Summary
Key points
- Almost 1 in 5 (19.9%) residential mental health care episodes were for people with an involuntary mental health legal status during 2019–20.
- Around 1 in 7 (14.7%) community mental health care contacts were for people with an involuntary mental health legal status during 2019–20.
- 45.6% of hospitalisations and 55.6% of patient days in admitted hospital acute units were for people with an involuntary mental health legal status during 2019–20.
- 7.3 seclusion events per 1,000 bed days were reported for acute specialised mental health hospital services during 2020–21, down from 13.9 during 2009–10.
- 5.2 hours was the average seclusion duration during 2020–21.
- 11.6 physical restraint events per 1,000 bed days and 0.7 mechanical restraint events per 1,000 bed days were reported during 2020–21.
In Australia, all states and territories collect data regarding the use of restrictive practices in public acute mental health services. Data include the provision of mental health treatment to persons on an involuntary basis, and the use of seclusion and/or restraint, under state and territory mental health legislation.
Nationally in 2019–20 mental health care was provided to people on an involuntary basis during:
- 1 in 5 residential mental health care episodes (19.9%)
- 1 in 7 community mental health care service contacts (14.7%)
- almost 3 in 5 (55.6%) patient days in inpatient Acute units, and
- 1 in 2 (49.7%) patient days in inpatient non-acute units.
People in acute hospital care in Australia were secluded 12,371 times during 2020–21 for 5.2 hours on average (excluding Forensic services). This represents 7.3 events per 1,000 bed days. The national seclusion rate has nearly halved over the last decade.
Nationally, during 2020–21 there were 19,690 physical restraint events and 1,108 mechanical restraint events, representing 11.6 and 0.7 events per 1,000 bed days respectively. Over the last five years (since data coverage began), the national physical restraint rate has not changed much, while mechanical restraint has more than halved.
Data on involuntary treatment in both community and residential mental health care settings have been available for almost two decades. The use of seclusion and restraint in acute admitted mental health care settings (first reported in 2016) and involuntary treatment in acute and non-acute admitted mental health care settings (first reported in 2019) are more recent data initiatives.
The collection and improvement of data on the use of restrictive practices in Australian mental health care is an ongoing initiative. Annual reporting continues through cooperative efforts in the mental health data sector under national priority endeavours, particularly through coordinated work with state/territory mental health authorities.
Spotlight data
Has the use of seclusion in public mental health hospital care changed over the last decade?