Contains data on access and barriers to, and experiences of, healthcare services including GPs, specialists, dental professionals, hospitals and EDs
In 2024-25:
The scope of the Patient Experience Survey was restricted to people aged 15 years and over who were usual residents of private dwellings.
Reporting of age in this release is generally based on the age groups which had the highest and lowest proportion for the characteristic of interest.
General practitioners (GPs) continued to be the most common health professionals seen in 2024-25.
The proportion of people who saw a medical specialist increased to 40.4% in 2024-25, from 39.2% in 2023-24.
Health service use in 2024-25 remained similar to 2023-24 for those who:
The proportion of people who could always see their preferred GP when needed increased to 67.2% in 2024-25, from 66.4% in 2023-24.
Females were more likely than males to use the following health services:
People aged 85 years and over were more likely than those aged 15-24 years to:
People aged 65-74 years were more likely to see a dental professional than those aged 25-34 years (59.7% compared to 46.9%).
People aged 85 years and over were more likely to visit a hospital ED than those aged 35-44 years (26.3% compared to 13.3%).
People aged 35-44 years were more likely to see an after hours GP than those aged 75-84 years (7.5% compared to 2.9%).
People with a long-term health condition were more likely than those without a long-term health condition to use all health services as follows:
People living in areas of least socio-economic disadvantage were more likely than those living in areas of most disadvantage to:
People living in areas of most socio-economic disadvantage were more likely than those living in areas of least disadvantage to:
People living in major cities were more likely than those living in outer regional or remote areas to:
People living in outer regional or remote areas were more likely than those living in major cities to:
See Tables 1, 2.3, 3.2 and 5.3 in Data downloads section.
In 2024-25, 26.0% of people reported waiting longer than they felt acceptable for a GP appointment, a decrease from 28.0% in 2023-24.
The following people were more likely to report waiting longer than they felt acceptable for a GP appointment:
Reported waiting times to see a GP for urgent medical care remained similar between 2024-25 and 2023-24:
The following people were more likely to report that they saw a GP for urgent medical care and were seen within 4 hours:
People aged 25-34 years were more likely to report that they saw a GP for urgent medical care and waited for 4 to 24 hours than those aged 75-84 years (16.2% compared to 7.2%).
The following people were more likely to report that they saw a GP for urgent medical care and waited for 24 hours or more:
In 2024-25, 26.4% of people reported waiting longer than they felt acceptable for a medical specialist appointment, a decrease from 28.6% in 2023-24.
The following people were more likely to report waiting longer than they felt acceptable for a medical specialist appointment:
Public dental care is only available to a limited segment of the Australian population. Adults must generally have a healthcare card or Centrelink pensioner concession card to be eligible. The Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) provides basic dental services to eligible children aged 0-17 years[1][2].
In 2024-25, the proportion of people placed on a public dentistry waiting list remained similar to 2023-24 (3.9% compared to 4.0%).
The following people were more likely to be placed on a public dentistry waiting list:
See Tables 4, 5.3, 6.2, 10, 11.3, 12.2, 14.3 and 15.2 in Data downloads section.
The proportion of people who delayed or did not use the following health services when needed decreased in 2024-25 compared to 2023-24:
Females were more likely to delay or not use the following health services when needed than males:
People aged 25-34 years were more likely to delay or not use the following health services when needed than those aged 85 years and over:
People aged 45-54 years were more likely to delay or not go to hospital when needed than those aged 75-84 years (13.6% compared to 3.3%).
People with a long-term health condition were more likely to delay or not use the following health services when needed than those without a long-term health condition:
People living in areas of most socio-economic disadvantage were more likely to delay or not use the following health services when needed than those living in areas of least disadvantage:
People living in outer regional or remote areas were more likely to delay or not use the following health services when needed than those living in major cities:
The proportion of people who reported that cost was a reason for delaying or not using the following health services when needed decreased in 2024-25 compared to 2023-24:
Females were more likely to delay or not use the following health services when needed due to cost than males:
Females were more likely to report that cost was the main reason for not seeing an after hours GP when needed than males (7.4% compared to 2.9%).
People aged 25-34 years were more likely to delay or not use the following health services when needed due to cost than those aged 75-84 years:
People aged 35-44 years were more likely to delay or not see a dental professional when needed due to cost than those aged 85 years and over (22.2% compared to 3.3%).
People with a long-term health condition were more likely to delay or not use the following health services when needed due to cost than those without a long-term health condition:
People living in areas of most socio-economic disadvantage were more likely to delay or not see a dental professional when needed due to cost than those living in areas of least disadvantage (23.1% compared to 9.6%).
