Community health centres
Introduction
Community health centres have a particularly important role to play in providing information and support to people of all ages within the community. Services provided by community health centres include primary care, community health nursing, sexual health services, counselling, selected allied health services, outreach clinics, child and family health services, day and respite care, health promotion, health education, community support, and group programs.In 2006, the New South Wales Population Health Survey asked respondents: In the last 12 months, have you been to a government-run community health centre? Overall, what do you think of the care you received at this community health centre? If care was rated as Fair or Poor, respondents were also asked: Could you briefly describe why you rated the care you received as Fair or Poor?
Results
Attendance at a community health centre
In 2006, the New South Wales Population Health Survey estimated that 7.3 per cent of adults attended a community health centre on one or more occasions in the previous 12 months.
A significantly higher proportion of females (8.8 per cent) than males (5.7 per cent) attended a community health centre. Among females, a significantly higher proportion of adults aged 25-34 years (15.5 per cent), and a significantly lower proportion of adults aged 45-54 years (6.0 per cent) and 55-64 years (6.1 per cent) and 75 years and over (6.3 per cent), attended a community health centre, compared with the overall adult female population. There was no significant variation between adults in urban areas and rural areas; however, a lower proportion of adults in the Sydney West Health Area (4.0 per cent), and a higher proportion of adults in the Greater Western Health Area (12.8 per cent), attended a community health centre. A lower proportion of adults in the least disadvantaged quintile (5.1 per cent) attended a community health centre, compared with the overall adult population. Between 2002 and 2006, there has been no significant change in the proportion of adults who attended a community health centre.
Rating of community health centre care
Those who attended a community health centre were asked to rate the care they received. Overall, 26.7 per cent rated their care as excellent, 35.8 per cent as very good, 28.9 per cent as good, 7.4 per cent as fair, and 1.2 per cent as poor. Responses of excellent, very good, and good were combined into a positive rating of care.
Overall, 91.4 per cent of adults rated their care positively. There was no significant variation between males and females. A significantly higher proportion of adults aged 65-74 years (97.1 per cent) and 75 years and over (99.2 per cent) rated their care positively, compared with the overall adult population. There was no significant variation in ratings of positive care between adults in rural areas and urban areas; however, a higher proportion of adults in the North Coast (96.8 per cent) and Greater Southern (98.5 per cent) Health Areas rated their care positively. A higher proportion of adults in the least disadvantaged quintile (96.9 per cent) rated their care positively. Overall, the proportion of adults who rated their community health centre care positively has not varied significantly between 2002 and 2006.
The main reasons for rating care as fair or poor were: waiting time (29.3 per cent), poor technical skill of staff (23.5 per cent), insufficient services or staff shortages (20.0 per cent), lack of confidentiality (12.2 per cent), poor attitude of staff (11.0 per cent), contradictory diagnosis between clinicians (8.2 per cent), poor communication (4.8 per cent), and treatment not effective (4.0 per cent).
Graphs
- Community health centre attendance in the previous 12 months by age
- Community health centre attendance in the previous 12 months by socioeconomic disadvantage
- Community health centre attendance in the previous 12 months by health area
- Community health centre attendance in the previous 12 months by year
- Community health centre care ratings
- Community health centre care rated as excellent, very good, or good by age
- Community health centre care rated as excellent, very good, or good by socioeconomic disadvantage
- Community health centre care rated as excellent, very good, or good by health area
- Community health centre care rated as excellent, very good, or good by year
- Reason for rating most recent community health centre visit as fair or poor
| Source: | New South Wales Population Health Survey 2006 (HOIST). Centre for Epidemiology and Research, NSW Department of Health. |
| Print version: | Although this page can be printed directly from your web browser, a higher quality version is available as a PDF file that can be printed or viewed on screen. |
| Produced by: | Centre for Epidemiology and Research, Population Health Division, NSW Department of Health. |
| Last updated on: | 1 July 2007 |