Patient Experiences

General practitioners (GPs) continued to be the most common health professionals seen in 2021-22.

Health service use either increased or stayed the same for all service types between 2020-21 and 2021-22.

There was an increase in health service use in 2021-22 compared to 2020-21 for those who:

• saw a GP (83.6% compared to 82.4%)
• saw a dental professional (49.4% compared to 47.9%)
• saw a medical specialist (38.9% compared to 37.4%)
• visited a hospital emergency department (ED) (14.8% compared to 13.4%).

Health service use in 2021-22 remained similar to 2020-21 for those who:

• were admitted to hospital (12.8% compared to 12.5%)
• saw a GP for urgent medical care (8.0% compared to 8.2%)
• saw an after hours GP (5.5% compared to 5.1%).

The proportion of people who could not see their preferred GP on one or more occasions increased to 32.8% in 2021-22, from 25.5% in 2020-21.

There was an increase in those who visited a regular General Practice for after hours GP services in 2021-22 compared to 2020-21 (54.6% compared to 48.6%), and a decrease in those who had a home visit (13.8% compared to 18.1%).

See Tables 1, 5.3 and 8.2 in Data downloads section.

By sex

Females were more likely than males to use all health services as follows:

• see a GP (88.0% compared to 78.9%)
• see a dental professional (53.1% compared to 45.6%)
• see a medical specialist (41.6% compared to 35.9%)
• visit a hospital ED (15.6% compared to 14.0%)
• be admitted to hospital (14.8% compared to 10.7%)
• see a GP for urgent medical care (9.0% compared to 7.0%)
• see an after hours GP (6.1% compared to 4.9%).

By age

People aged 85 years and over were more likely than those aged 15-24 years to:

• see a GP (97.2% compared to 72.2%)
• see a medical specialist (57.4% compared to 28.0%)
• visit a hospital ED (23.7% compared to 16.7%)
• be admitted to hospital (22.8% compared to 7.9%).

People aged 85 years and over were less likely than those aged 15-24 years to:

• see a dental professional (41.8% compared to 49.9%)
• see an after hours GP (2.5% compared to 5.2%).

By long-term health condition

People with a long-term health condition were more likely than those without a long-term health condition to use all health services as follows:

• see a GP (94.5% compared to 71.4%)
• see a medical specialist (54.4% compared to 21.5%)
• see a dental professional (51.9% compared to 46.5%)
• visit a hospital ED (20.1% compared to 8.9%)
• be admitted to hospital (17.9% compared to 7.1%)
• see a GP for urgent medical care (11.6% compared to 4.1%)
• see an after hours GP (6.7% compared to 4.2%).

By Index of relative socio-economic disadvantage

People living in areas of least socio-economic disadvantage were more likely than those living in areas of most disadvantage to:

• see a dental professional (58.8% compared to 37.9%)
• see a medical specialist (43.4% compared to 34.9%).

People living in areas of most socio-economic disadvantage were more likely to visit a hospital ED than those living in areas of least disadvantage (16.5% compared to 12.2%).

By Remoteness

People living in major cities were more likely than those living in outer regional, remote or very remote areas to:

• see a dental professional (51.3% compared to 43.1%)
• see a medical specialist (38.9% compared to 35.5%)
• see an after hours GP (6.3% compared to 3.4%).

People living in outer regional, remote or very remote areas were more likely than those living in major cities to:

• visit a hospital ED (18.0% compared to 13.6%)
• be admitted to hospital (15.0% compared to 12.1%).

See Tables 2.3 and 3.2 in Data downloads section.

There was an increase in the proportion of people waiting longer than they felt acceptable for an appointment in 2021-22 compared to 2020-21 for:

• medical specialists (26.7% compared to 21.7%)
• GPs (23.4% compared to 16.6%).

The following people were more likely to report waiting longer than they felt acceptable for a medical specialist appointment:

• those aged 15-24 years than those aged 75-84 years (33.9% compared to 17.8%)
• those with a long-term health condition than those without a long-term health condition (28.4% compared to 21.3%)
• females than males (27.8% compared to 25.2%).

The following people were more likely to report waiting longer than they felt acceptable for a GP appointment:

• those living in outer regional, remote or very remote areas than those living in major cities (28.7% compared to 21.6%)
• those living in areas of most socio-economic disadvantage than those living in areas of least disadvantage (26.2% compared to 19.2%)
• those with a long-term health condition than those without a long-term health condition (26.0% compared to 19.4%)
• females than males (25.5% compared to 21.0%).

