NSW Health delivers a comprehensive range of treatment, specialist treatment and aftercare services provided by local health districts and non-government organisations including counselling, withdrawal management, assertive outreach, opioid agonist treatment, residential rehabilitation, drug and alcohol consultation liaison in targeted hospitals and the involuntary treatment program for severely substance dependent individuals.
The Opioid Treatment Program has recently changed, further information is available at Information for people on the NSW Opioid Treatment Program (OTP).
The NSW Opioid Treatment Program (OTP) seeks to reduce the social, economic and health harms associated with opioid use. The OTP delivers pharmacotherapy and associated services to opioid dependent patients in NSW through the public sector (including Justice Health), and private sector (private clinics, general practitioners, psychiatrists and pharmacies). There are currently 3 types of opioid treatment pharmacotherapy available in NSW: methadone, buprenorphine and buprenorphine-naloxone.
The Opioid Treatment Telephone helpline provides opiate pharmacotherapy information (including about methadone and buprenorphine), referrals, advice and a forum for pharmacotherapy concerns. The service operates Monday to Friday 9.30am to 5.00pm
Phone: 1800 642 428
Additional information for medical practitioners and pharmacies about the OTP is available at Medical Practitioners - NSW Opioid Treatment Program (OTP) and NSW Opioid Treatment Program (OTP). Information regarding the OTP transition to S100 HSD Program is available at Opioid Treatment Program - Transition to Section 100 Highly Specialised Drugs Program.
NSW Health funds a number of specialist treatment services for stimulant users. Services are available across 6 local health districts:
These health districts provide a range of services to stimulant users within a stepped care framework to match the special needs of each patient.
A state-wide telephone service is available 24 hours/day, 7 days a week. The Stimulant Treatment Line provides education, information, referral, crisis counselling and support specifically for stimulant users.
Contact phone numbers for access to services and the Stimulant Treatment Line:(02) 9361 8088 (Sydney metro)1800 101 188 (regional/rural) – not a freecall from mobile phones, except Telstra mobiles
You may also contact a local stimulant treatment service directly through the relevant district’s intake line for alcohol and other drugs.
There are also a number of non-government agencies providing treatment for crystalline methamphetamine use in rural and regional NSW. These were funded by the NSW Government as part of the ICE election commitment. These new services have been established over three regional areas: Goulburn and surrounds, Dubbo/Wellington and Wagga/Griffith. Contract details are available from the Stimulant Treatment Line.
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Hospital Drug and Alcohol Consultation Liaison services are available in most hospitals in NSW. These services are designed to alleviate access pressures and to reduce the burden that drug and alcohol problems currently place on the hospital system.
An independent evaluation of these services commissioned by NSW Health shows evidence that more than one third of people presenting to NSW hospitals have a drug and alcohol problem in need of some level of intervention. Hospital Drug and Alcohol Consultation Liaison services are a low cost intervention which produces cost savings to hospitals through a reduction in re-presentations to Emergency Departments. Hospital Drug and Alcohol Consultation Liaison services prevent an increase in average length of stay in ED’s over time, reduce the frequency of ED presentations over time, and are associated with a reduction in incidents in hospitals.
The IDAT Program provides involuntary treatment as an option of last resort to people with severe substance dependence.
The NSW Drug and Alcohol Treatment Act 2007 (the Act) provides the legislative basis for assessment, stabilisation and treatment in an involuntary capacity, and outlines the criteria for admission into the program.
The intention of IDAT is to protect the health and safety of people with severe substance dependence who are at risk of serious harm while also safeguarding their human rights.
IDAT provides medically supervised withdrawal management and post-withdrawal assessment and treatment in a specialised inpatient unit. This is followed by a voluntary community care component provided by the patient's local health district for up to six months. There are 12 IDAT beds across two hospital-based treatment centres: one at Royal North Shore Hospital campus with four beds, and Bloomfield Hospital campus in Orange with eight beds.
See more information about IDAT
The non-government alcohol and other drugs sector (NGO AOD sector) provide a wide range of specialist prevention and treatment services throughout NSW. These services include health promotion, harm prevention, outreach, counselling, case management, alcohol and other drug withdrawal management, residential rehabilitation treatment, day programs, community group programs and support for families.
The NGO AOD sector is the largest provider of residential rehabilitation services in NSW (also referred to as residential treatment services). Services offer group work, counselling and case management as part of a structured program to holistically address the underlying causes of problematic alcohol and drug use. Programs vary in length from four weeks up to 12 months and many provide continued support after program completion.
The NGO AOD sector also provide specialist treatment programs for methadone to abstinence and methadone stabilisation, Magistrate Early Referral Into Treatment (MERIT) programs, Drug Court services and support for families and significant others of people with drug dependency.
The Network of Alcohol and other Drugs Agencies (NADA) is the peak organisation for the non-government alcohol and other drugs sector in NSW. NADA provides a range of programs and services that focus on sector and workforce development, information management, research and evaluation, governance and management support, sector representation and advocacy, as well as actively contributing to public health policy.
Further information about NADA and NADA’s programs and services is available on NADA.
