Useful Resources

The categories below contain documents that can provide additional information on outcomes measurement and casemix within mental health services.

AMHOCN Publications

2011
National Training Framework
AMHOCN has developed a framework that describes the training in the measures that make up the National Outcomes and Casemix Collection (NOCC). The framework has been informed by the National Practice Standards for the Mental Health Workforce (Department of Health and Ageing, 2002) and a process of consultation with the sector and the experience of trainers.

2010
HoNOS zero ratings analysis
AMHOCN undertook some preliminary analyses with the three measures that comprise the HoNOS suite of measures (i.e., the HoNOSCA, the HoNOS and the HoNOS65+). The objectives of these analyses were to explore the extent to which HoNOS clinical ratings might be considered implausible at different service settings and collection occasions.

NOCC Volume & Percentage Clinical Ratings: Australia
This analysis shows the overall volume and the completeness of the aggregated NOCC data for Australia for age groups, service settings and collection occasions.

Review of Recovery Measures
In early 2010, AMHOCN undertook a review of available recovery measures which explicitly considered both instruments designed to measure individuals’ recovery and instruments designed to assess the recovery orientation of services.

2009
Case Complexity Adjustment and Mental Health Outcomes: Conceptual Issues
Case Complexity Adjustment and Mental Health Outcomes: Conceptual Issues discusses some of the conceptual and practical considerations required to understand and progress the case complexity adjustment agenda.

2008
2nd Australasian Mental Health Outcomes Conference
The 2nd Australasian Mental Health Outcomes Conference was held on 24 – 26 November 2008 and provided an opportunity to share the results of the implementation of routine outcome measurement in Australia’s specialist mental health services and to showcase the use of outcome measures to support clinical practice and foster quality improvement and service development activities.

Carer Outcomes Measures Project
Carer Outcome Measurement in Mental Health Services: Scoping the Field is the report of an AMHOCN project which was a scoping exercise, designed to explore the context within which carer outcome measurement might be introduced and to identify any candidate instruments.

Clinical Prompts Project
Development of Clinical Prompts to Enhance Decision Support Tools Related to the National Outcomes and Casemix Collection is the report from an AMHOCN project which aimed to establish the feasibility of linking clinical prompts to scores on the NOCC routine outcome measures and the subsequent development of a library of clinical prompts.

HoNOS - Clinical Significance Survey Report
To obtain a better understanding of ‘clinical significance’, AMHOCN surveyed members of the Adult, Older Persons and Child & Adolescent Mental Health Outcomes Expert Groups as well as members of the National Mental Health Benchmarking Forums. The HoNOS Clinical Significance Survey Report summarises the key findings of the survey.

Key Performance Indicators for Australian Public Sector Mental Health Services: Potential Contributions of MH-NOCC Data -Developing Effectiveness KPIs from the NOCC Data
The Key Performance Indicators for Australian Public Sector Mental Health Services: Developing Effectiveness KPIs from the NOCC Data report focuses on the development of a Phase 2 key performance indicator – clinically significant HoNOS (or HoNOSCA or HoNOS65+) change.

Key Performance Indicators for Australian Public Sector Mental Health Services: Modelling Candidate Indicators of Effectiveness
The purpose of Key Performance Indicators for Australian Public Sector Mental Health Services: Modelling Candidate Indicators of Effectiveness is to model candidate ‘effectiveness’ indicators from the Mental Health National Outcomes and Casemix Collection (NOCC) datasets. It is primarily concerned with statistical and technical considerations.

Overview of NOCC Data 2006-2007
Overview of NOCC Data 2006-2007 considers overarching technical issues that require consideration as a precursor to the modelling of candidate ‘effectiveness’ Key Performance Indicators from the Mental Health National Outcomes and Casemix Collection (NOCC) datasets.

2007
Reports Portal
The AMHOCN Reports Portal provides access to the nationally aggregated NOCC data, partitioned according to age group, but with options to stratify by service setting, collection occasion, episodes of care, periods of care and individual NOCC measures.

2006
Key Performance Indicators for Australian Public Sector Mental Health Services: Potential Contributions of MHNOCC Data V1.1
Key Performance Indicators for Australian Public Sector Mental Health Services: Potential Contributions of MHNOCC Data proposes additional or modified key performance indicators in the domains of effectiveness, efficiency, accessibility and safety. In doing so, it makes recommendations for Phase 2 indicator development.

Rater and Clinical Utility Training
The Rater and Clinical Utility Training Manual provides guidance on refresher training and the use of the NOCC measures in clinical practice.

