Towards national benchmarks for Australian mental health services

This report is the result of research undertaken in 1999 to assist with the identification of mental health data items and data sets to determine useful performance indicators and benchmarks for mental health services.

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The challenge for the mental health sector is clear. The use of performance indicators and the movement towards benchmarking is becoming routine in the Australian health care system. The challenge for the mental health sector is to develop a set of meaningful performance measures and to develop the culture and the processes so that benchmarking becomes the norm.

Information Strategy Committee Discussion Paper no. 4
National Mental Health Strategy

ISBN 0 642 82198 4

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Authors

Kathy Eagar - Centre for Health Services Development, University of Wollongong
Philip Burgess - Policy & Analysis Group, Mental Health Research Institute
Bill Buckingham - Buckingham & Associates Pty Ltd

Copyright statements

Paper-based publications

© Commonwealth of Australia 2003

This work is copyright. You may reproduce the whole or part of this work in unaltered form for your own personal use or, if you are part of an organisation, for internal use within your organisation, but only if you or your organisation do not use the reproduction for any commercial purpose and retain this copyright notice and all disclaimer notices as part of that reproduction. Apart from rights to use as permitted by the Copyright Act 1968 or allowed by this copyright notice, all other rights are reserved and you are not allowed to reproduce the whole or any part of this work in any way (electronic or otherwise) without first being given the specific written permission from the Commonwealth to do so. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights are to be sent to the Online, Services and External Relations Branch, Department of Health and Ageing, GPO Box 9848, Canberra ACT 2601, or by e-mail to copyright at copyright@health.gov.au.

Internet sites

© Commonwealth of Australia 2003

This work is copyright. You may download, display, print and reproduce the whole or part of this work in unaltered form for your own personal use or, if you are part of an organisation, for internal use within your organisation, but only if you or your organisation do not use the reproduction for any commercial purpose and retain this copyright notice and all disclaimer notices as part of that reproduction. Apart from rights to use as permitted by the Copyright Act 1968 or allowed by this copyright notice, all other rights are reserved and you are not allowed to reproduce the whole or any part of this work in any way (electronic or otherwise) without first being given the specific written permission from the Commonwealth to do so. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights are to be sent to the Online, Services and External Relations Branch, Department of Health and Ageing, GPO Box 9848, Canberra ACT 2601, or by e-mail to copyright at copyright@health.gov.au.

Suggested citation

Eagar, K. Burgess, P. Buckingham, B. (2003) Towards National Benchmarks for Australian Mental Health Services. ISC Discussion Paper No 4. Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing, Canberra.

Additional copies

Additional copies of the report can be obtained from:

Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Branch
Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing
GPO Box 9848
Canberra ACT 2601

Phone: 1800 066 247
Facsimile: 1800 634 400

Website: Mental health page on the Department of Health and Ageing website (www.health.gov.au)

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Disclaimer

Papers published as part of the Information Strategy Committee Discussion paper series are not meant to be prescriptive and do not represent any official Government, National Mental Health Working Group, or Information Strategy Committee position. They are intended to stimulate discussion on a range of mental health information development and outcome measurement issues. The views expressed in these papers are not necessarily the views of the Commonwealth or any particular State or Territory.

Previously published ISC Discussion Papers

Discussion Paper No. 1 (Out of Print)
Morris-Yates, A & Andrews, G (1997) Local Area Information Systems for Mental Health Services: General Principles and Guidelines

Discussion Paper No.2 (Out of Print)
Report of the National Indigenous Mental Health Data Workshop (1998)

Discussion Paper No. 3
Christensen H, Griffiths KM, Evans K, (2002) e-Mental Health in Australia: Implications of the Internet and Related Technologies for Policy