About the PMHC-MDS

Funding by the Australian Government Department of Health has been provided to Primary Health Networks (PHNs) through a Primary Mental Health Care flexible funding pool to support commissioning of mental health and suicide prevention services in six key service delivery areas:

low intensity psychological interventions for people with, or at risk of, mild mental illness;
psychological therapies delivered by mental health professionals to under serviced groups;
early intervention services for children and young people with, or at risk of mental illness;
services for people with severe and complex mental illness who are being managed in a primary care setting;
enhanced Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health services; and
a regional approach to suicide prevention activities with a focus on improved follow-up for people who have attempted suicide or are at high risk of suicide.

The Primary Mental Health Care Minimum Data Set (PMHC MDS) will provide the basis for PHNs and the Department of Health to monitor and report on the quantity and quality of service delivery, and to inform future improvements in the planning and funding of primary mental health care services funded by the Australian Government.

The data reported by PHNs through the PMHC MDS will form the basis for production of key performance indicators used to monitor services delivered across the 31 PHN regions covered by PHNs.

Logicly has been contracted by the Department of Health to manage the PMHC MDS on its behalf.

A specification of the data items to be collected in the PMHC MDS is available.

If you would like to be notified about updates to this specification or announcements about the rollout of the PMHC MDS please subscribe to the PMHC MDS mailing list by sending an email to support@pmhc-mds.com with the subject “subscribe news@lists.pmhc-mds.com”. This is not a general discussion list. Only moderated users can send messages to this list.

Information about how to get started on the PMHC MDS is available and will be regularly updated.

Announcements

Latest

FOR INFORMATION: PMHC MDS transition to the AIHW – contact information

The below circular was sent to PHN CEOs on Thursday 30 April 2026.

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Dear PHN CEOs,

Please refer to the attached document for additional detail.

For any queries please contact PMHC.MDS@aihw.gov.au.

Kind regards,

Mental Health Data

PHN CEO Circular

Primary Mental Health Care Minimum Data Set Transition to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare – Contact Information

As part of the transition of the management of the Primary Mental Health Care Minimum Data Set (PMHC MDS) from the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (the department) to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), the department is providing updated contact information to support PHNs during this change. AIHW is an independent statutory government agency that manages key national data collections and reports on health and welfare data for the Australian community, including in the mental health area.

Many PHNs will already be familiar with the work they have been progressing over the past year, including re‑establishing the PMHC Data Reference Group (PMHC DRG) and conducting a comprehensive review of the PMHC MDS. This review has involved extensive consultation with PHNs, provider organisations, system vendors and other key stakeholders. The insights gathered through this process will help shape future improvements to the dataset.

The transition of PMHC MDS management is progressing smoothly. AIHW is steadily taking on additional roles and responsibilities and has developed a detailed understanding of the technical, operational and governance elements of the PMHC MDS. This staged approach positions AIHW well to support PHNs and to guide ongoing system improvements.

To support the transition, AIHW has established a dedicated PMHC MDS team inbox (pmhc.mds@aihw.gov.au). Please direct all data-related queries to this inbox in the first instance. The AIHW team will be your primary point of contact moving forward and will coordinate with the department as required.

This includes queries such as advice on whether particular programs, activities or funding streams are in scope for PMHC MDS data collection, queries about the data model, clarification of how programs should be represented or categorised within the PMHC MDS, questions about mapping local program arrangements to PMHC MDS program types or service activity, and guidance on how changes to programs or service models may affect PMHC MDS reporting. The AIHW will also continue to manage the PMHC DRG.

The department will continue to oversee governance and policy matters relating to the PMHC MDS and will work closely with AIHW to ensure a smooth and well-supported transition for PHNs.

Please continue to direct queries related to PHN mental health and suicide prevention program funding to the Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Division PHN Program and Policy team inbox (MHPHNRPC@Health.gov.au).

PMHC MDS technical system support

Logicly’s PMHC Help Desk (support@pmhc-mds.com) remains available to support PHNs with technical system matters as per current arrangements. This includes:

Assistance with system access and user accounts
Data upload and submission issues
Deletion or suppression of inactive provider organisation information
Validation or error messages generated by the PMHC MDS system
System functionality or performance issues
Technical user training, including user management, data upload and data entry
Troubleshooting technical problems encountered when using the PMHC MDS platform.

FOR ACTION: New MMHC system tags in the PMHC MDS April 30, 2026

Update to the PMHC MDS - 20/3/2026 (v3.1.0) March 20, 2026

Update to the PMHC MDS - 23/2/2026 (v3.0.7) February 23, 2026

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