Reporting
Overview of reporting
The main purpose of NADAbase is to report data to funders, on behalf of NADA members.
All drug and alcohol non-government organisations who receive funding from either NSW Ministry of Health, a Primary Health Network, or Australian Institute of Health and Welfare are required to collect and report Minimum Data Set and, in some cases, Client Outcome Measures.
Reporting frequency
Reporting to funding bodies varies in terms of how often it’s done and the types of data collected:
| Funding agency | Frequency | Data reported | ||
| MDS raw data | COMS raw data | Aggregate report | ||
| NSW Ministry of Health | Monthly | Yes | No | No |
| NSW Ministry of Health – Methamphetamine funded programs | Biannually | No | No | Yes |
| NSW Ministry of Health – Continuing Coordinated Care programs | Biannually | No | No | Yes |
| Primary Health Networks | Quarterly | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Australian Institute of Health and Welfare | Annually | Yes | No | No |
An aggregate data report provides a summarized overview, incorporating episode analysis and client outcomes data analysis for the specified period.
What are funders looking for
Funding agencies analyse various data items throughout the financial year to track trends. It’s crucial to understand the type of data they collect and what they focus on:
- NSW Ministry of Health
– Open and closed episodes
– Service contacts (frequency of client contact)
– Some funding programs require collection of COMS and/or ATOP, assessing improved outcome scores over time. While NADA doesn’t provide COMS raw data extracts, it offers this information through an aggregate report.
- Primary Health Networks (PHN)
– Open and closed episodes
– Service contacts (frequency of client contact)
– Improved client outcome scores over time
– NADA provides MDS and COMS/ATOP raw data extracts to PHNs. Each PHN has its own data team to analyse the extracts. NADA also offers an aggregate report to PHNs, including episode data analysis and client outcomes data analysis each quarter.
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW)
– Closed episodes only
– AIHW examines the overall drug and alcohol data collected across Australia for each financial year. Therefore, they only require closed episodes for their collection.