About our Drug and Alcohol Clinical Service
Our Drug and Alcohol Clinical Service (DACS) provides specialised treatment for people with substance use problems.
We focus on harm minimisation and offer services through a multidisciplinary team that includes nurses, doctors, allied health professionals, peer support workers, and Aboriginal health workers.
Our services are available in community, outpatient, and inpatient settings throughout the Hunter New England Local Health District (LHD).
DACS services and programs
Our drug and alcohol services include:
- Inpatient Withdrawal Unit: a 12-bed unit at Belmont Hospital for inpatient care.
- Opiate treatment program: clinics in the Hunter, Lower Mid North Coast and New England Northwest
- Counselling services: provided across the District.
- Specialist clinics: cannabis and stimulant treatment clinics located in Newcastle.
- Assertive community management: for individuals with complex needs in the Newcastle area.
- Child, youth, and family services: focused on young people, pregnant individuals, and parents.
- Court diversion services: the Drug Court program is available in Newcastle. The Magistrates Early Referral into Treatment (MERIT) Program is available in Newcastle, Taree and Tamworth with further expansion provided.
- Consultation liaison service: at John Hunter Hospital and Maitland Hospital with support across the District.
- Needle syringe program: offers safe injecting equipment and education.
- Clinical Research Unit: conducts trials and integrates research into practice.
Learn more about our services, programs and specialty teams.
| Service | How we can help |
|---|---|
| Aboriginal drug and alcohol team | We provide access to flexible, holistic and culturally sensitive health services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients and their community to achieve better health outcomes. We provide access to health services in relation to drugs and alcohol. The team works in conjunction with non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Clinicians to ensure culturally appropriate care |
| Service | How we can help |
|---|---|
| Substance Use in Pregnancy and Parenting (SUPPS) | SUPPS improves identification of, and support to, substance using pregnant people, it strengthens access to and expands SUPPS across the District to identified sites and builds the capacity of broader health systems to manage pregnant people who may be using substances (consultation liaison approach). It ensures appropriate clinical and psychosocial management with improved care coordination and improved access via sustained home visiting (up to 2 years) with a focus on relapse prevention and parenting skills. The service improves access for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, including effective partnerships between health and Aboriginal and Torres Strait community-controlled health services. |
| Whole Family Team (WFT) | Is a child centred, family focussed tertiary health service that has been established to address the needs of families where parents have mental health and/or drug and alcohol concerns, identified parenting difficulties and significant child protection concerns. The aims are to enhance the care, safety and wellbeing of children, improve parenting capacity and developmental outcomes for children, develop sustainable healthy family relationships and improve access to services for families. Referrals are made by Department of Communities and Justice. WFT clinicians work with families for up to twelve months both in their homes and in the community providing assessments, psychoeducation and interventions in partnership with other service providers. |
| Youth Drug and Alcohol Clinical Services (YDACS) | Reduces the harms associated with problematic substance use, by providing a safe, supportive service to young people (12-18 years), with a particular focus on high-risk young people and their families. YDACS take an integrated approach to client care acknowledging that young people present with other conditions and comorbidities, most commonly mental health. Early intervention and linking young people and their families with specialist youth drug and alcohol services can reduce the burden of disease, through provision of developmentally appropriate and targeted interventions to interrupt the progression of drug use. |
| Service | How we can help |
|---|---|
| Hunter Drug Court | Is a court diversion program providing criminal offenders who have pled guilty an opportunity to receive treatment for drug dependence rather than remain in custody. Referrals are made by local courts to the Hunter Drug Court Program. Participants must be eligible, appropriate and reside in the identified catchment area. There are 3 phases in the program including stabilisation, consolidation and re-integration. |
| Magistrates Early Referral into Treatment (MERIT) | MERIT is a special Magistrates’ program that will provide the opportunity for some defendants with drug problems to work on a voluntary basis, towards rehabilitation prior to sentencing. The MERIT program allows defendants to focus on treating their drug problem in isolation from legal matters. |
| Service | How we can help |
|---|---|
