The report card provides an accessible snapshot of mental health services within the Australian public hospital system. It explores the capacity and performance of Australia’s public hospitals when providing care to patients who have presented with mental health-related conditions. It aims to highlight trends in hospital service delivery, pinpoint gaps and identify areas for improvement.

This study assessed the impact of different COVID‐19 vaccination strategies on infections and hospitalisations in the context of non‐seasonal epidemic waves. It concludes that annual COVID‐19 vaccination campaigns at the same time as those for influenza could reduce the number of COVID‐19‐related hospitalisations.

A scoping review of studies examining the impact of urgent care centres (UCCs) on the numbers of presentations to emergency departments (EDs), their costs, and the experiences of patients and practitioners. It concludes that UCCs can help reduce the number of ED presentations. However, continuity of care was a concern for both clinicians and patients.

Australia is facing alarming levels of ramping. This report card presents statistics for incidents requiring an ambulance for each state and territory. It shows ambulance ramping in many states is still double what it was five years ago, with logjammed hospitals leaving patients waiting too long to be admitted, with devastating results.

The report provides early insights into the operations of the Medicare Urgent Care Clinics (UCCs) pilot program, based on program implementation from 30 June 2023 to 30 September 2024. It found that 46% of patients would have sought care at an emergency department if the Medicare UCC was unavailable. The report identifies 14 improvement opportunities.