NDTMS.net - Frequently Asked Questions

How do I print the reports generated on this website?

To print the reports, please click ‘File’ from the browser’s menu bar and then click the ‘Print’ option. Please be aware that the printed reports will often look better if you select a landscape orientation, this option is usually available if you click 'Page Setup' from the browser’s 'File' menu. Alternatively check your browser's 'Help' menu to find out how to select printing options.

Why, if I total up the agency numbers in treatment for the residents of a DAT, does it not equal the numbers in treatment for the DAT?

The totals for the numbers in treatment in the agency report will by definition be higher than those for the DAT as a client can attend more than one agency within a DAT area. Therefore if the agency reports are totaled this would include all agency reports. In the DAT report an individual can only be counted once no matter how many agencies he / she has attended.

If I try to add the new presentations in a month to the numbers in treatment from the previous month and then take away the discharges from the previous month I do not get the numbers in treatment the current month.

The number in treatment each month is calculated by counting the number of clients resident in a DAT that were in contact with a treatment provider in the month. Where there are missing DATs of residence, interpolation is used as described in the guidance attached to the report tables. No such interpolation is used when reporting both new presentations and discharges therefore the figures may not always be consistent with each other.

When I received the most recent report the totals in some of the columns are different than in previous reports.

The data from treatment providers is constantly being validated for quality improvements, therefore as the year progresses these quality improvements will affect previously reported figures. All the monthly figures are recalculated each time a report is produced and any data quality changes will be reflected when a new report is received.

The retention totals and the number of clients discharged year to date seem to change in each report that is received.

The definition of the year to date retention indicator states that only a clients latest episode is used in the calculation of the indicator. If a client already discharged re-engages with a treatment service during the year, their previous episode of treatment is no longer used in the calculation of the numbers discharged year to date or in the retention totals. They will only be included when their latest episode is completed.

There seem to be a lot of new presentations within the reporting period but the growth in the number in treatment year to date is considerably lower.

A client will be counted in the monthly new presentation totals each month that they present to a treatment provider. However they will only be counted once in the numbers in treatment year to date.