Service planning project

Informing Alcohol and Other Drug Service Planning in Victoria.

Overview

This report aims to inform future service planning for the alcohol and other drug (AOD) sector in Victoria by providing recommendations regarding a draft set of packages of care at a population level. A primary objective of the report was to review the evidence base for packages of care for alcohol and other drug clients with differing levels of need, focussing on five currently funded major streams of activity, namely withdrawal, counselling, care and recovery coordination, therapeutic day and residential rehabilitation.

The review highlights key elements of an effective alcohol and other drug service system, in particular one that increases the availability and accessibility of specialist services, yet also takes into account the varying needs of a complex population in which not all clients will require the same levels of care. It also highlights the importance of continuity of care via horizontal integration with linkages to different treatment streams (e.g., residential withdrawal, outpatient counselling) and with vertical integration to different health and welfare systems for complex clients facilitated by care and recovery co-ordination (case management) and aftercare (peer support/mutual aid).

In determining the different levels of care likely to be required at a population level, a tiered framework was adopted that segments treatment-seeking dependent populations into categories based on substance use severity as well as a range of life complexity factors (e.g., comorbid mental health problems) that are likely to require more intensive treatment. The final treatment recommendations were based on a three-tier model, and detail standard, enhanced, and complex packages of care for clients seeking specialist treatment in Victorian alcohol and other drug services. Each package specifies the type and duration of treatments to be provided over a 12-month period.