Mental health
Community mental health care services - State and territory data
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The Australian Capital Territory
had the highest service contact rate (604 per 1,000 population) of any state
People aged 12–17
had the highest service contact rate of any age group in every state and territory
Schizophrenia
was the most commonly recorded specified principal diagnosis in almost every state and territory
A separate section focusing on national data can be found on the following page - Community mental health care services
Related indicator set: Key Performance Indicators for Australian Public Mental Health Services - Community mental health care services.
Summary
Mental illness is often treated in specialised community and hospital-based outpatient psychiatric services, which are referred to as specialised community mental health care (CMHC) services in the Australian health system. In 2023–24, the rate of service contacts ranged (per 1,000 population) from the Australian Capital Territory (604) to Tasmania (287) with a national rate of 365. Over the decade 2014–15 to 2023–24, the Australian Capital Territory consistently reported the highest rate of contacts for any state and territory, while Tasmania reported the lowest except for 2016–17, where Victoria reported the lowest.
In 2023–24, the Northern Territory (29) reported the highest patient rate (per 1,000 population) while Victoria (15) reported the lowest. This trend was consistent between 2014–15 and 2023–24. During the emergency phase of the COVID-19 pandemic (2019–20 and 2020–21), the patient rate peaked in Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory. During the same period, a similar trend occurred among the rate of service contacts, where peaks occurred in Queensland, Northern Territory, Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory.
In 2023–24, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory reported the highest average number of contacts per patient (26) while the Northern Territory reported the lowest (12). Between 2014–15 and 2023–24, the Australian Capital Territory consistently reported the highest average number of contacts per patient of any state and territory (though was the same as Victoria in 2023–24) while the Northern Territory consistently reported the lowest.
A core set of information for the Community Mental Health Care National Minimum Data Set (CMHC NMDS) is compiled annually into the National Community Mental Health Care Database (NCMHCD). Data from the NCMHCD are used to describe the care provided by these services. More information about the NCMHCD is available in the data source section.
For information on involuntary mental health legal status in community mental health care services refer to the Involuntary treatment in mental health care section.
Spotlight data
Infographic showing state and territory community mental health services by number of patients and contacts, and principal diagnosis in community mental health care in Australia for the years 2014–15 to 2023–24.
Source: Community mental health care 2014–15 to 2023–24 Tables CMHC.1 Demographics, CMHC.2 Principal Diag
Patient demographics
In 2023–24, a higher proportion of CMHC contacts and patients were reported for females than males in every state and territory except for the Northern Territory. The Australian Capital Territory reported the highest difference between the rate (per 1,000 population) of female (672) and male (527) contacts (Figure CMHCST.1). Between 2014–15 and 2023–24, there has been variation among the states and territories as to whether females or males reported higher rates of contacts:
- The Northern Territory has consistently reported higher contact rates for males
- New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia reported higher contact rates for males in most years
- Western Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory consistently reported higher contact rates for females
- Victoria reported higher contact rates for females in most years.
Since 2016–17, people aged 12–17 have usually reported the highest rate of service contacts in every state and territory. Between 2014–15 and 2023–24, people aged 85 years and over in the Northern Territory consistently reported much lower rates than people in the same age group across other state and territories (Figure CMHCST.1).
In 2023–24, for people aged 12–17:
- The Australian Capital Territory reported the highest rate of service contacts for (1,391 per 1,000 population)
- Tasmania reported the lowest rate of service contacts (569)
- The Australian Capital Territory reported the highest rate of contacts for both females (2,066) and males (753).
In 2023–24, the Australian Capital Territory reported the highest age-standardised contact rate of First Nations patients while Tasmania reported the lowest (2,031 and 500 per 1,000 population, respectively). This has been a consistent trend between 2014–15 and 2014–15 (Figure CMHCST.1).
The patient rate (per 1,000 population) varied between states and territories and by remoteness area:
- For Major cities, the Australian Capital Territory (21) reported the highest patient rate, and New South Wales and Victoria (13) the lowest
- For Inner regional areas, the Australian Capital Territory (280) reported the highest patient rate and Tasmania (19) the lowest
- For Outer regional areas, South Australia (36) reported the highest patient rate and Tasmania (16) the lowest
- For Remote areas, the Northern Territory (35) reported the highest patient rate and Victoria (2) the lowest
- For Very remote areas, New South Wales (46) reported the highest patient rate and Tasmania (12) the lowest (Figure CMHCST.1).
