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NORTHERN TERRITORY

Less than a quarter of a million people (245,000) or 1.0% of Australia’s population live in the Northern Territory (NT), with 57.3%, living in Greater Darwin.¹

KEY FACTS — PEOPLE 15 YEARS AND OVER

• In 2013-14, almost three-quarters (74.4%) of people in the NT saw a general practitioner (GP), in the previous 12 months, with 59.8% of people receiving a prescription for medication.
• Of those who saw a GP for urgent medical care, over three-quarters (78.4%) saw one within four hours.
• In the NT, just under one-tenth 9.8% saw an after hours GP in the previous 12 months. While 11.6% needed to see one, 19.3% of these people, could not see one at all when needed.
• In 2013-14, 27.6% of people in the NT saw a medical specialist. Of those who saw a medical specialist, one in three people (33.2%) reported they waited longer than they felt acceptable to get an appointment
• In the Northern Territory, 17.4% of people visited a hospital emergency department in 2013-14, with over a quarter (27.4%) of those people reporting they thought their care could have been provided by a GP.
• In the NT, 41.5% of people saw a dental professional in the previous 12 months. While almost half (49.5%) of people in the NT needed to see a dental professional, 16.9% of these people, could not see one at all when needed.
• In 2013-14, almost one in seven (13.8%) people were admitted to hospital.
• In NT, 13.7% of people reported that they saw three or more health professionals for the same condition in the previous 12 months, with 22.1% of these people reporting they experienced issues caused by a lack of communication between the three or more health professionals.

• In 2013-14, NT residents were less likely to see a GP compared with all of Australia (74.4% compared with 82.2%).
• People living in the NT were less likely to have received a prescription for medication compared with all of Australia (59.8% compared with 68.9%).
• In the NT, fewer people saw a medical specialist compared with all of Australia (27.6% compared with 36.2%). However, more people in the Northern Territory who saw a medical specialist reported they waited longer than they felt was acceptable to get an appointment (67.6% compared with 25.0%).
• People living in the NT were less likely to see a dental professional compared with all Australians. (41.5% compared with 49.7%).
• More people visited a hospital emergency department in the Northern Territory compared with all of Australia (17.4% compared with 14.3%).
• In 2013-14, NT residents were less likely to see three or more health professionals for the same condition compared with all Australians (13.7% compared with 16.1%). However, people living in NT were more likely to have experienced issues caused by a lack of communication between health professionals (22.1% compared with 14.3%).