First-Ever Substance Harm Action Plan Unveiled

Lillian
Hanly, Political reporter

The
“first-ever” government Action Plan to Prevent and Reduce
Substance Harm was launched on Wednesday morning, bringing
together current initiatives and introducing new actions
that will be resourced with an additional
$3m.

Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey said the
combined initiatives represent the almost $20 million of new
investment per year into addiction services so people can
receive support, “no matter what stage of addiction they are
in”.

The NZ Drug Foundation welcomed the plan, saying
it has many interventions the sector has long called
for.

The plan sets out key actions for the health
system to strengthen the health response to the increasing
substance-related harm being experienced by New
Zealanders.

• Prevention and early intervention:
  Strengthening health promotion, harm reduction, drug
  checking, early warning systems and early support across
  frontline services
• Access to services: Improving
  access to timely, flexible and community-based support so
  people and families have a range of options where they can
  get help
• Growing the workforce: Building a skilled,
  supported and culturally safe addiction workforce, including
  peer support and lived experience roles
• System
  effectiveness: Strengthening leadership, contemporary models
  of care, and better data and performance
  monitoring.

Drug Foundation executive director
Sarah Helm said the plan had a strong focus on early
intervention and peer-based support, and she was “delighted”
to see some of the cost-effective and commonsense solutions
her organisation had long called for.

She said many of
the actions came directly from the summit the Drug
Foundation convened with the sector last year, and it was a
credit to Doocey and the Ministry of Health that those ideas
were taken seriously.

Helm highlighted some of the new
actions, such as establishing a community-based peer
follow-up service for people who’ve been discharged after a
non-fatal overdose or other drug harm event. She also
pointed to improved access to overdose reversal medication
and overdose prevention training.

Helm said the
interventions will save lives and save the health system
money.

Doocey also celebrated more women and families
affected by addiction now being able to have improved access
to support, with increased investment announced today
focusing on preventing and reducing substance-related
harm.

“We are expanding pregnancy and parenting
support services for women and families experiencing alcohol
or other drug issues. These services work with pregnant
women and parents who are often poorly connected to health
and social services.

“This builds on work underway on
fetal alcohol spectrum disorder to prevent harm, improve
diagnosis and support, and strengthen services for families.
I want New Zealand to be a country that supports
alcohol-free pregnancies.”

He also signalled the
introduction of screening and brief intervention
practitioners in seven hospitals, to identify people using
meth, alcohol or other drugs early and connect them with
support.

“Early identification is also critical to
preventing addiction harm. We know we can’t wait until
someone is in active addiction or asks for
help.”

Doocey said progress was already being seen,
with the addiction workforce growing by more than 11 percent
since the government came into
office.

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