FOR DEMONSTRATION PURPOSES ONLY — This is an architectural prototype, not a live NADAbase product
NADAbase Snapshot 2021-22
Your Data Tells a Story
Mindframe-aligned language
80 organisational members at 100+ locations across NSW
For the frontline workers who make this possible
Your Snapshot at a Glance
FY 2021-22 key indicators from 80 member organisations at 100+ locations across the NADAbase network
People Accessed Services
18,420
Unique clients across NSW
NGO AOD Services
80
Organisational members at 100+ locations
Treatment Completion
50.7%
Successful completion rate
COMS Assessments
4,704
Completed by 25.5% of all clients
Data note: Demographic, substance, treatment, and referral data sourced directly from the NADAbase Snapshot Report 2021-2022. COMS outcome trend values are approximate readings from published charts in the same report. Not sourced from live NADAbase.
Primary Substance of Concern
The main substance each person reported as their primary reason for seeking treatment. Alcohol and methamphetamine together account for nearly two-thirds of all presentations — consistent with the national AODTS NMDS pattern where alcohol (42%) and amphetamines (26%) are the most common principal drugs of concern (AIHW, 2024).
Treatment Setting
Where people received treatment. Community and outpatient services account for the majority of treatment episodes, consistent with the national trend where non-residential settings deliver approximately 70% of treatment (AIHW AODTS NMDS). This reflects the sector's capacity for accessible, community-based care that meets people where they are.
Why this matters: The Prompt Response Network (PRN) publishes drug alerts via The Know,
bringing together government and community agencies across jurisdictions.
Integrating this feed directly within NADAbase would help frontline workers connect treatment
presentations to emerging drug trends — using the same cross-network model I co-developed at NCCRED.
Who You're Supporting
The people behind the numbers — 18,420 individuals accessed services in 2021-22
Sex
Sex breakdown of the 18,420 people who accessed services. Males represent the majority (61.4%) — consistent with the sector-wide pattern. The report notes that females consistently showed higher average levels of psychological distress (K10) and substance dependence (SDS) at baseline and subsequent timepoints, highlighting the importance of gender-responsive service design.
Age Distribution
Age groups of people accessing services. The 18–29 and 30–39 brackets account for 57.4% of presentations, with an average age of 34.3 years (SD 12.90). The under-18 cohort (9.2%) and 60+ cohort (3.6%) represent distinct service populations. Almost a third of people (30.7%) were aged 18-29, the largest single age group.
22.9%*
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander
Nearly 1 in 4 people accessing services identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander* (21.6% Aboriginal, 0.3% Torres Strait Islander, 1.0% both; 4.4% not stated) — indicating strong community engagement with NGO services
47.2%
Accessing Temporary Benefits
Nearly half (8,686 people) were receiving temporary benefits including unemployment payments as their primary source of income
50.7%
Rented Accommodation
Over half (9,332 people) were in rented housing (public or private) — housing stability is a recognised determinant of treatment retention and outcome
34.3
Average Age (years)
Median age across all 18,420 people who accessed services in 2021-22
Primary Substance — Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander vs Non-Aboriginal
Methamphetamine (including amphetamine) was the most cited substance of concern for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (36.1%), with alcohol most cited for non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (38.6%). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people also reported alcohol at 25.9% — a markedly different pattern from non-Aboriginal people where methamphetamine was 26.8%. Understanding these distinct patterns is essential for culturally safe, community-led service planning.
Referral Source
How people arrived at services. Self-referral is the most common pathway (40.5%), reflecting strong community awareness and voluntary help-seeking. Criminal justice referrals (18.1% combined: other criminal justice 14.1%, court diversion 3.8%, police diversion 0.2%) represent a significant pathway. Health and AOD services accounted for 25.4% of referrals, while family and friends referred 5.3%.
Context: 47.2% of people accessing services were on temporary benefits,
and 50.7% were in rented accommodation. These indicators highlight the intersecting challenges
many people face — and why person-centred, culturally safe care pathways matter.
Data presentation in this snapshot follows
Mindframe guidelines and the National Communications Charter
for respectful, non-stigmatising language about alcohol and other drug use.
Mindframe framing: This snapshot draws on and synthesises knowledge from across the AOD sector and NSW-specific resources,
including the NSW Health AOD Information System, NADA Member Survey data,
and the National Drug Strategy 2017–2026. Applying Mindframe principles ensures this data
is presented in a way that supports understanding, reduces stigma, and centres the experiences of people
accessing services — informing both frontline practice and policy advocacy.
Polydrug use: 38.9% — Nearly 2 in 5 people reported using more than one substance,
a figure likely underestimated given the complexity of self-reporting multiple substances during intake.
Nicotine was the most common additional substance (37.5%), pointing to underexplored
co-occurring tobacco and vaping use across the treatment population.
Accurate polydrug capture is critical for clinical and evaluative purposes.
Improving polydrug data capture: The secondary and additional substance fields
in the NSW MDS are essential but frequently underutilised. A structured multi-name substance
classification — like the lookup function demonstrated in the "Building Better" tab — could
standardise how substances are recorded across services. This approach draws on the multi-name
and polydrug capture fields developed for the National Signal Register, where consistent coding
enabled cross-jurisdictional comparison. Normalising the question at intake ("Some people use
more than one substance — is there anything else you'd like us to know about?") and supporting
it with multi-select data entry could significantly improve completeness.
