Continuity of health care
Consistently seeing the same health-care provider can promote good health through better coordination of health care services, and through the development of trust and strong relationships, which are particularly important for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (Nolan-Isles et al. 2021; Department of Health, Disability and Ageing 2021).
In 2022–23, an estimated 830,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (83%) always used the same source of health care, 65,000 (6.5%) used more than one source, and 99,000 (10%) did not have a usual source. This differs from the results in the ‘usual source of health care’ question, likely because of differences in the wording of the questions and random adjustments in the source data.
Around 91% of (or an estimated 249,000 of 274,000) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who had an Aboriginal Medical Service or Community Clinic (AMS/CC) as their usual source of health care always used an AMS/CC (Figure 14). This compares with 94% (or an estimated 544,000 of 579,000) of those who had a mainstream general practitioner (GP) as their usual source always using a mainstream GP, and 88% (27,200 of 31,000) of those with a hospital as their usual source always using a hospital.
Figure 14: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, whether always used the same source of health care, by usual source of health care, 2022–23
Bar chart shows that an estimated 249,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who had an AMS/CC as their usual source of health care always used an AMS/CC. An estimated 544,100 who had a mainstream GP as their usual source always used a mainstream GP.
| Usual source of health care | Always used same source | Did not always use same source |
|---|---|---|
| AMS/CC | 249,000 | 24,300 |
| Mainstream GP | 544,100 | 34,500 |
| Hospital | 27,200 | 4,000 |
| Usual source of health care | Always used same source | Did not always use same source |
|---|---|---|
| AMS/CC | 91.0 | 8.9 |
| Mainstream GP | 94.0 | 6.0 |
| Hospital | 87.7 | 12.9 |
Source: AIHW analysis of 2022–23 NATSIHS using TableBuilder (ABS 2025a).
The likelihood of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people always using the same source of health care varied by the independent variables (Figure 15). For example, in 2022–23 it was:
- Higher among females than males (87% or an estimated 434,000 of 502,000 and 80% or 396,000 of 492,000, respectively). Males were more likely than females to not have a usual source of health care (13% or an estimated 62,400 compared with 7.2% or 36,000).
- Higher for those aged 55 and over (90% or an estimated 121,000 of 134,000) compared with those aged 15–34 (77% or 258,000 of 332,000). The 15–34 age group was the most likely age group to not have a usual source of health care (16% or an estimated 52,500).
- Slightly higher in more remote areas – 88% (or an estimated 80,600 of 91,200) in Very remote areas compared with 82% (or 335,000 of 409,000) in Major cities.
- Higher for those aged 15 and over with poor/fair or good self-assessed health (85% or an estimated 145,000 of 172,000, and 85% or 189,000 of 223,000, respectively) than those with very good/excellent self-assessed health (79% or 214,000 of 273,000). However, the differences were small.
The following data visualisation shows the distribution of whether Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people always used the same source, did not always use the same source, or did not have a usual service they go to, by remoteness, state/territory, sex, age group, household income quintile and self-assessed health status.
Figure 15: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, whether always used the same source of health care, by selected categories and survey cycle
Bar chart shows that 88% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Very remote areas always used the same source of health care, compared with 82% of those in Major cities.
Notes:
- Data are population weighted estimates.
- While non-overlapping confidence intervals (CIs) generally indicate statistical significance, overlapping CIs do not necessarily imply that a difference is not significant. See Technical notes for more information.
Source: AIHW analysis of 2012–13, 2018–19 and 2022–23 NATSIHS using TableBuilder (ABS 2013a, 2019a, 2025a).
Does having multiple services available affect continuity of health care?
Whether people use more than one source of health care can depend on the availability of services in their local area. While the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSIHS) does not measure the total number of health services in a person’s community, it does capture whether individuals have access to multiple types of health services – which can influence how and where they seek care.
Table 6 shows that in 2022–23, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with only an AMS/CC in their local area had the highest proportion who always use the same source of health care (87% or an estimated 76,700 of 88,500). In areas where there was only a mainstream GP, 83% (or an estimated 249,000 of 299,000) used the same source, 3.9% (or 11,800) used more than one, and 13% (or 37,800) either did not have a source of care or did not know if they did.
Available in local area | Always used the same | Doesn’t always use the same | None or don’t know | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
AMS/CC only | 86.7 | 5.0 | 8.3 | 100.0 |
Both AMS/CC and mainstream GP | 83.5 | 8.1 | 8.4 | 100.0 |
Mainstream GP only | 83.4 | 3.9 | 12.7 | 100.0 |
Neither | 58.3 | 5.0 | 36.7 | 100.0 |
Total | 83.4 | 6.5 | 10.0 | 100.0 |
Available in local area | Always used the same | Doesn’t always use the same | None or don’t know | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
AMS/CC only | 88.2 | 4.4 | 7.5 | 100.0 |
Both AMS/CC and mainstream GP | 86.3 | 8.0 | 5.7 | 100.0 |
Mainstream GP only | 82.6 | 6.8 | 10.6 | 100.0 |
Neither | 71.2 | 5.3 | 23.6 | 100.0 |
Total | 85.1 | 7.1 | 7.8 | 100.0 |
Available in local area | Always used the same | Doesn’t always use the same | None or don’t know | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
AMS/CC only | 79.4 | 6.0 | 14.6 | 100.0 |
Both AMS/CC and mainstream GP | 82.2 | 6.8 | 11.0 | 100.0 |
Mainstream GP only | 76.6 | 4.9 | 18.5 | 100.0 |
Neither | 67.2 | 5.3 | 27.5 | 100.0 |
Total | 79.8 | 6.2 | 14.0 | 100.0 |
Note: Data are population weighted estimates.
Source: AIHW analysis of 2012–13, 2018–19 and 2022–23 NATSIHS using DataLab (ABS 2013b,2019b, 2025b).
ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) (2013a) National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey, 2012–13: TableBuilder [TableBuilder], ABS, Australian Government, accessed 3 February 2025.
—— (2013b) National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey, 2012–13: DataLab [microdata], ABS, Australian Government, accessed 3 February 2025.
—— (2019a) National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey, 2018–19: TableBuilder [TableBuilder], ABS, Australian Government, accessed 3 February 2025.
—— (2019b) National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey, 2018–19: DataLab [microdata], ABS, Australian Government, accessed 3 February 2025.
—— (2025a) National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey, 2022–23: TableBuilder [TableBuilder], ABS, Australian Government, accessed 11 April 2025.
—— (2025b) National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey, 2022–23: DataLab [microdata], ABS, Australian Government, accessed 11 April 2025.
Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (2021) National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan 2021–2031, Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, Australian Government, accessed 25 July 2025.
Nolan-Isles D, Macniven R, Hunter K, Gwynn J, Lincoln M, Moir R, Dimitropoulos Y, Taylor D, Agius T, Finlayson H, Martin R, Ward K, Tobin S and Gwynne K (2021) ‘Enablers and barriers to accessing healthcare services for Aboriginal people in New South Wales, Australia’, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(6):3014, doi:10.3390/ijerph18063014.