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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 13 Hansard (9 December) . . Page.. 4317 ..
(4)
In accordance with the new service delivery arrangements of the Alcohol and Drug Program the longest period of time a client should have to wait for a face to face assessment is 72 hours. However when the new arrangements were implemented not all staff were available and some clients waited for up to seven days for an appointment. Systems are still being refined to ensure that time frames outlined in the reform documentation can be achieved.During October 1999 40 clients did not attend pre-booked counselling sessions and 7 cancelled their appointments. This compares to October 1998 where 44 clients did not attend pre-booked counselling sessions and 28 cancelled their appointments. The number of clients not attending scheduled appointments was an average of 40 each month, and an average of 27 clients cancelled appointments each month last financial year. This compares to an average of 209 clients attending appointments each month.
A benefit of the new system is that all clients who do not attend for appointments will be routinely and consistently followed up across the Program. In the past the decision to follow up a client was left up to the worker and such processes were applied inconsistently.
(5)
A client would be categorised as a requiring a crisis response because of: severe withdrawal complications; or an intercurrent serious illness requiring immediate medical/clinical advice; or evidence of intention to suicide and/or threatening to seriously harm others; or drug or alcohol overdose.If a client makes phone contact with the intake worker and is prioritised as category 1 it is the intake officer's role to ensure that the client receives the necessary assistance and therefore to coordinate an appropriate response for the client. Most crisis responses will require an immediate medical response or a referral made to the mental health crisis team.
There is no capacity for the intake worker to respond in person to a client making a phone call. However, if a client presented at any of the ADP service areas in a crisis situation then any staff member on duty (not only the intake officers) would be expected to respond to client and coordinate the necessary response.
(6)
A three day orientation training program in the new service delivery arrangements was provided to staff prior to implementing the reforms in October 1999.
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