2007	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12

Additional projects

• Conducted the Child Dental Health Survey, Adult Dental Programs Survey, and the National Dental Telephone Interview Survey
• Published:
  • Age and the costs of dental care
  • Dental attendance patterns and oral health status (see the 'snapshot')
  • Self-rated oral health of adults
  • Socioeconomic variation in periodontitis among Australian adults 2004–06
  • Trends in access to dental care among Australian adults 1994–2008
  • Trends in access to dental care among Australian adults: in brief
  • Trends in access to dental care among Australian teenagers
• Finalised for publication (in August 2011):
  • Dental decay among Australian children

Committees

• National Oral Health Plan Monitoring Group: Member

Data collections managed

• Child Dental Health Survey
• National Dental Telephone Interview Survey
• Adult Dental Programs Survey
• Dental labour force data collection

National Injury Surveillance Unit

The AIHW has an agreement with Flinders University for the operation of the AIHW National Injury Surveillance Unit at the university. The unit was developed for the purposes of informing community discussion and supporting policy making on the prevention and control of injury in Australia by developing, coordinating, interpreting and disseminating relevant information, research and analysis.

The current agreement continues to June 2012.

Unit head

Associate Professor James Harrison

What we do

The National Injury Surveillance Unit aims to be the main source of national statistical reporting on injury in Australia.

Objectives

• Analyse and report on existing injury data
• Assess needs and opportunities for new information sources and mechanisms, and for improvement of existing ones
• Develop new information sources and other relevant infrastructure
• Provide advice and other services to assist others who are engaged in injury control and related matters

Performance against planned outputs in 2010–11
Contribute to Australia's health 2012	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Publish Trends in serious injury due to land transport accidents, Australia 2000–01 to 2007–08	Achieved
Publish Serious injury due to land transport accidents, Australia 2008–09	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Publish Serious injury due to transport accidents involving a railway train, Australia, 2004–05 to 2008–09	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Publish a report on injury hospitalisations for 2008–09	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Publish a report on hospitalisations due to falls by older people for 2008–09	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Publish a report on injury deaths for 2008–09	Not achieved Data unavailable
Publish a report on Selected drugs and their association with injury: Results from the 2007 National Drug Strategy Household Survey	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Publish a report on Injury experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: Analysis of the 2004–05 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Publish a report on Obesity and injury in the National Hospital Morbidity Database	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12

Additional projects

• Produced a report on activities to enhance injury mortality surveillance
• Produced an annual statistical report on new spinal cord injury cases for 2008–09
• Continued redevelopment work to convert the Australian Spinal Cord Injury Register into a clinical quality register
• Contributed to managing the Topic Advisory Group - Injury and External Causes ICD-11 for the revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), 11th edition

Committees

• International Classification of Diseases Revision Steering Group, Injury and External Causes Topic Advisory Group: Chair of this WHO committee
• National Injury Prevention Working Group: Member of this working group of the Australian Population Health Development Principal Committee; the working group is chaired by Mr Kevin Bucket (SA Department of Health)

Data collections managed

• Australian Spinal Cord Injury Register

National Perinatal Epidemiology and Statistics Unit

The AIHW has an agreement with the University of New South Wales for the operation of the AIHW National Perinatal Epidemiology and Statistics Unit at the university. The current agreement continues until 30 June 2012. During the year, the name of the unit changed from the National Perinatal Statistics Unit in recognition of the epidemiological work program being undertaken by the unit. The unit was established for the purposes of providing national leadership in the development and study of statistics relating to perinatal health; collecting, collating and analysing statistics relating to perinatal health; and initiating and undertaking associated research studies.

Unit head

Associate Professor Elizabeth Sullivan

What we do

The National Perinatal Epidemiology and Statistics Unit aims to improve the health and wellbeing of mothers and babies in Australia through: analysing and reporting of existing national reproductive and perinatal health information; assessing needs and opportunities for new information sources and mechanisms and improvement of existing information sources; developing new information sources and other relevant infrastructure; and providing advice and other services to assist others who are engaged in monitoring and researching perinatal health.

Specifically, the unit carries out and assists with research and reporting on reproductive, maternal and perinatal health including assisted reproduction, pregnancy outcomes, maternal morbidity and mortality, congenital anomalies, admission to neonatal intensive care and perinatal mortality.

Objectives

• Continue to manage and improve key data collections
• Publish reports on reproductive and perinatal health that cover pregnancy outcomes, newborn and maternal morbidity and mortality and assisted reproduction
• Undertake data development work to support the new National Indigenous Reform Agreement and National Health Agreement performance reporting requirements
• Work collaboratively with stakeholders, including DoHA, to liaise and exchange information with stakeholders on future activities and funding opportunities

Performance against planned outputs in 2010–11
Publish Australia's mothers and babies 2008	Achieved
Publish Assisted Reproduction Technology in Assisted Reproduction Technology in Australia and New Zealand 2008	Achieved
Provide data for Headline indicators for children's health, development and wellbeing, 2011	Achieved
Provide data for the report Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage 2011	Achieved
Provide data for the SCRGSP's' Report on Government Services 2011	Achieved
Provide data for perinatal performance indicators: three for the National Healthcare Agreement and four for the National Indigenous Reform Agreement	Achieved
Publish a report on neural tube defects for 2006–2008: baseline report for monitoring the effect of flour fortification	Work in progress To be published in 2011–12
Publish a report on fetal deaths for 2001–2007	Work in progress Pending final data supply

Additional projects

• Undertook a project to provide advice on ways to support the potential collection of data about fetal alcohol spectrum disorders
• Consulted on the development of data items to support potential collection of data on the number of antenatal visits and maternal alcohol use in pregnancy
• Prepared a bulletin that reviews sources and gaps in maternity data and outlines the key findings of the Maternal and Perinatal Morbidity and Mortality Data Collections project
• Contributed advice and preparation of data for an AIHW report on diabetes in pregnancy
• Contributed to reports to the Office for Indigenous Development, Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heath

Committees

• National Perinatal Data Development Committee: Chair Ms Sue Cornes
• Mortality Statistics Advisory Group: member of this ABS committee
• Australia and New Zealand Stillbirth Alliance: member of this committee chaired by Professor David Ellwood (Australian National University) and the research committee chaired by Professor Jonathon Morris (University of Sydney)
• Australian and New Zealand Neonatal Network Advisory Committee: member of this committee chaired by Professor Brian Darlow (University of Otago)
• AIHW National Advisory Committee on Maternal Mortality: member of this committee
• National Congenital Anomalies Steering Committee: member of this committee
• Australian Collaboration for Chlamydia Enhanced Sentinel Surveillance (ACCESS): member of this Committee
• Expert Advisory Committee, National Evidence based Antenatal Care Guidelines Project, Member
• Australasian Maternity Outcomes Surveillance System Advisory Group, Chair Associate Prof Elizabeth Sullivan

Data collections managed

• National Perinatal Data Collection
• Australian Congenital Anomalies Monitoring System collection
• National Maternal Deaths Data Collection