Figure CMHCST.1: Community mental health care, patients and service contacts by key demographics, states and territories, 2014–15 to 2023–24
Horizontal bar chart showing the rate and number of contacts and patients by demographic variables age, sex, indigenous status, remoteness area and SEIFA status by year from 2014–15 to 2023–24 for the states and territories.
Note: Age-standardised rates have been used for indigenous status.
Source: Table CMHC.1: Community mental health care demographic summaries, 2014–15 to 2023–24.
What was the most common principal diagnosis?
In 2023–24, Schizophrenia was the most frequently recorded diagnosis across all jurisdictions where a principal diagnosis was reported, except for Tasmania where Specific personality disorders was the most frequent. The proportion of Schizophrenia contacts in jurisdictions where it was the most frequent principal diagnosis ranged from 12% in New South Wales to 29% in the Northern Territory. Between 2014–15 and 2023–24, Schizophrenia has been the most frequently recorded principal diagnosis in every state and territory except for Tasmania in 2023–24.
In 2023–24, the second most common principal diagnosis varied by state and territory:
- Reaction to severe stress and adjustment issues in New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia
- Schizoaffective disorders in Queensland and the Northern Territory
- Specific personality disorders in South Australia
- Schizophrenia in Tasmania.
For more information on these diagnosis groupings refer to the data source section. Note that principal diagnosis data are not available for the Australian Capital Territory for 2023–24.
Characteristics of service contacts
CMHC service contacts can be conducted as either individual or group sessions and can be delivered face-to-face, via telephone, or using other forms of direct communication, such as video link. They can be conducted in the presence of the patient, with a third party (such as a carer or family member) and/or other professionals or mental health workers.
Individual contact sessions accounted for over 90% of all service contacts in every state and territory in 2023–24. New South Wales reported the lowest percentage of individual contacts (91%) while Tasmania reported the highest at almost 100%. Note that data are only available for individual contact sessions in the Northern Territory.
The majority of treatment days in every state and territory were targeted towards the general population. The Northern Territory delivered 81% of treatment days to the general population, the highest of any state or territory in 2023–24 while Tasmania reported the lowest of 66%. In 2023–24, the child and adolescent population had the second highest percentage of treatment days in every state and territory. In New South Wales, South Australia and the Northern Territory 14% of treatment days were targeted towards the child and adolescent population, compared to 16% in Victoria and Western Australia, 19% in Tasmania and 20% in Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory.
Where can I find more information?
You may be interested in:
- Community mental health care services
- Residential mental health care services
- Experience of care
- Consumer outcomes in mental health care
- Involuntary treatment in mental health care
National community mental health care database
State and territory health authorities collect a core set of information for the Community Mental Health Care National Minimum Data Set (CMHC NMDS), which is compiled annually into the National Community Mental Health Care Database (NCMHCD). The statistical counting unit used in the NCMHCD is a service contact between either a patient or a third party and a specialised community mental health care (CMHC) service provider.
Data quality over time
Differences in jurisdictional data reporting systems, reduced data coverage or under-reporting of service contacts may contribute to variation in service contact rates. Changes in the Australian Capital Territory’s information system resulted in data on contact duration, client participation type and principal diagnosis not being available for 2022–23 and 2023–24 as well as data on usual area of residence for 2022–23. Staff industrial action has resulted in a substantial reduction in data coverage for 2 jurisdictions in previous years: Victoria (2011–12, 2012–13, 2015–16 and 2016–17) and Tasmania (2011–12, 2012–13 and 2018–19). New South Wales and the Northern Territory also reported reduced data coverage for 2016–17, 2017–18 and 2018–19. The observed reductions in both service contact and patient numbers are considered to be primarily due to these missing data. Consequently, long term trends in the total number of service contacts are not available. Further information on data coverage can be found in the CMHC NMDS Data Quality Statement.
Data Quality Statements for National Minimum Data Sets (NMDSs) are published annually in AIHW’s Metadata Online Registry (METEOR). These statements provide information on the environment, timelines, accessibility, interpretability, relevance, accuracy and coherence of the data collection. Data quality statements for previous years are also accessible in METEOR.
Patient count
The number of unique patients provided with service contacts can be derived from the NCMHCD. However, the patient count is limited to people who are registered with state and territory community mental health care systems that have a unique person identifier; a person has one identifier across all individual service providers within a state or territory. The ability of jurisdictions to generate unique person identifiers varies as described in the Data Quality Statement for the CMHC NMDS.
Data coverage includes the time period 2014–15 to 2023–24.