Health Q Consulting, supported by NINI, was engaged by Country SA PHN to undertake stakeholder and community consultations related to alcohol and other drug (AOD) needs and treatment across country South Australia.
This was an important project for Country SA PHN as it had been some years since the last AOD consultation process, and this commissioned work will inform future service design and commissioning planning.
The consultation approach was presented in a Consultation and Engagement Framework which outlined the detailed consultation design, consultation domains, lines of enquiry and the processes and tools that were utilised to ensure a systematic, rigorous assessment of the consultations against the project objectives. Quantitative data collection was not required for this project. The consultation involved two primary data collection processes: consultations and two online surveys, as summarised below:
Consultations were conducted with:
Two online surveys were developed and administered as follows:
In addition, this community consultation included site visits to six locations across country South Australia to engage with AOD service users, AOD staff/employees, connected services and the broader community. These locations were:
In total, 355 people have been engaged through this consultation project, of which 20 were current AOD service users individually consulted, and a further 68 AOD clients participated through the lived experience survey.
Consultations and surveys with AOD service users, AOD staff, and the broader community consistently highlighted the multifaceted harms associated with substance misuse, along with critical gaps in current service provision and opportunities for improvement.
Eight strategic opportunities for improvement raised through these consultations that focused on a collaborative, adequately resourced, and person-centred approach.
We acknowledge and pay our respects to the Traditional Custodians of the Country on which we live, work and play and honour their connection to Country and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders, past, present and emerging.
