Access to health services

Health Domain

Access to health services

Having access to health services where and when people need them has an important bearing on their sense of wellbeing.

Access to GP services

This measure shows Canberrans’ experience accessing general practitioner (GP) services. This is important because GPs provide frontline healthcare to the community. They support the treatment of immediate and ongoing medical conditions.

In 2023, around 1 in 5 Canberrans (19.0%) reported finding it hard to access a GP service.

People significantly more likely to find it difficult to access a GP for themselves or others they care for were:

2022-2023: Living well in the ACT region survey, unpublished data.

2019-2021: Living well in the ACT region: The changing wellbeing of Canberrans during 2020 and 2021.

Line graph of percentage of respondents reporting difficulty accessing GPs in the ACT, between 2019 and 2023.

In 2023, 50.8% reported it was easy to access a GP compared to 64.2% in 2020.

In 2023, 30.2% reported it was neither hard nor easy to access a GP compared to 25.1% in 2020.

In 2023, 19% reported it was hard to access a GP compared to 10.7% in 2020.

The Living Well in the ACT Region survey, conducted by the University of Canberra, aims to measure, track and understand the wellbeing of adult residents living in the Australian Capital Territory region of Australia. It examines factors known to affect wellbeing at the individual, household, community and regional level.

When generating data for the ACT, statistical weighting is used to address differences between the sample of people who respond to the survey, and the characteristics of the ACT adult population. Differences between groups are reported when there is a statistically significant difference based on 95% confidence intervals or other tests of significance.

Data are produced from this survey for different groups of people in the ACT. The ‘overall response’ category represents responses at the ACT population level. Where reliable estimates can be produced, data are also presented for Canberrans by: gender, age, cultural background, gender identity and sexuality, carer role and experience of disability.

Care is needed when interpreting the differences in findings between groups as the descriptive statistics published here show where there are differences in wellbeing, but not what has caused those differences in wellbeing.

The University of Canberra has been conducting the survey since 2019. As of mid-2023, the survey had been conducted 6 times. Not all questions have been measured each time the survey has been conducted.

There have been no changes in measure design, analysis or reporting of this measure since it was first included in the survey.

Data for people with disability can only be compared between 2022 and 2023 due to a change in the way disability was defined and measured in the survey, to better reflect international best practice.

Further information about the survey can be found at Living Well in the ACT Region or by contacting Professor Jacki Schirmer at the University of Canberra.

Access to specialist services

This measure shows the proportion of Canberrans who find it hard to access specialist health services. This is important because specialists help people manage complex and ongoing medical conditions.

In 2023, 40.1% of Canberrans reported finding it hard to access specialist health services.

People more likely to find it difficult to access specialist health services were those:

2022-2023: Living well in the ACT region survey, unpublished data.

2019-2021: Living well in the ACT region: The changing wellbeing of Canberrans during 2020 and 2021.

Line graph of percentage of respondents reporting difficulty accessing specialist services in the ACT, between 2019 and 2023.

In 2023, 40.1% reported it was hard to access specialist health services compared to 32.1% in 2020.

In 2023, 32.9% reported it was neither hard nor easy to access specialist health services compared to 31.8% in 2020.

In 2023, 27% reported it was easy to access specialist health services compared to 36.1% in 2020.

The Living Well in the ACT Region survey, conducted by the University of Canberra, aims to measure, track and understand the wellbeing of adult residents living in the Australian Capital Territory region of Australia. It examines factors known to affect wellbeing at the individual, household, community and regional level.

When generating data for the ACT, statistical weighting is used to address differences between the sample of people who respond to the survey, and the characteristics of the ACT adult population. Differences between groups are reported when there is a statistically significant difference based on 95% confidence intervals or other tests of significance.

Data are produced from this survey for different groups of people in the ACT. The ‘overall response’ category represents responses at the ACT population level. Where reliable estimates can be produced, data are also presented for Canberrans by: gender, age, cultural background, gender identity and sexuality, carer role and experience of disability.

Care is needed when interpreting the differences in findings between groups as the descriptive statistics published here show where there are differences in wellbeing, but not what has caused those differences in wellbeing.

The University of Canberra has been conducting the survey since 2019. As of mid-2023, the survey had been conducted 6 times. Not all questions have been measured each time the survey has been conducted.

