Inpatient Drug and Alcohol Service (IDAS) - Royal North Shore Hospital

IDAS provides inpatient withdrawal management (detoxification) and Involuntary Drug and Alcohol Treatment (IDAT).

IDAS is an 11 bed, 7 day / 24 hour, inpatient unit at Royal North Shore Hospital. The unit provides medically supervised withdrawal management from alcohol and drugs along with an educational/therapeutic program which includes groups and case management. Provision of comprehensive medical and psychiatric assessment as well as aftercare planning is also a core component of the program.

The IDAT Program provides 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 considered to be compromised due to their substance use.

The Drug and Alcohol Treatment Act 2007 (the Act) provides the legislative basis for the Program. The Act provides for the health and safety of persons with severe substance dependence through involuntary detention, care, treatment and stabilisation.

To be considered for treatment under the Act a person must meet all of the following criteria:

1. The person has a severe substance dependence, and
2. Care, treatment or control of the person is necessary to protect the person from serious harm, and 
3. The person is likely to benefit from treatment for his or her substance dependence but has refused treatment, and
4. No other appropriate and less restrictive means for dealing with the person are reasonably available.

The IDAT Program has a state-wide intake, but is delivered out of Royal North Shore Hospital in St Leonards, where there are 4 designated IDAT beds, and Bloomfield Hospital in Orange, where there are 8 designated IDAT beds. The Program provides up to 28 days inpatient involuntary treatment under a dependency certificate issued by a medical practitioner who has been accredited by NSW Health to issue such certificates.

The dependency certificate is then reviewed by a magistrate as soon as practicable, but ideally no more than 7 days after it was issued. The magistrate affirms that, on the balance of probability, the person under the dependency certificate meets the criteria for detention under the Act. The accredited medical practitioner may apply to the magistrate for an extension of the dependency certificate for a maximum period of 56 days. In order to grant such as extension, the magistrate must be satisfied that the person is suffering from a drug or alcohol related brain injury and that additional time is needed to carry out treatment and to plan the person's discharge.

For more information see the  Inpatient Drug and Alcohol brochure.

• Clothes for the duration of your stay
• Books, Puzzles
• Thongs (for showering)
• Labelled medications

We ask that you bring minimal valuables with you. Only a small amount of cash can be kept on the premises, $50.00 is adequate. Cash above $50.00 will need to be locked away by hospital security.

For more information see the  Inpatient Drug and Alcohol brochure.

For admission call the centralised intake service for an intake assessment: 1300 889 788.

No referral required.

ACACIA

AOD Consultation, Assessment, Care & Intervention for Adolescents is a multidisciplinary service that offers interventions for young people (<18) with problematic substance use.

Counselling

Community D&A Treatment Programs operate from 5 sites across NSLHD – these include Ryde, Hornsby, Mona Vale, St Leonards and Brookvale. ACACIA 
The Community D&A Counselling Services provide assessment, early intervention, ongoing treatment, and prevention of drug and alcohol problems. Services are also provided to the friends and family of clients with substance use problems. 
Programs provided by the community D&A treatment centres are:

• Evidence based
• Client focused
• Comprehensive, covering the spectrum of mental health promotion, prevention, early intervention, assessment and treatment
• Capable of treating patients of all ranges of severity and complexity
• Provided in partnership with a range of other agencies and services

Magistrates Early Referral Into Treatment (MERIT)

The MERIT program operates out of Manly and Hornsby local Courts. The program is designed to engage people with local court matters in to drug and alcohol treatment. The program operates on an opt-in basis and referrals to the service can be from anyone interested in participating, Magistrates, Solicitors, and local Police. Once assessed and accepted on to the MERIT program the patient and MERIT case worker develop a treatment plan that can include a range of drug and alcohol treatment options. The client generally participates in the program for 12 weeks before returning to court to have their court matters dealt with. MERIT plays a key role in assisting clients to access other treatment services such as Detoxification, Pharmacotherapy programs and Residential Rehabilitation programs.

Opioid Treatment Program

Public Opioid Treatment Programs (OTP) are available at 2 locations, Royal North Shore Community Health Centre & Brookvale Community Health Centre. The clinics provide support and case management to people with opiate dependence along with dosing services (Methadone and Buprenorphine). The program includes information & education, counselling on alcohol and other drugs, screening for blood borne viruses, medical and psychiatric assessments. The clinics also offer outpatient detoxification from Opiates (Buprenorphine assisted) which generally takes 5 days. The service works closely with Community Pharmacists and General Practitioners to support the management of these patients in the community.

Specialist Medical Clinic

Specialist Medical Clinic Assessment, withdrawal management, liaison & care planning with other services and referral.

Specialist Nurse-Led Clinic

The nurse-led clinic offers outpatient alcohol interventions, including withdrawal management, to help people cease or reduce their alcohol use in a safe and supported way. The clinic consists of specialist nurses, D&A consultants and nurse practitioner prescribing withdrawal regimes, and pharmacotherapies such as Acamprosate, Naltrexone and Disulfiram.

Admission criteria:

• Alcohol use disorder
• No poly-drug use
• No history of seizures or complicated withdrawal.
• No complex medical or psychiatric co-morbidities.

Substance Use in Pregnancy and Parenting Service (SUPPS)

The Substance Use in Pregnancy and Parenting Service is dedicated to providing client-centred, trauma informed care to pregnant women and parents of children under the age of 2 who use substances. SUPPS provision of services includes, consultation and liaison, education, assessment and care coordination. SUPPS aims to work in a holistic manner and supports women and their families to access universal health care services.

 About alcohol and other drug treatment
 Alcohol and Drug Information Service (ADIS) NSW