Readmissions to acute specialised mental health inpatient services within 28 days of discharge

Rationale

Readmission rate is considered to be a global performance measure as it potentially points to deficiencies in the functioning of the overall mental healthcare system.

While multiple hospital admissions over a lifetime may be necessary for someone with ongoing illness, a high proportion of readmissions shortly after discharge may indicate that inpatient treatment was either incomplete or ineffective, or that follow-up care was not adequate to maintain the patient’s recovery out of hospital. Rapid readmissions place pressure on finite beds and may reduce access to care for other consumers in need.

These readmissions mean that patients spend additional time in hospital and utilise additional resources. A low readmission rate suggests that good clinical practice is in operation. Readmissions are attributed to the facility at which the initial separation (discharge) occurred rather than the facility to which the patient was readmitted.

By monitoring this indicator, key areas for improvement can be identified. This can facilitate the development and delivery of targeted care pathways and interventions aimed at improving the mental health and quality of life of Western Australians.

Note: This indicator is reported by calendar year. Some indicators are reported by calendar year to allow for delays associated with the clinical coding of medical records, data quality checking, data linkage processing, and the setting of targets in accordance with the Government Budget Statement.

Target

The 2025 target for readmissions to acute specialised mental health inpatient services within 28 days of discharge is ≤ 12.0 per cent. Improved or maintained performance is demonstrated by a result below or equal to target.

Results

Commentary

Demand for acute mental health beds and patient complexity remains high. EMHS has demonstrated an improvement in readmission rate reducing from previous year of 14.2 per cent to 13.0 per cent.

EMHS continues to prioritise the provision of responsive and person-centred community-based services to better support patients following discharge. Recent developments include:

• Commissioning of the Aftercare Service in Royal Perth Hospital in February 2026. This is a pilot service jointly funded by the Mental Health Commission (MHC) and the WA Primary Health Alliance (WAPHA). Aftercare is designed to strengthen post-crisis support and reduce suicide risk through timely and coordinated follow-up care and is a collaborative partnership between EMHS and Non-govt organisation (NGO) partner NEAMI.
• The GP Shared Care Program for mental health consumers commenced 2025, providing a practical pathway to improve patient flow and support discharge planning. A key strength of the program has been dedicated focus on GP liaison and engagement and many GPs are now actively engaged and participating in shared care arrangements.