There have been no changes in measure design, analysis or reporting of this measure since it was first included in the survey.

Data for people with disability are only available for 2023 due to a change in the way disability was defined and measured in the survey, to better reflect international best practice.

Further information about the survey can be found at Living Well in the ACT Region or by contacting Professor Jacki Schirmer at the University of Canberra.

Access to mental health services

This measure shows the proportion of Canberrans who find it hard to access mental health services. This is important because our mental health impacts our overall health and wellbeing.

In 2023, 53% of those surveyed reported finding it difficult to access psychologists. Difficulty accessing psychiatrists was reported by 56.9% of respondents.

Canberrans more likely to find it difficult to access mental health services were:

2022-2023: Living well in the ACT region survey, unpublished data.

2019-2021: Living well in the ACT region: The changing wellbeing of Canberrans during 2020 and 2021.

Clustered column graphs of percentage of respondents reporting difficulty accessing mental health services in the ACT, in 2020 and 2023.

Accessing a psychiatrist:

  • In 2023, 56.9% found it hard to access a psychiatrist compared to 57.8% in 2020.
  • In 2023, 28.5% found it neither hard nor easy to access to access a psychiatrist compared to 22.9% in 2020.
  • In 2023, 14.6% found it easy to access to access a psychiatrist compared to 19.3% in 2020.

Accessing a psychologist:

  • In 2023, 53% found it hard to access a psychologist compared to 48.3% in 2020.
  • In 2023, 27.2% found it neither hard nor easy to access a psychologist compared to 25.1% in 2020.
  • In 2023, 19.8% found it easy to access a psychologist compared to 26.6% in 2020.

The Living Well in the ACT Region survey, conducted by the University of Canberra, aims to measure, track and understand the wellbeing of adult residents living in the Australian Capital Territory region of Australia. It examines factors known to affect wellbeing at the individual, household, community and regional level.

When generating data for the ACT, statistical weighting is used to address differences between the sample of people who respond to the survey, and the characteristics of the ACT adult population. Differences between groups are reported when there is a statistically significant difference based on 95% confidence intervals or other tests of significance.

Data are produced from this survey for different groups of people in the ACT. The ‘overall response’ category represents responses at the ACT population level. Where reliable estimates can be produced, data are also presented for Canberrans by: gender, age, cultural background, gender identity and sexuality, carer role and experience of disability.

Care is needed when interpreting the differences in findings between groups as the descriptive statistics published here show where there are differences in wellbeing, but not what has caused those differences in wellbeing.

The University of Canberra has been conducting the survey since 2019. As of mid-2023, the survey had been conducted 6 times. Not all questions have been measured each time the survey has been conducted.

There have been some changes in measure design, analysis and reporting of this measure since it was first included in the survey. The first wave of the survey asked about access to psychologists and psychiatrists as a single group of mental health professionals.

From wave 3 onwards, access to psychologists has been asked separately to access to psychiatrists. For this reason, results are only published here for waves 3 and 6 of the survey (the waves in which this question was asked).

Data for people with disability are only available for 2023 due to a change in the way disability was defined and measured in the survey, to better reflect international best practice.

Further information about the survey can be found at Living Well in the ACT Region or by contacting Professor Jacki Schirmer at the University of Canberra.

Access to allied health services

This measure shows the proportion of Canberrans who find it hard to access allied health services:

Allied health professionals provide a wide range of services that help improve people’s health, wellbeing and quality of life.

In 2023, 7.7% of Canberrans found it hard to access a physiotherapist and 41.1% found it hard to access an occupational therapist or speech pathologist.

Most people reported similar levels of access to physiotherapy services. The exception was people living with disability resulting in long-term restriction in cognition, cognitive processing, or mental health functioning.

In 2023, the people significantly more likely to report difficulty accessing occupational therapists and/or speech pathologists were:

2022-2023: Living well in the ACT region survey, unpublished data.

2019-2021: Living well in the ACT region: The changing wellbeing of Canberrans during 2020 and 2021.

Clustered column graphs of percentage of respondents reporting difficulty accessing allied health services in the ACT, in 2020 and 2023.

Accessing an occupational therapist or speech pathologist:

  • In 2023, 41.1% found it hard to access an occupational or speech therapist compared to 37.2% in 2020.
  • In 2023, 34% found it neither hard nor easy to access an occupational or speech therapist compared to 31.9% in 2020.
  • In 2023, 25% found it easy to access an occupational or speech therapist compared to 30.9% in 2020.

