Mental Health and Addiction: Service Use web tool

Mental health and addiction service use data was previously published in static tables.

As part of the development of the web tool, a review of content was conducted and as a result some changes were made to the information published. These changes were made for the data released from 2022.

Data is now available on supplementary consumer records, including accommodation, employment and education, and also whether or not a wellness plan is in place.

Some data published in previous editions of the Mental Health and Addiction: Service Use tables are no longer in the web tool because they are published elsewhere.

This includes:

• Data on clients with a Mental Health Act or Substance Addiction Act legal status, and seclusion and electroconvulsive therapy events, reported by the Office of the Director of Mental Health and Addiction Services, ODMHAS (external link).

• Health of the Nation Outcome Scores, reported by Te Pou (external link).

All of the data included in the previous version of the Mental Health and Addiction: Service Use data tables is available on request by contacting data-enquiries@health.govt.nz

This web tool presents data to the latest year for which data is available for publication. 

• In 2023/24, a total of 176,390 clients accessed mental health and addiction services. Of these, 88,698 (50.3%) were male, and 87,692 (49.7%) were female.
• In 2023/24, the age group with the highest rate of clients accessing services was 15-19 with 6107.3 per 100,000 population, followed by 10-14 with 5342 per 100,000 population, and 20-24 with 4808.8 per 100,000 population
• In 2023/24, of the ethnic groups reported, Māori were the most likely to access mental health and addiction services, with 5863.8 clients accessing services for every 100,000 Māori population; while Asian clients were the least likely to access services, with 1126.0 clients accessing services for every 100,000 Asian population. (These rates have been age standardised to the World Health Organisation’s standard world population.)
• The rate of Māori clients accessing services provided by districts (former DHBs) decreased from 4983.4 per 100,000 population in 2012/13 to 4187.8 in 2023/24 (a change of 16%).
• The rate of Pacific clients accessing services provided by districts (former DHBs) decreased from 2729.5 per 100,000 population in 2012/13 to 2262.1 in 2023/24 (a change of 17%).
• The rate of Asian clients accessing services provided by districts (former DHBs) increased from 950.7 per 100,000 population in 2012/13 to 971.1 in 2023/24 (a change of 2%).
• The rate of European or Other clients accessing services provided by districts (former DHBs) increased from 3084.7 per 100,000 population in 2012/13 to 3167.3 in 2023/24 (a change of 3%).
• In 2023/24, people living in the most deprived (quintile 5) areas were 1.7 times more likely to access mental health and addiction services than people living in the least deprived (quintile 1) areas (4904.8 and 2968.2 per 100,000 population, respectively, age standardised to the World Health Organisation’s standard world population).

• The most common type of team providing services to district (former DHB) clients for 2023/24 was community teams, who provided services to 77% of clients accessing services provided by districts, while the next most common team type was alcohol and drug teams, who provided services to 17% of district clients. 
• For NGOs, the most common team type was community teams, who provided services to 62% of clients accessing services provided by NGOs, while the next most common team type was alcohol and drug teams, who provided services to 34% of NGO clients.

• The most common type of activity (or service) provided by districts (former DHBs) in 2023/24 was ‘individual treatment attendances: family/whanau not present’. This activity type accounted for 42% of all district (former DHB) services provided. 
• The most common type of activity provided by NGOs in 2023/24 was ‘community support contacts’, which accounted for 25% of all NGO services provided.

The two most common settings in which contacts took place were ‘telephone’ and ‘onsite’. Together, they accounted for 51% of all contacts in 2023/24.

• For districts (former DHBs) in 2023/24, inpatient teams provided the majority of bednights (69% of all district bednights). For NGOs, residential/accommodation teams provided the majority of bednights (74% of all NGO bednights).
• The most common type of activity provided by community teams in 2023/24 was ‘individual treatment attendances: family/whanau not present’ which accounted for 34% of all services provided by community teams.
• The most common type of activity provided by alcohol and drug teams in 2023/24 was ‘individual treatment attendances: family/whanau not present’ which accounted for 32% of all services provided by alcohol and drug teams.
• The most common type of activity provided by child and youth teams in 2023/24 was ‘individual treatment attendances: family/whanau not present’ which accounted for 24% of all services provided by child and youth teams.
• The most common type of activity provided by forensic teams in 2023/24 was ‘medium secure inpatient occupied bed nights’ which accounted for 31% of all services provided by forensic teams.
• The most common type of activity provided by inpatient teams in 2023/24 was ‘mental health acute inpatient or equivalent occupied bed nights’ which accounted for 57% of all services provided by inpatient teams.
• The most common type of activity provided by Kaupapa Māori teams in 2023/24 was ‘individual treatment attendances: family/whanau not present’ which accounted for 23% of all services provided by Kaupapa Māori teams.

• Referrals to mental health and addiction teams were most likely to come from ‘self or relative referral’ (21%), or ‘general practitioner’ (20%).
• Discharges from mental health and addiction teams were most likely to be to ‘no further referral’ (32%), or ‘general practitioner’ (27%).

As at the end of the 2023/24 financial year, there were 32,254 clients that accessed mental health and addiction services for one year or more. Out of these clients, 19,820 accessed services for two years or more.

• 63% of clients with a supplementary consumer record in 2023/24 had a wellness plan.
• 14% of clients with a supplementary consumer record in 2023/24 were in paid full-time employment; 10% were in paid part-time employment; and 76% were not in paid employment.
• 25% of clients with a supplementary consumer record in 2023/24 were participating in education or training provided by an education organisation that is accredited, registered or recognised by NZQA.
• 83% of clients with a supplementary consumer record in 2023/24 lived independently; 12% were in supported living; and 4% were homeless.