The National and NSW Minimum Data Sets for Alcohol and other Drug Treatment Services

Last updated 26th September, 2018 | 11 topics

NMDS and NSW MDS Collection

The National Minimum Data Set (NMDS) and the NSW Minimum Data Set (MDS) for Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services (AODTS) consists of a range of i...
View more

Closing Service Episodes

A Service Episode will normally be declared ‘closed’ at the Cessation of Service however, when there has been no client contact for a period of on...
View more

Data Collection Items

The following specifies the data collection for each data item. Commencement of Service Episode These items should be completed on the day of the init...
View more

Guidelines for completing the NMDS and NSW MDS

Data Dictionary and Collection Guidelines for the NSW MDS for Alcohol Treatment Services (NSW Health, 2015) NSW MDS Data Dictionary Alcohol and Oth...
View more

Recommended guidelines for collecting information on Indigenous status

The Indigenous status question is asked through the NMDS and NSW MDS of all persons who attend a service. It is important to collect data on Indigenou...
View more

Explanation of specific data items

The following is an explanation of some data items from the NSW MDS that NADA members report have sometimes cause confusion among staff. Living Arra...
View more

Living Arrangement

This refers to the people with whom the client is/was living just prior to the start of the service episode. This information is collected to ascer...
View more

Usual Accommodation

This is the client’s usual type of accommodation just prior to the start of the service episode. “Usual” is defined as the type of accommodat...
View more

Main Service Provided

This is the main activity determined at assessment by the service provider to treat the client’s alcohol and/or drug problem for the Principle D...
View more

Service Contact Dates

This is the date of each service contact between a treatment Organisation and a client. This excludes a service contact with a carer or family member ...
View more

Postcode of residence at Commencement of Service Epsiode

This is the postcode pertaining to the client’s usual place of residence at the commencement (or just prior to) of the service episode. Use actual g...
View more