ESTABLISHMENT AND EVALUATION OF A STATEWIDE DRUG AND ALCOHOL SPECIALIST ADVISORY SERVICE

The New South Wales Drug and Alcohol Specialist Advisory Service aims to provide prompt, relevant and reliable advice on the clinical manage ment of drug- and alcohol-related problems to health professionals thr oughout New South Wales. We gauged the performance of the Service agai nst preset indicators by interviewing 120 callers who had contacted th e Service during its first two years. Accessibility and the quality of information provided were rated highly. Of the 120 respondents, 105 ( 90 per cent) rated the speed of response to their calls as very good o r excellent, and 109 (91 per cent) considered the advice given to be v ery relevant to their needs. Nearly all (97 per cent) indicated their intention to reuse the Service, and 78 (65 per cent) nominated it as t heir preferred source of clinical advice on drug and alcohol problems. The Service has established itself as an accessible and reliable sour ce of advice on the management of drug and alcohol problems, especiall y for rural health professionals. This model of a telephone-based cons ultancy could have application in other medical specialities.