Accessing a physiotherapist:

  • In 2023, 67.6% found it easy to access a physiotherapist compared to 54.7% in 2020.
  • In 2023, 24.7% found it neither hard or easy to access a physiotherapist compared to 31.4% in 2020.
  • In 2023, 7.7% found it hard to access a physiotherapist compared to 13.9% in 2020.

The Living Well in the ACT Region survey, conducted by the University of Canberra, aims to measure, track and understand the wellbeing of adult residents living in the Australian Capital Territory region of Australia. It examines factors known to affect wellbeing at the individual, household, community and regional level.

When generating data for the ACT, statistical weighting is used to address differences between the sample of people who respond to the survey, and the characteristics of the ACT adult population. Differences between groups are reported when there is a statistically significant difference based on 95% confidence intervals or other tests of significance.

Data are produced from this survey for different groups of people in the ACT. The ‘overall response’ category represents responses at the ACT population level. Where reliable estimates can be produced, data are also presented for Canberrans by: gender, age, cultural background, gender identity and sexuality, carer role and experience of disability.

Care is needed when interpreting the differences in findings between groups as the descriptive statistics published here show where there are differences in wellbeing, but not what has caused those differences in wellbeing.

The University of Canberra has been conducting the survey since 2019. As of mid-2023, the survey had been conducted 6 times. Not all questions have been measured each time the survey has been conducted.

There have been some changes in measure design, analysis and reporting of this measure since it was first included in the survey. The first wave of the survey asked about access to physiotherapists, occupational therapists or speech pathologists as a single group of allied health professionals.

From wave 3 onwards, access to physiotherapists has been asked separately to access to occupational therapists or speech pathologists. For this reason, results are only published here for waves 3 and 6 of the survey (the waves in which this question was asked).

Data for people with disability are only available for 2023 due to a change in the way disability was defined and measured in the survey, to better reflect international best practice.

Further information about the survey can be found at Living Well in the ACT Region or by contacting Professor Jacki Schirmer at the University of Canberra.

Access to dentists

This measure shows the proportion of Canberrans who find it hard to access a dentist. Access to dental services is important because oral health contributes to physical, social and emotional health.

In 2023, 9.3% of Canberrans reported it was hard to access dental services.

People significantly more likely to report difficulty accessing dentist services were:

2022-2023: Living well in the ACT region survey, unpublished data.

2019-2021: Living well in the ACT region: The changing wellbeing of Canberrans during 2020 and 2021.

Line graphs of percentage of respondents accessing dental services in the ACT, between 2019 and 2023.

In 2023, 65% reported it was easy to access a dentist compared to 56.3% in 2020.

In 2023, 25.7% reported it was neither hard nor easy to access a dentist compared to 27.3% in 2020.

In 2023, 9.3% reported it was hard to access a dentist compared to 16.2% in 2020.

The Living Well in the ACT Region survey, conducted by the University of Canberra, aims to measure, track and understand the wellbeing of adult residents living in the Australian Capital Territory region of Australia. It examines factors known to affect wellbeing at the individual, household, community and regional level.

When generating data for the ACT, statistical weighting is used to address differences between the sample of people who respond to the survey, and the characteristics of the ACT adult population. Differences between groups are reported when there is a statistically significant difference based on 95% confidence intervals or other tests of significance.

Data are produced from this survey for different groups of people in the ACT. The ‘overall response’ category represents responses at the ACT population level. Where reliable estimates can be produced, data are also presented for Canberrans by: gender, age, cultural background, gender identity and sexuality, carer role and experience of disability.

Care is needed when interpreting the differences in findings between groups as the descriptive statistics published here show where there are differences in wellbeing, but not what has caused those differences in wellbeing.

The University of Canberra has been conducting the survey since 2019. As of mid-2023, the survey had been conducted 6 times. Not all questions have been measured each time the survey has been conducted.

There have been no changes in measure design, analysis or reporting of this measure since it was first included in the survey.

Data for people with disability are only available for 2023 due to a change in the way disability was defined and measured in the survey, to better reflect international best practice.

Further information about the survey can be found at Living Well in the ACT Region or by contacting Professor Jacki Schirmer at the University of Canberra.