Fear for 300 recovering addicts as Wollongong's methadone clinic to close

Since then, he has battled the "full-tilt disease" of addiction.

But for nearly 30 of those years, he has been a patient at Wollongong's Denison Clinic, with judgment-free methadone treatment allowing him to live a stable, ordinary life.

"It's given me stability, I've owned a business in Corrimal for 17 years," he said.

But now, after the federal government changed the rules on how opioid addicts get their medication last year, the clinic is weeks away from closure.

The doctors and clinicians who run the clinic say they are concerned this will lead to disruption and treatment delays for their more than 300 patients, who may be plunged back into illicit drug use and crime when the cut-off date of June 30 arrives.

Last year, the federal government made changes to the way participants access the government's Opioid Dependence Treatment Program.

This means patients can now buy treatment medicines - including methadone or buprenorphine - through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

This potentially makes it cheaper for patients, as the co-payments for opioid treatment medicines will cost $30, or as little as $7.70 for concession card holders, per prescription filled.

But with private treatment centres not financially viable under the changes, Denison Clinic owner Richard Carbury says the Wollongong service has been left with little choice but to shut.

He said six of the other 10 private clinics in NSW had already closed since the government announced the rule change last year.

Asked about plans for private clinics under the changes, the Department of Health and Aged Care said their continued operation was a state issue.

"State and territory governments operate individual opioid dependence treatment programs in their respective jurisdictions," a spokesperson said.

"The Australian Government extended funding to pharmaceutical companies directly for opioid dependence treatment medicines supplied to private opioid dependence treatment clinics and other non-PBS dosing sites at no cost for a transition period, with the transitional arrangements finishing on 30 June 2024.

"These transition arrangements ensure patients can still access opioid dependence treatment medicines from their current clinic or non-PBS dosing sites and allows time for state and territory governments to transition patients to PBS arrangements and community pharmacy sites."

The Denison Clinic closure has made Andrew worried, as he isn't confident that public clinics will have capacity, or that enough GPs and community pharmacists will want to take on a prescribing role for hundreds of recovering addicts.

"Who is going to want to take on the reputation, the myths and bullshit that goes with methadone?" the Corrimal man, who remembers having to travel to Manly for methadone when he first started, said.

"Having this place close to home means I can come here, before work, go to work.

"A lot of people will be dropped in the middle of the twilight zone, because the stability that goes with methadone means I can plan my life. I can say to someone that I'll be there for an appointment.

"In the old, old days I couldn't guarantee where I was going to be. I might be off god knows where, or in jail..."

Andrew's prescribing doctor Pooba Govender, who started Denison Clinic with Mr Carbury in July 1995, said he was concerned about a rise in crime that could come with more people using heroin.

"I had a woman in the program recently who spent $300 a day on drugs - how did she get her money," he said.

"You would expect the crime rate should go up."

He also said long-waiting lists for GPs, or a lack of appetite among pharmacists to deal with the potential social problems, would lead to delays in treatment which may then stop people from seeking help.

"Today we had an incident in the waiting room, between people who knew each other over old drug debts," he said.

"It was fine, and I stepped in, but if that happens at a chemist, in front of other patients, then that chemist will dump the lot of them."

He said having a readily available service, which could see patients as soon as they sought treatment, was vital and may not happen if people needed to wait long periods to get an appointment with a willing GP.

"These people are often addicts for the long-term, so when they are motivated to seek treatment you have to lock them in," he said.

He said the private clinic, which runs on a shoestring budget, prided itself for being flexible, tolerant and accepting for patients who need help.

"We have relationships with these people, we treat them with dignity," he said.

"We are like a family and when Richard and I created this place, we created an environment that is about relationships with the clients.

"Our safety is based on those relationships because they trust us, and that also means they confide in us which means we can treat them properly."

Both Dr Govender and Mr Carbury support the move to make the medication part of the PBS to make it cheaper for patients.

But over the past year, Mr Carbury has been lobbying various government ministers and bureaucrats to include private clinics in the rollout without any luck.

With the end of transitional funding now approaching, Mr Carbury says the future of his clinic "looks bleak".

Dr Govender says the state government must now step in, allowing a smooth transition for patients who will have to find other arrangements.

NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said the health department had been working with the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District to ensure patients receiving opioid treatment have continued access to care with minimal disruption.

"Opioid pharmacotherapies for the treatment of opioid dependence can be provided by public and private clinics as well as through primary care GP services and approved community pharmacies," Mr park said.

"Following the announcement by the Commonwealth Government of the changes to the PBS for the treatment of opioid dependence, the ISLHD Drug and Alcohol Service has held regular meetings with the private Denison Street Methadone Clinic to plan for any change to the private clinic's service model.

"ISLHD has not yet been informed of the Denison Street Methadone Clinic's planned closure, however the ISLHD Drug and Alcohol Service continues to assess its resources and modify its resources, as required.

"ISLHD will always provide opioid dependence treatment to anyone who requires this support."

He said the district's Drug and Alcohol Service had free public NSW Opioid Treatment Program (OTP) clinics in Wollongong and Nowra, which are open 7 days a week.

At these clinics, specialist medical, nursing and allied health professionals provide a mix of medical care (including prescribing), case management, counselling, dosing and monitoring services.