A comparison of 2021-22 and 2020-21 reported waiting times to see a GP for urgent medical care indicated:

• an increase in those who saw a GP for urgent medical care and waited for 24 hours or more (39.1% compared to 33.9%)
• a decrease in those who saw a GP for urgent medical care and were seen within 4 hours (49.7% compared to 55.8%)
• the proportion of those who saw a GP for urgent medical care and waited for 4 to 24 hours remained similar (10.9% compared to 10.6%).

People living in outer regional, remote or very remote areas were more likely to wait for 24 hours or more to see a GP for urgent medical care than those living in major cities (49.5% compared to 35.5%).

Public dentistry waiting lists

Public dental care is only available to a limited segment of the Australian population. Adults must generally have a healthcare card or Centrelink pensioner concession card to be eligible. The Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) provides basic dental services to eligible children aged 0-17 years[1].

The proportion of people placed on public dentistry waiting lists in 2021-22 has remained similar to 2020-21 (4.2% compared to 4.5%).

The following people were more likely to be placed on a public dentistry waiting list:

• those living in areas of most socio-economic disadvantage than those living in areas of least disadvantage (10.9% compared to 1.1%)
• those aged 85 years and over than those aged 25-34 years (8.4% compared to 2.6%)
• those living in outer regional, remote or very remote areas than those living in major cities (7.5% compared to 3.4%)
• those with a long-term health condition than those without a long-term health condition (6.0% compared to 1.9%)
• females than males (5.0% compared to 3.3%).

See Tables 4, 5.3, 6.2, 10, 11.3, 12.2, 14.3 and 15.2 in Data downloads section.

Delayed or did not use health services when needed

The proportion of people who delayed or did not use the following health services when needed increased in 2021-22 compared to 2020-21:

• after hours GPs (37.8% compared to 27.8%)
• GPs (28.3% compared to 23.0%)
• medical specialists (21.9% compared to 19.1%)
• hospitals (9.8% compared to 6.7%).

Females were more likely to delay or not use the following health services when needed than males:

• after hours GPs (41.4% compared to 32.7%)
• dental professionals (34.0% compared to 31.1%)
• GPs (31.3% compared to 24.8%)
• medical specialists (24.0% compared to 19.5%).

People aged 25-34 years were more likely to delay or not see a dental professional when needed than those aged 85 years and over (41.3% compared to 18.3%).

People aged 15-24 years were more likely to delay or not see a medical specialist when needed than those aged 75-84 years (31.3% compared to 10.1%).

People with a long-term health condition were more likely to delay or not use the following health services when needed than those without a long-term health condition:

• after hours GPs (43.1% compared to 27.3%)
• dental professionals (36.7% compared to 27.4%)
• GPs (31.7% compared to 23.2%)
• medical specialists (23.5% compared to 17.6%)
• hospitals (11.2% compared to 6.7%).

People living in areas of most socio-economic disadvantage were more likely to delay or not use the following health services when needed than those living in areas of least disadvantage:

• after hours GPs (45.7% compared to 30.2%)
• dental professionals (41.1% compared to 27.5%)
• medical specialists (25.0% compared to 20.0%)
• hospitals (13.7% compared to 6.7%).

People living in outer regional, remote or very remote areas were more likely to delay or not use the following health services when needed than those living in major cities:

• after hours GPs (55.6% compared to 33.5%)
• dental professionals (36.3% compared to 31.8%)
• GPs (30.2% compared to 27.9%).

Delayed or did not use health services when needed - due to cost

The proportion of people who reported that cost was a reason for delaying or not using the following health services when needed increased in 2021-22 compared to 2020-21:

• dental professionals (16.4% compared to 14.8%)
• medical specialists (8.0% compared to 5.9%)
• GPs (3.5% compared to 2.4%)
• hospitals (1.8% compared to 1.0%).

Females were more likely to delay or not use the following health services when needed due to cost than males:

• dental professionals (17.4% compared to 15.3%)
• medical specialists (9.2% compared to 6.6%)
• GPs (4.3% compared to 2.7%).

People aged 25-34 years were more likely to delay or not see a dental professional when needed due to cost than those aged 85 years and over (24.4% compared to 5.1%).

People aged 25-34 years were more likely to delay or not see a medical specialist when needed due to cost than those aged 75-84 years (13.2% compared to 1.5%).

People with a long-term health condition were more likely to delay or not use the following health services when needed due to cost than those without a long-term health condition:

• dental professionals (19.2% compared to 12.8%)
• medical specialists (8.4% compared to 6.8%)
• GPs (3.9% compared to 3.0%).

People living in areas of most socio-economic disadvantage were more likely to delay or not use the following health services when needed due to cost than those living in areas of least disadvantage:

• dental professionals (25.4% compared to 10.7%)
• medical specialists (9.2% compared to 6.6%).