| Harm Minimisation Program or Needle Syringe Program | Our program is designed to reduce drug-related harm by providing clean needles, syringes and other equipment related to injecting drug use, and safe sharps disposal, condoms, lubricant and education pamphlets. We also offer information and referrals to other services for sexually transmitted and blood borne diseases. A range of resources are provided to secondary harm minimisation outlets as well as outreach to various locations. |
| Clinic | How we can help |
|---|---|
| Hepatitis C Virus Clinic | We provide Hepatitis C Virus screening and treatment for people on opioid treatment if indicated. Cirrhosis screening is also provided using a FibroScan® machine with referral to John Hunter Hospital liver clinic for ongoing management of cirrhosis if required. |
| Newcastle Cannabis Clinic | Newcastle Cannabis Clinic provides comprehensive assessment and treatment for individuals who present with cannabis as the primary drug of concern. The clinic can provide specialised treatment for people using cannabis with co-existing mental health disorders including provision of support and information for parents, carers and concerned others. Education, consultation and training can also be provided to other service providers. |
| Staff specialist clinics | We offer drug and alcohol staff specialist outpatient clinics including high-risk antenatal and pain management clinics. |
| Service | How we can help |
|---|---|
| Involuntary D and A Treatment (IDAT) Program Officers | Our IDAT team liaises with services to facilitate engagement in short term care, with an involuntary supervised withdrawal component, to protect the health and safety of people with severe substance dependence who have experienced, or are at risk of, serious harm and whose decision-making capacity is compromised by their substance use. |
| Opioid Treatment Program (OTP) or Pharmacotherapy services | The Opioid Treatment Program (OTP) is a voluntary program providing pharmacotherapy clinics that commence and stabilise people on methadone or buprenorphine treatment over a short time frame. Participation in treatment brings many previously marginalised opiate users into contact with health services. Withdrawal management, OAT and other pharmacotherapy treatments, referral and medical patient reviews are also provided. Access to health services, counselling and welfare services are facilitated through participation in the program. Once stabilised clients will be transferred to the community (to dose at a pharmacy). The service is also actively involved in many DACS clinical research trials. |
| Stimulant treatment program | We provide education, support, assessment and counselling for individuals whose primary drugs of concern are stimulants. Consultation and training are provided to other service providers, and support and information is provided for parents, carers and concerned others. |
| Service | How we can help |
|---|---|
| Assertive community management services | Our multidisciplinary team assists in providing longer term approaches to addressing the risks associated with chronic alcohol and other drug use. We aim to reduce presentations to emergency departments; and reduce homelessness with improved access to longer-term treatment and support for clients, improving general health, nutrition and social functioning, and reducing the risk of relapse through the establishment of effective prevention strategies. |
| Community counselling | We offer counselling services for people who are concerned about their own or are affected by another person’s moderate to severe substance use. The services provide tailored counselling modalities for clients who are affected by substance use. Consultation, education and skills training for health and welfare providers is also available. |
| GP and pharmacy support | We provide support and guidance to general practitioners as OAT prescribers and to community pharmacies to deliver opioid treatment in primary care settings. |
| Hospital consultation and liaison services | We provide support for patients admitted to hospital for other reasons where drug and alcohol concerns are a complicating factor. John Hunter and Maitland Hospitals have dedicated services to provide drug and alcohol consultation and liaison support and advice to the primary treating teams. |
| Intake services | Our intake services are available 5 days a week and receive most referrals for treatment. These referrals can be by phone from the person requesting drug and alcohol services or by email/fax from other service providers including general practitioners, other Hunter New England services, and government and non-government agencies. The referral is then allocated to the most appropriate clinical service for further assessment. |
| Neuropsychology service | We provide ongoing oversight, training and consultation for the DACS 3-stage cognitive screening program. This includes individual consultation and comprehensive neuropsychological assessment where indicated. The Neuropsychology Service is based in Newcastle but provides services across the District through regular outreach and telehealth. |
| Support (peer) worker program | DACS support workers have lived experience of participating and receiving services from drug and alcohol services. Their role is to provide knowledge and support to people who are being provided a service by DACS. This may take the form of walking beside them on their journey through the service, supporting clients to advocate for themselves, being part of group programs and supporting referrals. The support workers will also be representatives of the consumer perspective within DACS. |
