Developing a tool for classifying the function of mental health services to support mental health service planning and policy in Australia

Objective: To: (1) support systems-level mental health service planning and policy in Australia by developing a classification tool that enables the synthesis of descriptive information about service characteristics based on commonalities in underlying service function; and (2) demonstrate its application. Methods: The study used qualitative analysis to develop a classification tool. Key concepts for classifying health services were found in the literature. These were further disaggregated based on the described features of services represented in the National Mental Health Service Planning Framework (NMHSPF) (an Australian mental health needs-based planning model). A coding framework was then developed that represented each aspect of a service to be classified. This framework was applied to the NMHSPF service taxonomy and four sources of mental health services data and information.Results: The finalised classification tool included 10 sub-domains to be coded for the purpose of classifying a mental health service (e.g., service stream, service acuity, intent of care). Case examples demonstrated that almost all services (93%) could be aligned with NMHSPF service taxonomy items using the classification tool. In most cases, partial misalignment was due to sub-population-specific service responses not represented in the NMHSPF. Conclusions: The classification tool increases capacity for planners/policymakers to synthesise data and information about Australian mental health services within and across sectors of the system. Synthesised data can be used to support comparative analyses with the NMHSPF to inform funding and commissioning decisions. The approach used to develop the classification tool can be applied to other areas of health.