People living in outer regional, remote or very remote areas were more likely to delay or not use the following health services when needed due to cost than those living in major cities:

• dental professionals (21.1% compared to 15.4%)
• GPs (5.0% compared to 3.1%).

Delayed or did not use health services when needed - reasons other than cost

The proportion of people who reported reasons other than cost (e.g. ‘Service not available when required’, ‘Too busy’ or ‘Waiting time too long’) for delaying or not using the following health services when needed increased in 2021-22 compared to 2020-21:

• after hours GPs (34.5% compared to 25.9%)
• GPs (24.8% compared to 20.6%)
• hospitals (8.0% compared to 5.7%).

Females were more likely to report reasons other than cost for delaying or not using the following health services when needed than males:

• after hours GPs (38.2% compared to 30.4%)
• GPs (27.0% compared to 22.1%)
• medical specialists (14.8% compared to 13.0%).

Prescription medication

The proportion of people who delayed or did not get prescription medication when needed due to cost increased to 5.6% in 2021-22, from 4.4% in 2020-21.

The following people were more likely to delay getting or go without prescription medication when needed due to cost:

• people aged 15-24 years than those aged 75-84 years (8.2% compared to 1.6%)
• those living in areas of most socio-economic disadvantage than those living in areas of least disadvantage (6.8% compared to 4.2%)
• those with a long-term health condition than those without a long-term health condition (6.4% compared to 3.8%)
• females than males (6.1% compared to 4.9%).

See Tables 4, 5.3, 6.2, 7, 8.2, 9.2, 10, 11.3, 12.2, 14.3, 15.2, 17.2 and 18.2 in Data downloads section.

People who needed to and saw a health professional in 2021-22 generally reported less positive experiences compared to 2020-21.

People reported the most positive experiences with dental professionals and the least positive experiences with hospital ED doctors and specialists.

Males reported more positive experiences with hospital ED doctors and specialists than females:

• always listened to carefully (70.8% compared to 61.7%)
• always shown respect (77.1% compared to 68.5%)
• always had enough time spent with them (68.7% compared to 60.6%).

Males also reported more positive experiences with hospital ED nurses than females:

• always listened to carefully (77.4% compared to 69.1%)
• always shown respect (78.9% compared to 73.7%)
• always had enough time spent with them (74.4% compared to 65.7%).

People aged 75-84 years also reported more positive experiences with hospital ED doctors and specialists than those aged 15-24 years:

• always listened to carefully (79.0% compared to 56.9%)
• always shown respect (84.3% compared to 68.1%)
• always had enough time spent with them (74.4% compared to 62.8%).

The proportion of people who saw three or more health professionals for the same condition was similar in 2021-22 compared to 2020-21 (17.3% compared to 16.5%).

Of these people:

• 70.2% reported that at least one health professional helped coordinate their care, a decrease from 73.6% in 2020-21
• 15.9% reported that there were issues caused by a lack of communication between health professionals, an increase from 13.1% in 2020-21.

Of those who received coordination of their care, 56.6% reported that GPs helped most in coordinating their care.

People living in areas of most socio-economic disadvantage were more likely to report issues caused by a lack of communication between health professionals than those living in areas of least disadvantage (17.9% compared to 12.3%).

People with a long-term health condition were more likely than those without a long-term health condition to:

• see three or more health professionals (26.4% compared to 7.0%)
• receive coordination of care (71.6% compared to 63.9%)
• report issues caused by a lack of communication between health professionals (16.9% compared to 11.5%).

See Tables 1, 22 and 24.2 in Data downloads section.

In 2021-22, the proportion of people with private health insurance remained similar to 2020-21 (58.8% compared to 58.1%). Both hospital and extras cover continued to be the most common type of private health insurance (47.8%).

The following people were more likely to have private health insurance cover:

• those living in areas of least socio-economic disadvantage than those living in areas of most disadvantage (77.4% compared to 36.2%)
• those living in major cities than those living in outer regional, remote or very remote areas (61.1% compared to 51.1%)
• those who rated their health as excellent, very good or good than those who rated their health as fair or poor (60.4% compared to 48.1%)
• females than males (59.8% compared to 57.6%).

See Tables 1, 2.3 and 3.2 in Data downloads section.

The proportion of people who had at least one telehealth consultation for their own health in the last 12 months increased to 30.8% in 2021-22, from 28.8% in 2020-21.

In the last 12 months:

• 25.8% of people had a telehealth consultation with a GP
• 7.5% of people had a telehealth consultation with a medical specialist.

The highest proportion of people who had at least one telehealth consultation were females aged 25-34 years (40.4%).

