Women’s Alcohol & Drug Service (WADS)

WADS has a multidisciplinary approach to maximise the health and wellbeing of pregnant women and their infants. We provide:

• pregnancy and medical care
• drug and alcohol care, counselling and support to pregnant women with complex substance use and dependence
• assessment, and care of infants exposed to drugs and alcohol during pregnancy (through the First Thousand Days Clinic)
• statewide secondary consultation service for health practitioners. This includes a 24 hour on-call addiction/obstetric service.
• training for practitioners in primary health, the community sector and hospitals on the management and care of women using drugs and alcohol during the perinatal period, and their infants. View: WADS training & education.

Services available

• Addiction medicine
• Drug and alcohol counselling and assessment
• Pregnancy care
• Methadone and other drug stabilisation program
• Mental health care
• Nutritional care
• Pharmaceutical advice and assessment
• Infant Home Based Withdrawal Program
• Paediatric assessment and care for the first thousand days of an infant’s life
• Assessing and caring for babies with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
• Neonatal physiotherapy and developmental review
• Circle of Security Parenting Groups
• Newborn Behavioural Observation (NBO)
• Education, training and secondary consultation services to clinicians across Victoria

First Thousand Days Clinic

The First Thousand Days (FTD) Clinic is a program focusing on the critical period from conception to a child's second birthday. It emphasises the impact that nutrition, healthcare, housing stability, bonding and attachment, community linkage, and poverty have on the development of an infant.

All babies with WADS involvement have access to the FTD program.

The WADS team provide key interventions in the prenatal period. The FTD clinical midwife and social worker ensure that both mother and baby are linked to health care, family services, housing support and other related support systems. The team offers group intervention such as the Circle of Security parenting program. A neonatal paediatric doctor and physiotherapist assess and support babies in their developmental milestones. This team refers to other early intervention services if needed.

Inclusion criteria

• Pregnant women with complex substance use

Statewide referrals accepted (potential patients are screened for their suitability for WADS, the Women’s Maternity Team Care, or referred for care in a maternity hospital closer to home with advice from WADS team).

Urgent referrals

Please mark your maternity/WADS referral Urgent if a woman is using alcohol or other drugs in their pregnancy.

For assessment or care due to concerning or deteriorating condition, please consider the most appropriate of:

• triage reassessment - P: (03) 8345 3931
• after-hours urgent on-call addiction/obstetrics advice via the Women’s switchboard on P: (03) 8345 2000
• Early Pregnancy Assessment Service
• Women’s Emergency Care.

Referral instructions

GPs, midwives and obstetricians can refer directly to WADS.

There is a duty worker on each day from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday who receives referrals and screens potential patients. Screening determines whether a woman is accepted into the WADS clinic, or whether she is suitable for general pregnancy care models. The screening also determines whether the woman’s care can be provided in a maternity hospital closer to her home, with the WADS team providing support to the treating team.

Please call our duty worker on (03) 8345 3931 prior to sending WADS referral.

Essential information

All referrals must include essential demographic, medical, obstetric, social history details and other information as outlined on Maternity referrals.

In addition, for a referral to WADS, please include the following information:

• outline of the patient’s current and historic alcohol and drug use
• amount and route of administration of the drugs being used
• any other psychosocial complexities related to the drug use.

Send referral

Please fax referrals to (03) 8345 2996 (WADS) or Fast Fax: (03) 8345 3036 (Access Centre).

For referral templates and general information, go to Maternity referrals.

Triage after referral

• After referrals are received, we acknowledge, screen and triage according to clinical criteria.
• Patients will be called to arrange a booking appointment or receive a letter by post of their appointment details.
• GPs will be notified by letter/fax, if their referral has been accepted or declined (with reason and/or information needed).
• If you have not received an acknowledgement within 7 days, please contact the GP Quick Access line by phone: (03) 8345 2058 (Option 2).

More information: How referrals are processed

Appointments

Clinics are held on Thursday afternoons. The team often conduct booking assessments on other days.

Patients are usually seen by WADS within 2 weeks of a referral being accepted. If patients are referred at a later gestation (after 25 weeks) they may be seen within the week.

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