New Detox@Home program to provide support and recovery in the community

New Detox@Home program to provide support and recovery in the community

23 Aug 2023

Detox@Home provides alcohol detoxification services and recovery support to people in the privacy of their home or suitable residence – such as a residential rehabilitation space – as a substitute for in-hospital care.

Following a soft launch in the south earlier this year, a full in-reach service will now commence for eligible people requiring alcohol withdrawal support in the Hobart area.

Under this model, clients experience a supported detox involving a daily home visit to receive medication and specialist assessment, followed by a virtual appointment and optional peer support later in the day.

Alongside this model, a hybrid clinic/in-home detox model will be launched in Launceston.

The northern model will initially require clients and their nominated support person to attend the Tasmanian Government’s Alcohol and Drug Service daily for clinical care.

This model will be monitored and rolled out as a full in-reach service, mirroring that in the south, in the near future.

More than $1.3 million has been committed to support the trial until June 2024, at which point outcomes will be evaluated.

The program has been developed through comprehensive consultation with lived experience advocates and family and friend representatives.

Learn more about the Detox@Home program

Four of the Tasmanian Department of Health employees involved in the launch of the Detox@Home program.
From left to right: Jeffrey Ryan (Client Peer Worker, Detox@Home, Alcohol and Drug Service South), 
Zoe Bok (Senior Project Officer, Alcohol and Drug Reform Program), Lynda Gillingham (Registered Nurse, Alcohol and Drug Service North), Jonathan Wheeler (Client Peer Worker, Detox@Home, Alcohol and Drug Service South).