Families in regional NSW are set to benefit from a new specialist service at John Hunter Children’s Hospital, designed to support people under 18 years of age affected by alcohol and other drug use.
Minister for Regional Health Ryan Park said the new Child and Adolescent Drug and Alcohol Service will allow young people to be treated in a youth friendly, developmentally appropriate, trauma-informed and holistic environment.
“The service will be available to families in the Hunter New England, Central Coast, Northern NSW and Mid North Coast regions and will provide access to beds for young people who may need assistance with withdrawal from alcohol and other drugs,” Mr Park said.
“Currently, patients have to travel to Sydney or beyond to receive these services, with wait times often exceeding three months.
“By establishing this vital service in Hunter New England, we are removing geographical barriers for families in regional NSW struggling with child and adolescent substance use problems.”
The service will give patients access to a multidisciplinary team of clinicians working across emergency care, paediatric mental health, youth drug and alcohol and addiction medicine.
The service will assess and stabilise the patient before transferring them for ongoing treatment and support with a collaborative care plan.
Withdrawal support will be available either in the hospital for patients needing high-level medical and nursing support, or in community-based services, including access to the youth residential rehabilitation service.
Member for Wallsend Sonia Hornery is really supportive of the service.
“I am proud my local hospital is leading the way with this new service which will support some of the most vulnerable young patients,” Ms Hornery said.
“This service will not just help Newcastle locals, but people who need it from across the Hunter New England Local Health District as well as patients from the Mid-North, the Northern Coast and the Central Coast.”
The John Hunter Children’s Hospital Child and Adolescent Drug and Alcohol Service is being established in response to the Special Commission of Inquiry into the Drug ‘Ice’ (methamphetamine), which put forward a range of health recommendations.
The service is expected to commence in the first half of 2024.
The NSW Government is in the process of rolling out a broad suite of initiatives to address methamphetamine and other drug-related harm. This includes: