Service planning
In 2017 Turning Point was asked by Victoria’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to review service planning across the state and recommend packages of care and a population-based planning model that focused on five major streams of activity - withdrawal, counselling, care and recovery co-ordination, therapeutic day and residential rehabilitation.
The review highlights key elements of an effective AOD service system, in particular one that increases the availability and accessibility of specialist services, yet also takes into account the varying needs of a complex population in which not all clients will require the same levels of care. Recognising the importance of comprehensive and continuous care as opposed to isolated treatment episodes, a key objective of the report has been to examine the evidence base for ‘packages of care’ for substance dependent clients with differing levels of need.
One of the key recommendations is that delivery of care should be based on client severity (which can encompass frequency and intensity of AOD use as well as resulting mental and physical health problems, and other risk factors [e.g., injecting drug use]) and complexity (e.g., the presence of comorbid psychopathology, social instability factors such as homelessness or unemployment, poly-substance use, or other factors that are likely to complicate treatment outcomes).
In addition there is strong evidence that those with more severe drug and alcohol problems benefit more from inpatient than outpatient care, while clients with severe comorbid mental health problems benefit from intensive psychosocial therapy as well as residential programs such as supported housing.
Download the Service planning report 2017 (1.5MB PDF)