Table 6 Public and private hospital average available beds and number of average available beds per 1000 population, by State and Territory, 2011-12a, b Unit NSW Vic Qld WA SA Tas ACT NT Aust Public hospitals Number of beds in public acute hospitals no. 19 239 13 218 10 804 5 463 5 045 1 178 939 696 56 582 Number of beds in public psychiatric hospitals no. 834 152 441 214 187 10 .. .. 1 838 Public acute beds per 1000 population rate 2.7 2.4 2.4 2.3 3.1 2.3 2.6 3.0 2.5 Public psychiatric beds per 1000 population rate 0.1 – 0.1 0.1 0.1 – .. .. 0.1 Private hospitalsc Number of beds in private day hospitals no. na na na na na na na na 2 957 Number of beds in other private hospitals no. 6 704 6 629 6 000 na 1 911 na na na 25 394 Private day hospital beds per 1000 population rate na na na na na na na na 0.1 Other private hospital beds per 1000 population rate 0.9 1.2 1.3 .. 1.2 na na na 1.1 Total Number of beds no. na na na na na na na na 86 771 Beds per 1000 population rate na na na na na na na na 3.9 a The number of average available beds presented here may differ from the counts published elsewhere. For example counts based on bed numbers at a specified date such as 30 June may differ from the average available beds over the reporting period. b Average available beds per 1000 population is reported as a crude rate based on the estimated resident population as at 30 June 2011. c Data from ABS (2012) Private hospitals Australia 2010-11 (Cat. no. 4390.0). – Nil or rounded to zero. na Not available. .. Not applicable. Source: AIHW (2013) Australian Hospital Statistics 2011-12, Cat. no. HSE 134, chapter 4, table 4.4. Hospitals provide different services depending on where they are located, their size, and the way in which they are funded (DoHA 2010). Public hospitals can be broadly categorised into similar groups called peer groups. Examining peer groups allows for more meaningful comparisons (AIHW 2011b). Public hospital peer groups are based on a range of factors, including the range of admitted patient
by 2018, increase by five percentage points the proportion of Australian adults and Australian children at a healthy body weight, over the 2009 baseline by 2018, reduce the national smoking rate to 10 per cent of the population and halve the Indigenous smoking rate, over the 2009 baseline Better health services by 2014-15, improve the provision of primary care and reduce the proportion of potentially preventable hospital admissions by 7.6 per cent over the 2006-07 baseline to 8.5 per cent of total hospital admissions the rate of Staphylococcus aureus (including MRSA) bacteraemia is no more than 2.0 per 10 000 occupied bed days for acute care public hospitals by 2011-12 in each State and Territory. [NHA para. 18] Outlined below are the performance benchmarks, any associated issues, and data for the current reporting year. Links are provided to the related NHA outcome and, where relevant, to the related performance indicator. Performance benchmark (a) — Better health: close the life expectancy gap for Indigenous Australians within a generation
Performance benchmark (f) — Better health services: by 2014-15, improve the provision of primary care and reduce the proportion of potentially preventable hospital admissions by 7.6 per cent over the 2006-07 baseline to 8.5 per cent of total hospital admissions Key amendments from previous cycle of reporting: Following advice from the CRC that it will only report against the supplementary measure (a) – that is, with diabetes as principal diagnoses included – the previous main measure and supplementary measure (b) have been removed from the specification. This is due in part to the main measure not enable time series comparisons to be made. The measure below now refers to what was previously supplementary measure (a). Outcome: Australians receive appropriate high quality and affordable hospital and hospital related care Interim measure: There are two parts to this performance benchmark: (1) Improved provision of primary care (2) Reduced potentially preventable hospital admissions For part (1) the measure is under development For part (2), the measure is defined as: numerator — number of potentially preventable hospitalisations, divided into the following three categories and total: vaccine-preventable conditions acute conditions, excluding dehydration and gastroenteritis chronic conditions excluding diabetes complications (additional diagnoses only) all potentially preventable hospitalisations, excluding diabetes complications (additional diagnoses only) and dehydration and gastroenteritis denominator — total hospital separations and is expressed as a number and per cent [The Steering Committee has a list of in-scope ICD-10-AM codes for each measure] Related performance indicator/s: Performance indicator 18: Selected potentially preventable hospitalisations Data source: Numerator and denominator — National Hospital Morbidity Database (NHMD). Data are collected annually Data provider: AIHW Data availability: 2011-12 Baseline: 2006-07 Cross tabulations provided: State and Territory (by three groups and total)
