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 management of drug- and alcohol-related problems to health professionals throughout New South Wales. We gauged the performance of the Service against preset indicators by interviewing 120 callers who had contacted the 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 or excellent, and 109 (91 per cent) considered the advice given to be very relevant to their needs. Nearly all (97 per cent) indicated their intention to reuse the Service, and 78 (65 per cent) nominated it as their preferred source of clinical advice on drug and alcohol problems. The Service has established itself as an accessible and reliable source of advice on the management of drug and alcohol problems, especially for rural health professionals. This model of a telephone-based consultancy could have application in other medical specialities.