• Summary
• Downloads
• Explanatory Notes
• Related Information
• Past Releases

AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY

Around four hundred thousand people (386,000), or 1.6% of Australians live in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), with 99.6% living in Canberra.¹

KEY FACTS — PEOPLE 15 YEARS AND OVER

• In 2013-14, 85.1% of Australian Capital Territory residents saw a general practitioner (GP) in the previous 12 months, with 70.5% of people receiving a prescription for medication.
• In the ACT 8.9% of people saw an after hours GP in the previous 12 months. While over one in ten people (10.9%) needed to see one, 22.6% of these people, did not see one at all when needed.
• Almost two in five people (39.1%) in the ACT saw a medical specialist. Of those who saw a medical specialist, nearly one in three people (30.2%) reported they waited longer than they felt acceptable to get an appointment.
• In the ACT 53.6% of people saw a dental professional in the previous 12 months. While 61.3% of people needed to see one, 12.5% of those people, did not see one at all when needed.
• More than one in eight people (14.4%) in the ACT were admitted to hospital in the previous 12 months.
• One in six (17.0%) ACT residents visited a hospital emergency department in the previous 12 months. Just over one-fifth (20.1%) of these people reported they thought that their care could have been provided by a GP.
• In 2013-14, 21.6% of people in the ACT saw three or more health professionals for the same condition, with 17.7% of these people reporting they experienced issues caused by a lack of communication between the three or more health professionals.

• A higher proportion of people in the ACT saw a GP compared with all Australians (85.1% compared with 82.2%).
• A similar proportion of people in the ACT received a prescription for medication compared with all Australians (70.5% compared with 68.9%).
• In the ACT a higher proportion of people who saw a medical specialist reported they waited longer than they felt acceptable to get an appointment in the previous 12 months (30.2% compared with 25.0%).
• A higher proportion of people saw a dental professional in the ACT compared with Australia (53.6% compared with 49.7%).
• Similar proportions of people were admitted to hospital in the Australian Capital Territory compared with Australia (14.4% compared with 12.8%).
• More people visited a hospital emergency department in the Australian Capital Territory compared with Australia (17.0% compared with 14.3%).
• In 2013-14, people in the ACT were more likely to see three or more health professionals for the same condition compared with all Australians (21.6% compared with 16.1%).