Introduction
Hospitals are an important part of Australia's health landscape, providing services to many Australians each year. A summary measure of their significant role is the amount that is spent on them—an estimated $59 billion in 2013–14, about 3.7% of Australia's gross domestic product, or about $2,542 per person (AIHW 2015c). Hospital spending has been increasing faster than inflation—adjusted for inflation, it increased by 4.2% each year, on average, between 2009–10 and 2013–14.
Access to our hospital services, the quality of the services, and their funding and management arrangements are under constant public scrutiny. This summary report presents an overview of statistics on our hospitals to inform public discussion and debate on these issues.
While most data presented in this report are for 2014–15, data for hospital funding were for 2013–14. More detailed statistics and information on how to interpret the data are in the companion reports:
- Elective surgery waiting times 2014–15: Australian hospital statistics (AIHW 2015a)
- Emergency department care 2014–15: Australian hospital statistics (AIHW 2015b)
- Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia in Australia's public hospitals 2014–15: Australian hospital statistics (AIHW 2015d)
- Admitted patient care 2014–15: Australian hospital statistics (AIHW 2016a)
- Hospital resources 2014–15: Australian hospital statistics (AIHW 2016b)
- Non-admitted patient care 2014–15: Australian hospital statistics (AIHW 2016c).
Information on private hospital resources and private hospital emergency department activity was sourced from the Australian Bureau of Statistics publication Private hospitals, Australia, 2014–15.
Further detail is also available in spreadsheets and data cubes.
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2016. Private hospitals, Australia 2014–15. ABS cat. no. 4390.0. Canberra: ABS.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) 2015a Elective surgery waiting times 2014–15: Australian hospital statistics
AIHW 2015b. Emergency department care 2014–15: Australian hospital statistics. Health services series no. 65. Cat. no. HSE 168. Canberra: AIHW.
AIHW 2015c. Health expenditure Australia 2013–14. Health and welfare expenditure series no. 54. Cat. no. HWE 63. Canberra: AIHW.
AIHW 2015d.Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia in Australia's public hospitals 2014–15: Australian hospital statistics Health services series no. 67. Cat no. HSE 171. Canberra: AIHW.
AIHW 2016a: Admitted patient care 2014–15: Australian hospital statistics. Health services series no. 68. Cat. no. HSE 172. Canberra: AIHW.
AIHW 2016b. Hospital resources 2014–15: Australian hospital statistics. Health services series no. 71. Cat. no. HSE 176. Canberra: AIHW.
AIHW 2016c. Non-admitted patient care 2014–15: Australian hospital statistics. Health services series no. 69. Cat. no. HSE 174. Canberra: AIHW.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) 2015. OECD. stat. Paris: OECD. Viewed 20 March 2016.
Preliminary material: Title and verso pages; Infographic: 10.2 million hospitalisations; Contents
Introduction
Hospital resources
- How many hospitals were there?
- How many beds?
- How diverse were Australia's public hospitals?
- How were hospitals funded?
- How many people were employed in Australia's hospitals?
What services do Australia's hospitals provide?
- Emergency department services
- Outpatient clinics
- Admitted patient care
- Surgery in Australia's hospitals
End matter: Related information; References