Health Directorate Strategic Indicators
Strategic objective 1: Removals from waiting list for elective surgery
In order to improve access to elective surgery, the Commonwealth and state and territory governments have entered into a partnership to significantly increase the number of elective surgery operations provided in our public hospitals, and to reduce the number of people waiting more than the clinically recommended times for that surgery.
Strategic indicator 1: Number of people removed from waiting list
| 2013-14 Target |
2013-14 Result |
|
| People removed from the ACT elective surgery waiting list for surgery | 11,000 | 11,780 |
Strategic objective 2: No waiting for access to emergency dental health services
This provides an indication of the responsiveness of the dental service to emergency clients.
Strategic indicator 2: Percentage of assessed emergency clients seen within 24 hours
| 2013-14 Target |
2013-14 Result |
|
| Percentage of emergency clients seen within 24 hours | 100% | 100% |
Strategic objective 3: Improving timeliness of access to radiotherapy services
This provides an indication of the effectiveness of public hospitals in meeting the need for cancer treatment services.
Strategic indicator 3: Percentage of radiotherapy patients who commence treatment within standard time frames
| 2013-14 Target |
2013-14 Result |
|
| Category | ||
| Urgent - treatment starts within 48 hours | 100% | 100% |
| Semi-urgent - treatment starts within 4 weeks1 | 95% | 100% |
| Non-urgent - treatment starts within 6 weeks1 | 95% | 100% |
1 Discontinued measure. This measure was replaced to match National Radiation Oncology Practice Standards.
Strategic objective 4: Improving the breast screen participation rate for women aged 50 to 69 years
Strategic indicator 4: The proportion of women in the target age group (50 to 69 years) who had a breast screen in the 24 months prior to each counting period.
| 2013-14 Target |
2013-14 Result |
|
| Proportion of women aged 50 to 69 who had a breast screen | 60% | 56% |
Strategic objective 5: Maintaining the waiting times for in-hospital assessments by the Aged Care Assessment Team
This provides an indication of the responsiveness of the Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) in assessing the needs of clients.
Strategic indicator 5: The mean waiting time in working days between the request for, and provision of, assessment by ACAT for patients in public hospitals
| 2013-14 Target |
2013-14 Result |
|
| Category | ||
| Mean waiting time in working days | 2 days | 1.9 days |
Strategic objective 6: Reducing the usage of seclusion in mental health episodes
This measures the effectiveness of public mental health services in the ACT over time in providing services that minimise the need for seclusion.
Strategic indicator 6: The proportion of mental health clients who are subject to a seclusion episode while being an admitted patient in an ACT public mental health inpatient unit
| 2013-14 Target |
2013-14 Result |
|
| The proportion of mental health clients who are subject to a seclusion episode while being an admitted patient in an ACT public mental health inpatient unit | <3% | 1.8% |
Strategic objective 7: Maintaining reduced rates of patient return to an ACT public acute psychiatric inpatient unit
This indicator reflects the quality of care provided to acute mental health patients.
Strategic indicator 7: The proportion of clients who return to hospital within 28 days of discharge from an ACT public acute psychiatric unit following an acute episode of care
| 2013-14 Target |
2013-14 Result |
|
| Proportion of clients who return to hospital within 28 days of discharge from an ACT acute psychiatric mental health inpatient unit | <10% | 6.9% |
Strategic objective 8: Reaching the optimum occupancy rate for all overnight hospital beds
This provides an indication of the efficient use of resources available for hospital services.
Strategic indicator 8: The mean percentage of overnight hospital beds in use
| 2013-14 Target |
2013-14 Result |
|
| Mean percentage of overnight hospital beds in use | 90% | 90% |
Strategic objective 9: Management of chronic disease: maintenance of the highest life expectancy at birth in Australia
Australians are living longer, and gains in life expectancy are continuing. Premature deaths (those of people aged under 75 years) from leading potentially preventable chronic diseases have decreased by 17 per cent between 1997 and 2007.
Life expectancy at birth provides an indication of the general health of the population and reflects on a range of issues other than the provision of health services, such as economic and environmental factors. The ACT continues to enjoy the highest life expectancy of any jurisdiction in Australia, and the government aims to maintain this result.
Strategic indicator 9: Life expectancy at birth in Australia 2012
| ACT rate (years) | National rate (years) | |
| Females | 85.1 | 84.3 |
| Males | 81.2 | 79.9 |
Strategic objective 10: Lower prevalence of circulatory disease than the national average
Population projections suggest that the ACT population is ageing faster than other jurisdictions. The median age of the ACT population (36.9 years in 2010) has increased by 4.8 years since 1990. While people of all ages can present with a chronic disease, the ageing of the population and longer life spans mean that chronic diseases will place major demands on the health system for workforce and financial resources.