What Your Data Shows
Measurable improvement in people's lives — demonstrated by the COMS assessments you complete
NADA COMS Outcomes Over Time
Psychological distress (K10) and substance dependence (SDS) decrease while quality of life (EUROHIS-QOL) improves
across assessment timepoints. This directional pattern is consistent with published NADAbase research
(Kelly et al., 2020) and NADA's own submission to the Federal Inquiry, which reported 75% of people
improving on K10 measures. The most significant improvement typically occurs in the first 30 days,
particularly for residential treatment clients.
K10 (Kessler 10) — Psychological distress scale (10–50). Scores above 22 indicate high/very high distress. Lower is better.
SDS (Severity of Dependence) — Substance dependence scale (0–15). Higher scores indicate greater perceived dependence. Lower is better.
EUROHIS-QOL — Quality of life scale (1–5). Derived from WHO-BREF. Captures subjective wellbeing across health, daily activities, and satisfaction domains. Higher is better.
Treatment Completion
Treatment exit outcomes. 50.7% completed treatment successfully. "Left against advice" (14.1%) and "left without notice" (9.6%) together represent nearly a quarter of episodes. A further 6.7% left involuntarily. These categories are key indicators for service improvement.
Treatment Type
Types of treatment provided. Counselling is the most common modality (33.0%), followed by rehabilitation (21.2%), support and case management (16.5%), and assessment only (14.7%). Withdrawal management (6.5%) and pharmacotherapy (0.2%) together represent the clinical treatment modalities requiring health service integration.
The Opportunity — COMS Completion Funnel
Currently 1 in 4 people have outcome data at baseline. Follow-up completion drops progressively,
with the sharpest drop between baseline and 30-day Progress 1 — the most clinically and
evaluatively important timepoint. Understanding whether this drop reflects workflow friction,
worker confidence in administering COMS, or client disengagement is the first step to closing the gap.
Each percentage point improvement in COMS completion strengthens the evidence base for treatment
effectiveness and the advocacy case for continued funding.
Women accessing services showed higher baseline psychological distress (K10),
higher substance dependence (SDS), and lower quality of life at all timepoints compared to men.
The NADAbase Snapshot Report 2021-2022 documents that females consistently had higher average
levels of distress (mean K10 scores) and higher average levels of dependence (mean SDS scores)
at baseline and subsequent timepoints. Females represent 38.1% of the treatment population
but carry disproportionate baseline severity — strengthening the case for gender-responsive
service design and tailored COMS benchmarking.
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people accessing services showed distinctly
different substance use patterns, alongside a different primary
substance profile — methamphetamine (including amphetamine) was the most cited substance of concern (36.1%), exceeding alcohol (25.9%). These patterns
highlight the importance of culturally safe, community-led service models developed in
genuine partnership with Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations, guided by
data sovereignty principles (Maiam nayri Wingara, 2018) and NADA's own AOD Treatment
Guidelines for Working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People.
Improving Future Snapshots
What NADA will provide to support you — and what you can do to strengthen the data
How NADA Will Support You
What You Can Do
1
Complete COMS at Every Opportunity
The 30-day Progress 1 is the most critical missing piece. Only 54.9% of people
with a baseline complete it. If you can prioritise one assessment, make it the 30-day follow-up.
Ask at the 30-day mark: "Can we do the COMS together today?"
2
Record Demographics Completely
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander status and gender data help us understand who
needs more support. Incomplete data means invisible populations — and weaker advocacy for funding.
Check Indigenous status and gender fields for every new client
3
Track Additional Substance Use
38.9% of people reported polydrug use — likely underreported given the complexity of
self-disclosure during intake. The secondary and additional substance fields add
critical context, especially for co-occurring nicotine/vaping use. A structured
multi-name lookup (mapping street names to standardised codes) combined with
multi-select polydrug capture — as developed for the National Signal Register — would
improve both data quality and clinical utility.
Normalise the question: "Some people use more than one substance — is there anything else you'd like us to know?"
4
Capture the Patterns You See
Females and Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people show higher distress at
baseline and subsequent timepoints. Your clinical observations add context that numbers alone cannot provide.
Use the notes field to describe patterns you observe
Your Voice: Help Shape NADAbase's Future
Added Value: National Data Integration
Substance Multi-Select Function
Structured substance classification with multi-select and multi-name lookup — enabling consistent, cross-system data linkage for every substance recorded in NADAbase. This approach addresses the coding challenge documented by AIHW where inconsistent substance classification across services undermines comparability. The multi-name field maps street names to standardised chemical identifiers, while polydrug capture supports recording multiple concurrent substances per episode — directly improving the quality of secondary and additional substance data that underpins polydrug analysis.
🔍Search: "Ice"
ChemicalMethamphetamine hydrochloride
Full NameCrystal methamphetamine
Ref CodeATS-METH-01
Street NamesIceCrystalMethSpeedGlassShard
ClassAmphetamine-type stimulant
CategoryStimulant
PRN data sharing model:The KnowCanTESTVPTSState Health→NADAbase
What I'd Bring to This Work
National-First Reporting
Led and co-authored national-first reports. Built governance frameworks
and iterations of sensitive databases with ICT, legal, and jurisdictional teams.
Cross-Network Data Sharing
RSS/feed model sharing harm reduction intelligence across community and health networks.
Built this infrastructure at NCCRED via the Prompt Response Network.
Whole-of-Governance Approach
Community and lived experience led. Clear structures and reporting supporting
wellbeing and harm reduction. Applied same approach at Everymind redeveloping the
National Communications Charter.
Mindframe & National Comms Charter
Helped redevelop the National Communications Charter at Everymind.
This presentation follows Mindframe guidelines for respectful, non-stigmatising
language about alcohol and other drug use — the same standard I'd apply to all NADAbase outputs.