Web Decision Support Tool
The Web Decision Support Tool (wDST) provides access to the aggregated data derived from the National Outcomes and Casemix Collection submissions from each State and Territory in Australia.

Whose Outcome Is It Anyway?
The Whose Outcome Is It Anyway? materials were developed especially for consumers to increase awareness of the use of outcome measures within mental health services.

2005
Basic Measures Training
AMHOCN’s *Basic Training Manuals * have been developed to provide a basic introduction to the use of the National Outcomes and Casemix Collection (NOCC) and the skills required for completion of the measures.

NOCC Standard Reports
The National Outcomes and Casemix Collection Standard Reports are the first iteration in the development of the reporting of the NOCC data.

Reporting Framework
The Reporting Framework for the National Outcomes and Casemix Collection provides a conceptual basis for the reporting of analyses of the NOCC Data Sets.

Review of NOCC Measures
The Review of Standardised Measues Used in the National Outcomes and Casemix Collection provides descriptive and evaluative information on each the standardised instruments in the NOCC suite of measures.

2004
AMHOCN undertook a process of stakeholder consultations across all states and territories during March and April 2004. These consultations aimed to answer key questions that would inform the initial work of AMHOCN. These questions focussed on the current status of National Outcomes and Casemix Collection (NOCC) implementation, use of information systems and unique identifiers, use of the NOCC and NMDS data at jursidictional and service levels, future plans for analysis and reporting of NOCC and future plans for training of the workforce in the use of the NOCC measures. This report details the results of those consultations.

Stakeholder Consultation Report 2004 - Final With Appendices

Stakeholder Consultation Report 2004 - Final Without Appendices

Stakeholder Consultations 2004 - presentation slides

AMHOCN Presentations

Further information about the use of mental health information and outcome measurement are available in the presentations given by AMHOCN staff.

2010
The public reporting of mental health service performance

Recovery measures: the Australian context

It's time to remember NOCC is also about casemix

AMHOCN Review

During 2011, the Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) engaged Healthcare Management Advisors (HMA) to undertake a review of the Australian Mental Health Outcomes and Classification Network. A copy of the Review of the Australian Mental Health Outcomes and Classification Network (AMHOCN) Final Report is available to download.

Journal Articles and Other Resources

Listed below are articles and resources authored by AMHOCN staff and other collaborators on key issues in outcome measurement and mental health information.

2012

McKay R, Coombs, T, Pirkis, J. A Framework for exploring the potential of routine outcome measurement to improve mental health care. Australasain Psychiatry 2012, online version 0(0) 1-7.

2011

AMHOCN and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists collaborated on the development of a consumer focussed brochure to explain outcome measurement and how it is used in mental health services in Australia. Download How do we measure change in mental health?

Burgess P, Pirkis J, Coombs T, Rosen A. Assessing the value of existing recovery measures for routine use in Australian mental health services. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 2011; Feb 11. Epub ahead of print.

Coombs T, Walter G, Brann P. Overview of the national mental health benchmarking project. Australasian Psychiatry 2011; 19(1):37-44.

McKay R, McDonald R, Coombs T. Benchmarking older persons mental health organizations. Australasian Psychiatry 2011; 19(1):45-8.

Brann P, Walter G, Coombs T. Benchmarking child and adolescent mental health organizations. Australasian Psychiatry 2011; Epub ahead of print

2009

Burgess P, Pirkis J, Coombs T. Modelling candidate effectiveness indicators for mental health services. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 2009; 43(6):531-538.

Willis A, Deane FP, Coombs T. Improving clinicians' attitudes toward providing feedback on routine outcome assessments. International journal of Mental Health Nursing 2009; 18(3):211-5.

Black J, Lewis T, McIntosh P, Callaly T, Coombs T, Hunter A, Moore L. It’s not that bad: the views of consumers and carers about routine outcome measurement in mental health. Australian Health Review 2009;33(1):93-9.

Prowse L, Coombs T. The use of the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS) to inform discharge and transfer decisions in community mental health services. Australian Health Review 2009; 33(1):13-8.

Burgess P, Trauer T, Coombs T, McKay R, Pirkis J. What does ‘clinical significance’ mean in the context of the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS) family of measures? Australasian Psychiatry 2009; 17:141-148.

2008

Guthrie D, McIntosh M, Callaly T, Trauer T, Coombs T. Consumer attitudes towards the use of routine outcome measures in a public mental health service: a consumer-driven study. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing 2008; 17(2):92-7.