People living in outer regional or remote areas were more likely to delay or not see a dental professional when needed due to cost than those living in major cities (19.6% compared to 14.9%).
The proportion of people who reported reasons other than cost (e.g. ‘Service not available when required’, ‘Too busy’ or ‘Waiting time too long’) for delaying or not using the following health services when needed decreased in 2024-25 compared to 2023-24:
The proportion of people who reported that the main reason for not seeing an after hours GP when needed was something other than cost decreased to 30.4% in 2024-25, from 37.5% in 2023-24.
Females were more likely to report reasons other than cost for delaying or not using the following health services when needed than males:
Females were more likely to report that the main reason for not seeing an after hours GP when needed was something other than cost than males (34.2% compared to 24.2%).
The proportion of people who delayed or did not get prescription medication when needed due to cost (7.5%) remained similar to 2023-24 (8.0%).
The following people were more likely to delay getting, or go without, prescription medication when needed due to cost:
See Tables 4, 5.3, 6.2, 7, 8.2, 9.2, 10, 11.3, 12.2, 14.3, 15.2, 17.2 and 18.2 in Data downloads section.
In 2024-25, over 60.0% of people who needed to and saw a health professional reported positive experiences with them.
People reported the most positive experiences with dental professionals and the least positive experiences with hospital ED doctors and specialists.
| Health Professional | 2024-25 (%) | 2023-24 (%) | Change between 2024-25 and 2023-24 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dental professionals(b) | 86.4 | 85.5 | SIMILAR |
| Hospital nurses(c) | 79.4 | 78.2 | SIMILAR |
| Medical specialists | 78.5 | 76.9 | ↑ |
| Hospital doctors and specialists(d) | 75.2 | 76.2 | SIMILAR |
| GPs | 74.1 | 71.9 | ↑ |
| Hospital ED nurses(e) | 73.3 | 73.9 | SIMILAR |
| Hospital ED doctors and specialists(f) | 66.5 | 67.1 | SIMILAR |
| Health Professional | 2024-25 (%) | 2023-24 (%) | Change between 2024-25 and 2023-24 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dental professionals(b) | 89.2 | 88.7 | SIMILAR |
| Medical specialists | 83.4 | 82.0 | ↑ |
| GPs | 81.9 | 79.8 | ↑ |
| Hospital nurses(c) | 81.6 | 80.2 | SIMILAR |
| Hospital doctors and specialists(d) | 78.9 | 78.7 | SIMILAR |
| Hospital ED nurses(e) | 76.4 | 76.7 | SIMILAR |
| Hospital ED doctors and specialists(f) | 71.7 | 71.3 | SIMILAR |
| Health Professional | 2024-25 (%) | 2023-24 (%) | Change between 2024-25 and 2023-24 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dental professionals(b) | 88.9 | 87.9 | SIMILAR |
| Medical specialists | 78.7 | 77.4 | SIMILAR |
| Hospital nurses(c) | 75.8 | 76.1 | SIMILAR |
| GPs | 74.2 | 72.1 | ↑ |
| Hospital doctors and specialists(d) | 73.3 | 72.9 | SIMILAR |
| Hospital ED nurses(e) | 68.7 | 70.6 | SIMILAR |
| Hospital ED doctors and specialists(f) | 63.1 | 63.2 | SIMILAR |
Males reported more positive experiences with hospital ED doctors and specialists than females:
Males also reported more positive experiences with hospital ED nurses than females:
People aged 75-84 years reported more positive experiences with hospital ED doctors and specialists than those aged 15-24 years:
People aged 85 years and over reported more positive experiences with hospital ED nurses than those aged 35-44 years:
People without a long-term health condition reported more positive experiences with hospital ED doctors and specialists than those with a long-term health condition:
People without a long-term health condition also reported more positive experiences with hospital ED nurses than those with a long-term health condition:
See Tables 5.3, 11.3, 14.3, 17.2, 20.2 and 21.2 in Data downloads section.
The proportion of people who had at least one telehealth consultation for their own health in the last 12 months decreased to 22.5% in 2024-25, from 23.6% in 2023-24, and a peak of 30.8% in 2021-22.
In the last 12 months:
The highest proportion of people who had at least one telehealth consultation were females aged 25-34 years (33.4%).
The following people were more likely to have a telehealth consultation:
a. Telehealth service refers to an appointment with a health practitioner over the phone, by video conferencing or through other communication technologies.