Strategic indicator 10: Proportion of the ACT population with some form of cardiovascular disease
| ACT rate | National rate | |
| Proportion of the population diagnosed with some form of cardiovascular disease | 18.4% | 16.9% |
Strategic objective 11: Lower prevalence of diabetes than the national average
This indicator provides a marker of the success of prevention and early intervention initiatives. The self-reported prevalence of diabetes in Australia has more than doubled over the past 25 years. Prevalence rates may increase in the short term as a result of early intervention and detection campaigns. This would be a positive result, as experts predict that only half of those with diabetes are aware of their condition. This can have significant impacts on their long-term health. The prevalence of diabetes in the ACT was similar to the national rate.
Strategic indicator 11: Proportion of the ACT population diagnosed with some form of diabetes
| ACT rate | National rate | |
| Prevalence of diabetes in the ACT | 3.8% | 3.7% |
Strategic objective 12: Government capital expenditure on healthcare infrastructure
This indicator provides information on government investment to improve healthcare infrastructure. Information on the level of funding allocated for health infrastructure as a proportion of overall expenditure provides an indication of investment towards developing sustainable and improved models of care. The aim for the ACT is to exceed the national rate of expenditure on infrastructure.
Strategic indicator 12: Capital consumption
| ACT rate | National rate | |
| Government1 capital expenditure as a proportion of government2 capital consumption expenditure by healthcare facilities | ||
| 2008-09 | 2.76% | 1.90% |
| 2009-10 | 2.67% | 1.57% |
| 2010-11 | 3.84% | 2.15% |
Notes:
1. Excludes local government.
2. Expenditure on publicly owned healthcare facilities.
Strategic objective 13: Higher proportion of government recurrent health funding expenditure on public health activities than the national average
Improvements in the prevention of diseases can reduce longer term impacts on the health system, particularly for people with chronic diseases. The aim for the ACT is to exceed the Australian average rate of recurrent health funding on public health activities as a strategy to reduce the long-term chronic disease burden.
Strategic indicator 13: Estimated total government expenditure on public health activities as a proportion of total current health expenditure
| ACT rate | National rate | |
| 2008-09 | 3.1% | 2.7% |
| 2009-10 | 2.7% | 2.2% |
| 2010-11 | 2.6% | 2.1% |
Strategic objective 14: Addressing gaps in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander immunisation status
The immunisation rate provides an indication of the level of investment in public health services to minimise the incidence of vaccine preventable diseases. The ACT has low numbers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, which can result in wide fluctuations in coverage rates. The ACT's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population often has a lower rate of immunisation than the general population. The ACT aims to minimise disparities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians through a targeted immunisation strategy.
Strategic indicator 14: Immunisation rates - ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population
| ACT rate | National rate | |
| Immunisation rates1 for vaccines in the national schedule for the ACT indigenous population | ||
| 12 to 15 months | ≥90% | 89.7% |
| 24 to 27 months | ≥90% | 94.8% |
| 60 to 63 months | ≥90% | 93.7% |
| All | ≥90% | 92.6% |
1. The very low numbers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the ACT means that the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander coverage data should be read with caution. This small population can cause rate fluctuations.
Strategic objective 15: Higher participation rate in the cervical screening program than the national average
The two-year participation rate provides an indication of the effectiveness of early intervention health messages.
The ACT aims to exceed the national average for this indicator.
Strategic indicator 15: Two-year participation rate in the cervical screening program
| ACT Rate | National Rate | |
| Two-year participation rate | 57.6% | 57.2% |
Strategic objective 16: Achieve lower than the Australian average in the decayed, missing, or filled teeth (DMFT) index
This gives an indication of the effectiveness of dental prevention, early intervention and treatment services in the ACT.
The aim for the ACT is to better the national average on the DMFT.
Strategic indicator 16: The mean number of teeth with dental decay, missing or filled teeth at ages 6 and 12
| ACT Rate1 | National Rate | |
| DMFT index at 6 years | 1.03 | 2.13 |
| DMFT index at 12 years | 0.70 | 1.05 |
Notes:
1 Lowest of all jurisdictions.
Strategic objective 17: Reducing the risk of fractured femurs in ACT residents aged over 75 years
This provides an indication of the success of public and community health initiatives to prevent hip fractures. In 2012-13, the ACT rate of admissions in persons aged 75 years and over with a fractured neck of femur was 5.5 per 1,000 persons in the ACT population. This is slightly above the long-term target and follows a generally decreasing trend over the 10-year period from 2001-02.
Strategic indicator 17: Reduction in the rate of broken hips (fractured neck of femur)
| 2013-14 Target |
2013-14 Result |
|
| Rate per 1,000 people | 5.5 | 5.3 |
Strategic objective 18: Reduction in the youth smoking rate
Results from the 2011 Australian Secondary School Alcohol and Drug Survey (ASSAD) show that 5.8 per cent of students were current smokers in that year. This demonstrates a continued decline in current smoking from 15.3 per cent in 2001, to 6.7 per cent in 2008, and to 5.8 per cent in 2011. The national rate for current smoking in youths in 2011 was 6.7 per cent.
Strategic indicator 18: Percentage of persons aged 12 to 17 years who smoke regularly
| 2011 Outcome | National rate | |
| Percentage of persons aged 12 to 17 who are current smokers | 5.8% | 6.7% |
