Across Australia, delays and gaps occur in detecting and responding to health problems related to emerging drugs.
To address this, the National Centre for Clinical Research on Emerging Drugs (NCCRED) engaged existing jurisdictional networks, clinicians, toxicologists, policymakers and peer organisations to develop the Prompt Response Network (PRN).
NCCRED’s codesign process informed the development of new information-sharing practices. Codesign mapping helped manage the significant complexity involved, bringing together diverse stakeholders across jurisdictions. Victorian stakeholders (Department of Health, Harm Reduction Victoria) provided project advice and support.
The results are: a national signal register, an online community network platform, and a public website to consolidate all drug alerts and signals under one national network; with all components acting to extend learning, research and sharing on emerging drugs.
Presenters
Penny Hill, Emerging Drugs Research Fellow and Prompt Response Network Lead, National Centre for Clinical Research on Emerging Drugs
Penny is the Prompt Response Network Lead and Emerging Drugs Research Fellow at NCCRED. She recently completed her PhD with the Burnet Institute. She is a board member of Harm Reduction Victoria, Harm Reduction Australia, the Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs, and is the co-founder of SSDP Australia.
Tom Lyons, Principal Policy Officer, Alcohol and Drug Strategy, Victorian Department of Health
Tom is the Department of Health’s portfolio lead for monitoring emerging drugs and drug harms in Victoria. He has 14 years’ experience in public service, including two years with Penington Institute. Tom’s role is to work pragmatically to advance safer and more informed approaches to substance use. He collaborates with lots of amazing people from whom he never stops learning.
Alexand Anketell, Dancewize Project Officer, Harm Reduction Victoria
Alexand has been a part of the DanceWize program since 2014 is a current project officer with the program. DanceWize is a specialised harm reduction service that attends music festivals and other large-scale events to provide peer education and onsite care for intoxicated people who do not require a medical intervention.