How to adopt the Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) Care Charter in your service

All health services in NSW should deliver care in line with the Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) Care Charter.

Why adopt the AOD Care Charter?

Adopting the AOD Care Charter within services may lead to:

higher quality communication between the person and health provider resulting in improved relationships, safety and outcomes
people being more knowledgeable about their prognosis, treatment and next steps
better experience for the person and their health care provider
better management of interventions and referrals for treatment
reduced presentations to health services and fewer follow-up appointments
lower rate of malpractice claims and complaints
higher job satisfaction for health providers.

"People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
Maya Angelou

Implement reflective practice for individual staff, with peers, and as a service.
Promote training and support on the practical use of the AOD Care Charter.
Review service policies, processes, availability, accessibility and the physical and social environment in line with the AOD Care Charter.
Ensure supportive leadership and workplace culture by role modelling positive behaviours and challenging and addressing any issues with staff.
Identify AOD Care Charter champions in the service to help implement the AOD Care Charter.
Comply with the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights.

Consider:

every interaction a person has with a health or support provider affects their future willingness or ability to seek care
people are at different stages - some may not wish to stop using alcohol and other drugs or may have financial or other barriers to accessing treatment
AOD use is a complex health issue with many factors, such as life events
unconscious bias, such as assumptions or stereotypes about people who use AOD can affect person-clinician interactions
stigma and discrimination can increase the harms linked to AOD use.