In 2024-25, people who had a telehealth consultation reported similar experiences with telehealth practitioners compared to 2023-24:
Males reported more positive experiences with telehealth practitioners than females:
People aged 75-84 years reported more positive experiences with telehealth practitioners than those aged 25-34 years:
Of those who had a telehealth consultation, 90.3% reported that they would use telehealth for a consultation again if it was offered. This was an increase from 89.2% in 2023-24.
People aged 45-54 years were more likely to use telehealth for a consultation again if it was offered than those aged 85 years and over (94.7% compared to 83.0%).
People without a long-term health condition were more likely to use telehealth for a consultation again if it was offered than those with a long-term health condition (91.7% compared to 89.9%).
See Tables 1, 25.3 and 26.2 in Data downloads section.
In 2024-25, 17.3% of people saw at least one health professional for their own mental health, similar to 2023-24 (17.0%):
Of people who needed to and saw a health professional for their own mental health in 2024-25, 26.0% did so at least once using a telehealth service (similar to 26.2% in 2023-24).
Females were more likely to see a health professional for their own mental health than males (21.1% compared to 13.3%).
Females were more likely to see the following health professionals for their own mental health than males:
In general, younger people were more likely to see a health professional for their own mental health than older people, with 21.6% of people aged 25-34 years seeing a health professional for their own mental health compared to 8.3% of those aged 65 years and over.
Source: Patient Experiences, 2024-25, Table 27.3 and Customised data.
In 2024-25, 18.9% of all people reported that they needed to see a health professional for their own mental health, similar to 18.8% in 2023-24.
Of these, 34.4% delayed or did not see a health professional for their own mental health on at least one occasion when needed (a decrease from 38.1% in 2023-24), while 8.8% did not see a health professional for their own mental health at all when needed (similar to 10.0% in 2023-24).
The proportion of people who delayed or did not see a health professional for their own mental health when needed varied according to the type of health professional:
The proportion of people who reported that cost was a reason for delaying or not seeing a health professional for their own mental health when needed was 19.7% in 2024-25, similar to 2023-24 (20.4%).
The proportion of people who delayed or did not see a health professional for their own mental health when needed due to cost varied according to the type of health professional:
Females were more likely to delay or not see a health professional for their own mental health when needed due to cost than males (22.7% compared to 14.9%).
Females were more likely to delay or not see the following health professionals for their own mental health when needed due to cost than males:
In general, younger people were more likely to delay or not see a health professional for their own mental health when needed due to cost than older people, with 26.6% of people aged 25-34 years delaying or not seeing a health professional for their own mental health when needed due to cost compared to 9.3% of those aged 65 years and over.
Source: Patient Experiences, 2024-25, Table 27.3 and Customised data.
People living in areas of most socio-economic disadvantage were more likely to delay or not see a health professional for their own mental health when needed due to cost than those living in areas of least disadvantage (22.6% compared to 15.5%).
People living in major cities were more likely to delay or not see a health professional for their own mental health when needed due to cost than those living in outer regional or remote areas (20.6% compared to 13.0%).
In 2024-25, 77.9% of all people with a mental health condition reported that they needed to see a health professional for their own mental health.
Of these, 35.8% delayed or did not see a health professional for their own mental health on at least one occasion when needed, while 5.5% did not see a health professional for their own mental health at all when needed.
See Tables 27.3 and 28.2 in Data downloads section.
The proportion of people who saw three or more health professionals for the same condition was similar in 2024-25 (17.8%) to 2023-24 (18.0%).
Of these people:
Of those who received coordination of their care, 60.1% reported that GPs helped most in coordinating their care.
Females were more likely than males to:
People with a long-term health condition were more likely than those without a long-term health condition to:
People living in areas of most socio-economic disadvantage were more likely to report issues caused by a lack of communication between health professionals than those living in areas of least disadvantage (19.9% compared to 13.2%).
People living in outer regional or remote areas were more likely to see three or more health professionals than those living in major cities (19.6% compared to 16.8%).
See Tables 1, 2.3, 3.2, 22, 23.2 and 24.2 in Data downloads section.
The proportion of people with private health insurance increased to 60.3% in 2024-25, from 59.0% in 2023-24. Both hospital and extras cover continued to be the most common type of private health insurance (48.8%).
The following people were more likely to have private health insurance cover:
See Tables 1, 2.3 and 3.2 in Data downloads section.
This release previously used catalogue number 4839.0.
People aged 15 years and over who were usual residents of private dwellings.
Excludes:
Data available for:
Multipurpose Household Survey
Interviews were conducted by telephone with responses directly recorded in an electronic questionnaire.
Proxy interviews were permissible under certain circumstances.
Not applicable to this release.
From 2024–25, persons resident in very remote areas of Australia were excluded from the survey.