National Outcomes and Casemix Collection

Outcomes measurement

Under the Australian Health Care Agreements, Health Ministers agreed to the introduction of routine consumer outcomes measurement in mental health services nationally. South Australia has received Commonwealth funds to enable it to deliver on this initiative.

A significant component of the initiative included upgrading current information systems to support the collection. This initiative is known as the National Outcomes and Casemix Collection (NOCC). The scope is all inpatient, ambulatory and 24-hour community residential mental health services, nationally.

Why is it important?

Improving mental health service outcomes is a primary goal of the National Mental Health Strategy. To advance this, the strategy emphasised the need for consumer outcomes to be reviewed on a regular basis. The collection of routine outcomes measures allows mental health services to begin to answer questions about the effectiveness of treatments that are delivered. We use this data to continue to improve mental health services.

Australian Mental Health Outcomes and Classification Network

The AMHOC site www.amhocn.org/ aims to support the implementation of routine consumer outcome measurement in Australia's public mental health sector. The purpose of outcomes measurement is to improve the quality of mental health services through better understanding and use of information about the outcomes for consumers.

The site provides key resources on mental health outcomes and case complexity measurement and provides a forum for sharing ideas, views and experience. 

The site is intended to be used by:

• clinicians
• managers
• consumers
• carers
• policy makers
• researchers and all other interested stakeholders.

NOCC forms

• Statewide adult NOCC form (PDF 93KB)
• NOCC child and youth form (PDF 93KB)
• NOCC older persons form (PDF 116KB)
• K10+ form (PDF 25KB)
• K10+ form (big print) (PDF 37KB)

Information for consumers

• This is about you! - A consumer guide to outcome measures for Adult Mental Health services (PDF 70KB)
• This is about you! - A consumer guide to outcome measures for Older Persons Mental Health services (PDF 78KB)
• Whose Outcome is it anyway? Consumer self assessment in Mental Health (PDF 287KB)

The Australian Mental Health and Outcomes Classification Network and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists recently collaborated on the development of a consumer focussed brochure to explain outcome measurement and how it is used in mental health services in Australia, "How do we measure change in mental health"

Information for clinicians

• Clinical guide - K10+ Consumer Self Assessment (PDF 82KB)
• Training in the national outcome measures through the SA mental health training centre
• Training in the national outcome measures – online training
• Clinicians Reference Guide to the National Outcomes and Casemix Collection (PDF 372KB).