Indicator 2 — Incidence of selected cancers Key amendments from previous cycle of reporting: Data have been backcast due to revised Estimated Resident Population (ERP) data. Data for 2009 have also been re-supplied for NSW and the ACT to replace previous estimates. Outcome: Australians are born and remain healthy. Measure: Incidence of selected cancers of public health importance For melanoma, lung and bowel cancer, the measure is defined as: numerator — number of new cases in the reported year denominator — total population and is expressed as a directly age standardised rate (per 100 000 population) For breast and cervical cancer in females, the measure is defined as: numerator — number of new cases in women in the reported year denominator — total female population and is expressed as directly age standardised rates (per 100 000 population) Variability bands are calculated for data by State/Territory (for within jurisdiction comparisons only – cannot be used to compare across jurisdictions). Calculated separately for each type of cancer Data source: Numerator — Australian Cancer Database Denominator — ABS Estimated Resident Population (total population – 2011 Census base) and ABS Indigenous experimental estimates and projections (Indigenous population – 2006 Census base). For comparisons of Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations, all data will be 2006 Census based. Data are available annually Data provider: AIHW Data availability: 2010 and (2009, 2008, 2007 and 2006 backcast for revised ERP — except for Indigenous status for which revised data are not available until 2014, and therefore only backcast for 2009 for re-supply of ACT and NSW) Cross tabulations provided: State and Territory (for each cancer type), by: Indigenous status remoteness (ASGC) SEIFA IRSD quintiles (based on 2006 SEIFA) Nationally (for each cancer type), by SEIFA IRSD deciles
Indicator 5 — Levels of risky alcohol consumption Key amendments from previous cycle of reporting: The CRC has requested an additional data disaggregation for this indicator —remoteness by socioeconomic status (SES) (national level data, most recent year only) An additional disaggregation is provided — sex by socioeconomic status (SES) (national level data, most recent year only) Data by Indigenous status re-supplied for 2004-05 based on 2009 NHMRC guidelines to provide a comparable time series with the latest available data Outcome: Australians are born and remain healthy Interim measure: Proportion of adults at risk of long-term harm from alcohol The measure is defined as: numerator — persons aged 18 years or over assessed as having an alcohol consumption pattern that puts them at risk of long-term alcohol related harm denominator — population aged 18 years or over and is expressed as a directly age standardised rate (per cent) ‘Lifetime risk of alcohol related harm’ is defined according to the 2009 National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines: for males and females, no more than two standard drinks on any day. This has been operationalised as: for both males and females, an average of more than 2 standard drinks per day in the last week. 95 per cent confidence intervals and relative standard errors calculated for rates. Data source: Numerator and denominator — (All) Australian Health Survey (AHS). Data are collected every three years. (Indigenous) Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (AATSIHS). Data are collected every six years Data provider: ABS Data availability: (All) 2011-12 (NHS component of the 2011–13 AHS) data provided for 2011-12 report [No new data available] (Indigenous status) Indigenous: 2012-13 (NATSIHS component of the AATSIHS) / non-indigenous: 2011-12 (NHS component of the AHS) [2004-05 data re-supplied to provide comparable time series] Cross tabulations provided: State and Territory, by: Indigenous status (including re-supplied 2004-05 data) Nationally, by sex, by SEIFA IRSD deciles (2011 SEIFA IRSD with ASGS) remoteness, by SEIFA IRSD deciles (2011 SEIFA IRSD with ASGS)
Indicator 12 — Waiting times for GPs Key amendments from previous cycle of reporting: Data are provided for the first time for the Indigenous population (not able to be backcast). National data are now provided disaggregated by sex, and by waiting time category by remoteness (all categories) Outcome: Australians receive appropriate high quality and affordable primary and community health services Measure: Length of time a patient needs to wait to see a GP for an urgent appointment The measure is defined as: numerator — number of persons aged 15 years or over who reported seeing a GP for urgent medical care (for their own health) within specified waiting time categories denominator — total number of persons aged 15 years or over who saw a GP for urgent medical care (for their own health) in the last 12 months and is expressed as a directly age standardised rate [per cent calculated separately for each waiting time category (within four hours; more than four hours but within 24 hours; and 24 hours or more)] The interpretation of ‘urgent medical care’ was left to the respondent. 95 per cent confidence intervals and relative standard errors calculated for rates Data source: (All) ABS Patient Experience Survey (PExS). Data are available annually. (Indigenous) ABS National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSIHS) component of the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (AATSIHS) – non-remote areas only Data provider: ABS Data availability: 2012-13 Cross tabulations provided: State and Territory, by waiting time category by: remoteness (ASGS) (collapsed categories) Nationally, by waiting time category by: remoteness (ASGS) (all categories) SEIFA IRSD deciles (2011 based SEIFA ISRD with ASGS) sex (Indigenous population only) National by remoteness (non-remote areas only)