The following people were more likely to have a telehealth consultation:

• those with a long-term health condition than those without a long-term health condition (41.9% compared to 18.3%)
• females than males (36.5% compared to 24.8%)
• those aged 75-84 years than those aged 15-24 years (35.3% compared to 22.5%)
• those living in areas of least socio-economic disadvantage than those living in areas of most disadvantage (32.3% compared to 27.8%)
• those living in major cities than those living in outer regional, remote or very remote areas (32.2% compared to 22.5%).

In 2021-22, people who had a telehealth consultation reported less positive experiences with telehealth practitioners compared to 2020-21:

• always listened to carefully (81.6% compared to 84.4%)
• always shown respect (84.3% compared to 86.7%)
• always had enough time spent with them (80.5% compared to 83.4%).

People aged 75-84 years reported more positive experiences with telehealth practitioners than those aged 15-24 years:

• always listened to carefully (86.7% compared to 75.2%)
• always shown respect (88.3% compared to 81.6%)
• always had enough time spent with them (86.3% compared to 75.9%).

Whether would use telehealth again

Of those who had a telehealth consultation, 85.4% reported that they would use telehealth for a consultation again if it was offered. This was an increase from 83.4% in 2020-21.

See Tables 25.3 and 26.2 in Data downloads section.

Use of mental health professionals

In 2021-22, 16.6% of people saw at least one health professional for their own mental health, similar to 2020-21 (15.8%):

• 12.7% saw a GP for their own mental health (similar to 12.1% in 2020-21)
• 7.6% saw a psychologist (similar to 7.4% in 2020-21)
• 2.7% saw a psychiatrist (an increase from 2.2% in 2020-21)
• 2.1% saw an other mental health professional such as a mental health nurse, social worker, counsellor or occupational therapist (similar to 2.1% in 2020-21).

Of people who needed to and saw a health professional for their own mental health in 2021-22, 34.5% did so at least once using a telehealth service (an increase from 30.5% in 2020-21).

By sex

Females were more likely to see a health professional for their own mental health than males (20.6% compared to 12.3%).

Females were more likely to see the following health professionals for their own mental health than males:

• GPs (16.1% compared to 9.3%)
• psychologists (9.9% compared to 5.3%).

By age

Younger people were more likely to see a health professional for their own mental health than older people:

• 21.1% of people aged 15-24 years saw a health professional for their own mental health compared to 9.1% of people aged 65 years and over.

Barriers

In 2021-22, 18.5% of all people reported that they needed to see a health professional for their own mental health, an increase from 17.3% in 2020-21.

Of these, 38.9% delayed or did not see a health professional for their own mental health on at least one occasion when needed (an increase from 34.3% in 2020-21), while 10.6% did not see a health professional for their own mental health at all when needed (an increase from 8.9% in 2020-21).

The proportion of people who delayed or did not see a health professional for their own mental health varied according to the type of health professional they needed:

• 28.8% of people who needed to see a GP delayed or did not see one
• 44.1% of people who needed to see a psychologist delayed or did not see one
• 43.7% of people who needed to see a psychiatrist delayed or did not see one
• 34.7% of people who needed to see an other mental health professional delayed or did not see one.

The proportion of people who reported that cost was a reason for delaying or not seeing a health professional for their own mental health increased to 16.7% in 2021-22, from 12.0% in 2020-21.

The proportion of people who delayed or did not see a health professional for their own mental health when needed due to cost varied according to the type of health professional:

• 6.8% of people who needed to see a GP delayed or did not see one due to cost
• 22.9% of people who needed to see a psychologist delayed or did not see one due to cost
• 23.5% of people who needed to see a psychiatrist delayed or did not see one due to cost
• 13.6% of people who needed to see an other mental health professional delayed or did not see one due to cost.

By sex

Females were more likely to delay or not see a health professional for their own mental health when needed due to cost than males (18.2% compared to 14.0%).

Females were more likely to delay or not see the following health professionals for their own mental health when needed due to cost than males:

• psychologists (25.0% compared to 18.5%)
• psychiatrists (29.2% compared to 15.0%).

By age

Younger people were more likely to delay or not see a health professional for their own mental health when needed due to cost than older people:

• 22.4% of people aged 15-24 years delayed or did not see a health professional for their own mental health when needed due to cost compared to 5.2% of people aged 65 years and over.

People with a mental health condition

In 2021-22, 78.1% of all people with a mental health condition reported that they needed to see a health professional for their own mental health.

Of these, 40.4% delayed or did not see a health professional for their own mental health on at least one occasion when needed, while 7.1% did not see a health professional for their own mental health at all when needed.

See Tables 27.3 and 28.2 in the Data downloads section.

This release previously used catalogue number 4839.0.

1. Australian Dental Association, ‘Government Dental Care’, https://www.teeth.org.au/government-dental-care; accessed 02/11/2022