Urgent policy and funding needs in the Alcohol and other Drug Sector in response to COVID-19

A coalition of Australian alcohol and other drug services

As a result of the 2019-2020 coronavirus pandemic, some significant changes have been made to the delivery of Australia’s alcohol and other drugs services that have the potential to significantly improve responses to people who use drugs in the future if permanently introduced.

Among them:

• Services have moved to telehealth and found that this is a viable approach to delivering alcohol and other drug services.

• Services have removed some of the significant barriers to accessing pharmacotherapy, including, for example, a relaxation of restrictions on take-home doses.

We are calling on Australian, State and Territory Governments to respond with policy changes and additional funding for the treatment sector to enable these enhancements on an ongoing basis. This will improve access to treatment for people who use alcohol and other drugs, and reduce the social and financial burden on individuals, families and the community.

What is needed?

1. Introduce ongoing telehealth and digital options: Enhancing video and telephone-delivered specialist care for clients and staff will require infrastructure, training and guidance, as well as research for developing models of best practice.

2. Increasing access and affordability of opioid pharmacotherapies:

- Permanently establish pandemic-related changes to increase service flexibility.

- Formalise practice guidance on opioid pharmacotherapy prescribing.

- Remove dispensing fees through subsidies to primary care dispensers.

3. Investment in regional and rural Australia must include investment in alcohol and other drug services: Identify regional areas of need and invest in infrastructure and workforce to support access to treatment for regional residents.

4. Access to data improves evidence-based decision making: Working with clinicians, clients and researchers, undertake a review of existing data sources and establish nation-wide data sets to inform decision making.

5. Investment in Australia's mental health needs to include a parallel process for alcohol and other drugs: just as governments have created the National Mental Health and Wellbeing Pandemic Response Plan, we need a strategy that responds to changes in alcohol and other drug use as a result of the pandemic.

6. A well-supported workforce is the key to service improvement: The establishment of an Alcohol and Other Drugs Treatment Sector Capability Fund would enhance the effectiveness of the specialist alcohol and other drugs treatment workforce while implementing evidence-based service improvement and evaluation, and upgrading service infrastructure

The coalition of organisations advocating for these changes includes AHHA.