Indicator 14 — People deferring access to selected healthcare due to financial barriers Key amendments from previous cycle of reporting: Data are provided for the first time for the Indigenous population (not able to be backcast). National data are now provided disaggregated by sex. Outcome: Australians receive appropriate high quality and affordable primary and community health services Measure: Proportion of people who required treatment but deferred that treatment due to cost, by type of health service There are five measures for this indicator: Measure 14a: Proportion of people who delayed or didn’t see a GP because of cost Measure 14b: Proportion of people who delayed or didn’t see a medical specialist because of cost Measure 14c: Proportion of people who delayed or didn’t get a medical prescription filled because of cost Measure 14d: Proportion of people who delayed or didn’t see a dental practitioner because of cost Measure 14e: Proportion of people who delayed or didn’t get pathology or imaging tests because of cost Measure 14a is defined as: numerator — number of persons aged 15 years or over who reported delaying or not seeing a GP in the last 12 months because of cost [numerator for Indigenous] — number of Indigenous persons aged 15 years or over who reported needing to see a GP in the last 12 months, but did not because of cost denominator — total number of persons aged 15 years or over who saw a GP, or needed to see a GP but didn’t, in the last 12 months [denominator for Indigenous] — total number of Indigenous persons aged 15 years or over who needed to see a GP in the last 12 months, but did not and is expressed as a directly age standardised rate (per cent) Measure 14b is defined as: numerator — number of persons aged 15 years or over who reported delaying or not seeing a medical specialist in the last 12 months because of cost denominator — total number of persons aged 15 years or over who received a written referral to a specialist from a GP in the last 12 months and is expressed as a directly age standardised rate (per cent) Measure 14c is defined as: numerator — number of persons who reported delaying or not getting a prescription filled for medication in the last 12 months because of cost [numerator for Indigenous] — number of Indigenous persons aged 15 years or over who did not fill a prescription in the last 12 months because of cost
territories and therefore statistics at a national level are available for most characteristics. In some cases, different wording of questions asked on the registration form may result in different answers, which may affect final figures. Use of the supporting documentation released with the statistics is important for assessing coherence within the dataset and when comparing the statistics with data from other sources. Changing business rules over time and/or across data sources can affect consistency and hence interpretability of statistical output. The Explanatory Notes in each issue contains information pertinent to this particular release which may impact on comparison over time. Interpretability Information on some aspects of statistical quality may be hard to obtain as information on the source data has not been kept over time. This is related to the issue of the administrative rather than statistical purpose of the collection of the source data. Information on data sources, terminology, classifications and other technical aspects associated with death statistics can be found in Causes of Death, Australia, (cat. no 3303.0) in the Explanatory Notes, Appendices and Glossary on the ABS website. Accessibility Causes of death data are available in a variety of formats on the ABS website under the 3303.0 product family. Further information on deaths and mortality may be available on request. The ABS observes strict confidentiality protocols as required by the Census and Statistics Act (1905). This may restrict access to data at a very detailed level. References ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) 2013a, Australian Health Survey: Updated Results, 2011–12 — Australia. Cat. no. 4364.0.55.003, Canberra. — 2013b, Population projections, Australia, 2012 (base) to 2101. Cat. no. 3222.0, Canberra. ACRRM (Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine) 2010, ‘About rural and remote medicine’, (accessed 13 September 2011). AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare), 2010, Australia’s Health 2010, Cat. no. AUS 122, Canberra. —— 2011a, Health expenditure Australia 2009-10. Health and welfare expenditure series no. 46. Cat. no. HWE 55, Canberra. —— 2011b, Australian Hospital Statistics 2009-10, Cat. no. HSE 107, Canberra. —— 2012a, Australia’s Health 2012, Australia's health no. 13. Cat. no. AUS 156, Canberra.