| Virtual care services | We provide virtual opioid treatment to patients residing in rural and remote locations of the Hunter New England Local Health District. The Virtual Care Hub works in partnership with the Mid-North Coast and Northern NSW Local Health Districts to provide opioid treatment to patients in consultation with local drug and alcohol clinics. Consults are conducted using videoconferencing technology with the prescriber located at a Hunter New England site and a local clinician supporting the patient to use the technology at their end. The virtual care service aims to increase access to specialist addiction medicine services for patients living in regional, rural and remote areas across NSW. |
| Role | Services provided |
|---|---|
| Clinical Nurse Consultants (CNCs) | Provide advanced nursing services to assist in the treatment of complex drug and alcohol clients in collaboration with the local hospitals, community services and non-government organisations. CNCs provide clinical nursing leadership and contribute to research efforts. |
| Clinical Nurse Educators (CNEs) | Provide and facilitate Drug and Alcohol Clinical Services staff education and training regarding drug and alcohol treatment care planning with a focus on skill and knowledge development particularly for new practitioners. In addition, the CNE assists with the delivery of drug and alcohol education to acute care and community clinicians. |
| Nurse Practitioners (NP) | Provides comprehensive clinical nursing leadership, ensuring advanced assessment, person centred management planning and investigation including physical assessments, diagnostic reasoning and referrals, together with therapeutic interventions, including psychopharmacological interventions, for people experiencing complex health difficulties and issues of substance use within the NP scope of practice. |
Our research
Our DACS researchers are dedicated to funding and undertaking research to expand the evidence-base for novel and existing drug and alcohol treatments with the aim of improving outcomes and quality of life for people seeking treatment for drug and alcohol dependence. A wide variety of research is undertaken, ranging from surveys to multicentre randomised controlled trials.
DACS researchers work primarily in collaboration with universities, other health and non-government organisations throughout Australia, who all share the same vision of translating research findings into evidence-based clinical practice.
Calvary Mater Newcastle (CMN) Partnership
Calvary Mater Alcohol and Drug Unit work in partnership with Drug and Alcohol Clinical Services, other Calvary Mater, and community services. The small multidisciplinary team provide outpatient addiction medicine/nursing clinics, including a rapid access outpatient withdrawal service; comprehensive consultation liaison service to CMN (including the ICU/ED) and elective drug and alcohol admissions for the most complex cohort of patients who may not be appropriate for outpatient withdrawal or inpatient withdrawal services at Lakeview Unit BDH.
The unit staff are also involved in CMN education programs, supervision of junior medical officer's and other staff and host placements for medical, nursing and allied health students.
RACP and RANZCP training
DACS is an accredited site for Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) Addiction Medicine, Paediatric, Community Child Health, Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine and Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) Addiction Psychiatry training through provision of rotations for registrars and year 1 and 2 post graduate medical practitioners.
Other key services
- Calvary Mater Alcohol and Drug Clinical Service: Offers outpatient consultations, assessments, and treatment.
- Drug and Alcohol Health Services Inc. (DAHS): Based in Muswellbrook, offering counselling, court diversion, and opiate treatment programs.
- Mental Health and Substance Use Service (MHSUS): Provides integrated assessments and programs for individuals with both mental health and substance use issues.
Contact DACS
New patients/clients - Contact Intake Services for information, referral and advice, phone 1300 660 059 Monday to Friday between 9am to 4pm (closed public holidays).
| DACS Service | Address | Phone |
Newcastle Cannabis Clinic Southern Community Counselling Newcastle Stimulant Treatment Program | 72 Watt Street, Newcastle NSW 2300 | (02) 4964 7404 |
| Pharmacotherapy Services | ||
| Cessnock | 24 View Street, Cessnock NSW 2325 | (02) 4991 0461 |
| Newcastle | Newcastle Community Health Centre Ground Floor, 670 Hunter Street, Newcastle West | (02) 4016 4508 |
| All other DACS Services | Monday to Friday, 8.30 to 4pm (closed public holidays) | 1300 660 059 |
Find alcohol and other drugs services
Use our Service Directory to find a health service near you.
Virtual care appointments
Virtual care (telehealth) uses technology to offer patients and consumers a convenient way to connect with health professionals. Virtual care has many benefits for patients, carers, and health professionals. Learn more about virtual care.