National program and initiatives (DSS managed)
Expenditure on DSS (previously FaHCSIA) managed programs commenced with three measures introduced in 2006–07 through the COAG Action Plan on Mental Health (Personal Helpers and Mentors, Mental Health Respite, Family Mental Health Support Services). Subsequently a number of additional new measures have been added from Federal Budgets that are managed through the DSS portfolio and are included in expenditure reporting ('A Better Life', 'Carers and Work', and 'Individual Placement and Support Trial'). DSS has advised that, from 2016–17, two programs (Personal Helpers and Mentors, Mental Health Respite Care) began transitioning to the NDIS and, expenditure reported for these programs is inclusive of funding transferred to the NDIS.
National programs and initiatives (DVA managed)
Reported expenditure includes Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme expenditure, Repatriation Medical Benefits expenditure on general practitioners, psychiatrists and allied health providing mental health care, payment for mental health care provided in public and private hospitals for veterans, grants to Phoenix Australia and expenditure on OpenArms and related mental health programs. Note that estimated expenditure on mental health-related Pharmaceuticals includes the costs of anti-dementia drugs for years up to and including to 2009–10 but these have been removed for subsequent years.
DVA provided the following information in respect of its mental health related expenditure in 2019–20.
Data Source EXP.1: Department of Veterans’ Affairs mental health expenditure, 2019–20
|
2019–20 ($M)(a)
|
Private hospitals(b)(c)(d)
|
65.6
|
Public hospitals(b)
|
39.1
|
Consultant psychiatrists
|
28.9
|
OpenArms (previously Veterans and Veterans’ Families Counselling Service)
|
72.7
|
Pharmaceuticals(e)
|
15.0
|
Private psychologists and allied health
|
15.5
|
General practitioners
|
16.2
|
Phoenix Australia (previously Australian Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health)
|
1.9
|
Veterans' mental health care—improving access for younger veterans
|
-
|
Other programs
|
4.2
|
Total
|
259.0
|
(a) Expenditure is indicative as not all data sets are fully complete. Small variations may be expected over time.
(b) Based only on payments made for patients classified to Major Diagnostic Category (MDC) 19 (Mental Diseases and Disorders) under the Australian Refined Diagnosis Related Groups (AR-DRG) classification system. Excludes payments made for patients classified to MDC 20 (Alcohol/drug use and alcohol/drug induced organic mental disorders).
(c) Private hospital figure includes payments to the hospital only (i.e. any other payments during these episodes such as payments to doctors have been excluded).
(d) DVA depends on submitted Hospital Casemix Protocol data from private hospitals and Diagnostic Procedure Combinations to obtain correct MDC and diagnosis information. When this information is not available (e.g. provided by hospitals on a quarterly basis and most recent quarter’s data not yet received) then an understatement can occur in reporting. For this report, and only in relation to private psychiatric facilities, billing item codes have been used to identify and include mental health data in this category.
(e) Excludes anti-dementia drugs.
National Mental Health Commission
The Commission commenced operation in January 2012. Source data for 2019–20: NMHC Annual Report 2019–20.
Department of Defence-funded programs
Expenditure covers a range of mental health programs and services delivered to ADF personnel, as of 2009–10 onwards; data for prior years is unavailable. Increased expenditure over the period reflects, in part, increased accuracy of data capture. Details of the ADF Mental Health Strategy are available at Defence's website.
The Department provided the following information in respect of its mental health related expenditure in 2019–20.
Data Source EXP.2: Department of Defence mental health expenditure, 2019–20
|
2019-20 ($M)
|
JHC Direct Mental Health Program and Implementation Costs [a]
|
1.0
|
Mental Health Personnel Costs [b]
|
7.0
|
FFS Garrison Psychology Services
|
13.5
|
FFS Garrison Psychiatrist Services [c]
|
6.7
|
Mental Health Treatment Programs
|
9.3
|
Contracted General Practitioner Costs [d]
|
7.1
|
Contracted Mental Health Professionals [e]
|
9.2
|
MIMS Dispensed Therapeutic Classification Drugs [f]
|
0.4
|
Total
|
54.3
|
(a) JHC Direct Mental Health Program and Implementation Costs includes ASL Services. The FY 2018-19 expense is higher than usual due to Research & Development Contract.
(b) FY 18-19 personnel costs includes both APS and ADF MH personnel (incl. GPs) working in Garrison Health. This is calculated using the average FY17-18 MH personnel costs plus 2.5%.
(c) Mental Health Treatment Programs data capture commenced with ADF Health Services contract implementation in FY 2012-13.
(d) Represents the methodology whereby 10% of a Contracted General Practitioners consultations relate to mental health.
(e) Contracted Mental Health Professionals for FY2009-10 to FY2011-12 was coded into a generic Health Contractor GL account and therefore no costs could be identified.
(f) Data collection processed refined to include data from Pharmaceutical Integrated Logistic System (PILS) dispensing records from FY2018-19
National Suicide Prevention Program
This program commenced in 1995–96 as the National Youth Suicide Prevention Strategy but was broadened in later years. Reported expenditure includes all Australian Government allocations made under the national program, including additional funding made available under the COAG Action Plan and subsequent Federal Government Budgets. Changes in administrative arrangements and financial reporting make the estimates from 2015–16 not directly comparable to previous years. Components of the National Suicide Prevention Program are based on estimated expenditure to as closely as possible match the former methodology.
Indigenous social and emotional wellbeing programs
This expenditure refers to two programs:
- The OATSIH Social & Emotional Wellbeing Action Plan program that commenced in 1996–97 following the Bringing Them Home report on the stolen generation of Indigenous children. Up to 2012–13 this program was managed by the Australian Government Department of Health and rolled into the reporting category ‘National program and initiatives (Department of Health managed)’. As part of a realignment of responsibility for indigenous affairs, the program was transferred to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in 2013–14. Social and emotional wellbeing services and activities receive funding through the Indigenous Advancement Strategy Safety and Wellbeing Programme, administered by the National Australians Indigenous Agency.
- The measure titled ‘Improving the Capacity of Health Workers in Indigenous Communities’ funded under the COAG Action Plan in 2006–07. This measure ceased in 2010–11.
In previous years’ reporting, expenditure on these programmes was included under ‘National program and initiatives (Department of Health managed) ‘. From 2013–14, relevant expenditure is now reported separately, with appropriate adjustments to previous years.
Medicare Benefits Schedule—psychiatrists
Reported expenditure refers to benefits paid for all services by consultant psychiatrists processed in each of the index years. Data exclude payments made by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs under the Repatriation Medical Benefits Schedule which are reported in the item National programs and initiatives (DVA managed).
Medicare Benefits Schedule—general practitioners
Reported expenditure includes data for the Medicare-subsidised Better Access to Psychiatrists, Psychologists and General Practitioners through the MBS initiative described above and in the Medicare-subsidised specialised mental health-specific services section. Expenditure on GP mental health care is based solely on benefits paid against MBS mental health specific GP items, which are predominantly the Better Access GP mental health items plus a small number of other items that were created in the years preceding the introduction of the Better Access initiative. This estimate of mental health-related GP costs is conservative because it does not attempt to assign a cost to the range of GP mental health work that is not billed as a specific mental health item.