Year-in-Review-2021-22 - Flipbook - Page 60
Drug Health Services
Drug Health Services aim to reduce the harms
associated with substance use for individuals, families
and communities and to prevent drug misuse.
Care is provided through a range of treatment
services available in District hospitals, health
centres and community locations.
Services include; ambulatory withdrawal;
community outreach teams; consultation and
liaison service; counselling; court diversion
program; hospital consultation; inpatient
and outpatient withdrawal management
(detoxification) programs; medical clinics; medical
consultation; needle, syringe and other harm
reduction programs; opioid treatment program
(OTP) and other pharmacotherapies; prevention
and community engagement strategies; primary
health care clinics; programs for pregnant women;
youth services.
All services are free and people can self-refer or
be referred by a GP or other healthcare worker.
In 2021-2022 Drug Health Services offered 29
unique clinical services. Clinicians saw 2882
patients and provided 47,657 occasions of service.
In addition, there were 31,322 occasions of dosing
in the Opioid Treatment Clinics.
The Harm Reduction Program distributed almost
1.5 million units of sterile injecting equipment and
provided 16,590 occasions of service in the Needle
Syringe Program. All automatic needle and syringe
dispensing machines are currently operational
24 hours a day as part of the COVID-19 response.
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Highlights:
• Continued to support the COVID-19 pandemic
response screening patients; offering services
face to face and via telehealth; COVID testing
for clients; community outreach interventions
for vulnerable clients; partnered with the
Flying Squad to offer home vaccination
services for clients; redeployed staff to the
Special Health Accommodation, RPA Virtual
Hospital, COVID-19 Support Centre, and
vaccination program.
• Delivered services with increased demand
including RPA Counselling service increased
by 24 per cent, GLAD services up 19 per cent,
RPA OTP non dosing clinic activity increased
20 per cent, Concord Medical Outpatient
Service more than doubled the activity from
the previous financial year.
• Continued the work of the Edith Collins
Centre for Translational Research in
Alcohol Drugs and Toxicology. The centre
published 121 journal papers, 16 book chapters,
1 book and 53 national and international
conference presentations.
47,657
31,322
1.5 million
occasions of service.
occasions of dosing in the
Opioid Treatment Clinics.
units of sterile injecting
equipment distributed.
Sydney Local Health District
