Definitions and cost drivers for mental health services project
Date published: 15 March 2013
As an initial step in developing a new national classification for mental health services, IHPA has commissioned a consortium led by The University of Queensland (UQ) to develop a definition for mental health services that can be consistently applied within the mental health sector and between jurisdictions, and is likely to be supported by the majority of stakeholders.
The specific aims of this report are:
- To review Australian and international literature on definitions of mental health services;
- To summarise the findings of a nationally inclusive consultation process with stakeholders to ascertain their views regarding how mental health services should be defined for classification purposes;
- To summarise the main findings of service typology questionnaires returned by jurisdictions designed to ascertain exactly what service types are considered to be ‘specialised mental health services’; and
- To recommend a suitable definition of mental health services that can be consistently applied within the mental health sector and between jurisdictions, and is likely to be supported by the majority of stakeholders, and provide supporting evidence and justifications for the recommended definition.