Skip to content
NSW Coat of Arms New South Wales Government New South Wales Department of Health South East Sydney Illawarra Health Service
South East Sydney Illawarra Health Service South East Sydney Illawarra Health Service  
 
ask government
contact us |
Print this page Reduce font size Increase font size

Needle Stick Injury Hotline

NSW Needlestick Injury Hotline - 1800 804 823  (free-call, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week)

 

Hotline statistics

The NSW 24-hour Needlestick Injury Hotline is an information, support and referral service for health care workers, paramedical workers and the emergency services throughout NSW who sustain a needlestick injury and/or occupational exposure to blood and body fluids. It provides a co-ordinated approach to the provision of information, support and referral for health care and emergency services workers who sustain needlestick injuries and other exposures during the course of their work.

The Hotline is not a reporting or surveillance service. The Hotline does not take calls from the general public. Members of the public who sustain a needlestick injury are advised to seek treatment from their GP, a medical centre or the Emergency Room of their local hospital.

The NSW Needlestick Injury Hotline is funded by NSW Health and co-ordinated by the Albion Street Centre. Calls to the Hotline are answered by a team of clinical consultants and medical officers who provide expert advice for the person at risk and/or their supervisor or treating medical officer. Each call will be returned within 15 minutes by a doctor or nurse who will assess the situation and provide appropriate information, advice and counselling. The team is able to provide:

  • risk assessment
  • management strategies
  • documentation
  • prophylaxis information
  • counselling support
  • referral (a database of regional services is available for referral purposes)

The Hotline does not aim to replace local management of occupational exposures. It supplements them and provides an adjunct to existing local systems dealing with needlestick injuries and exposure to blood and/or body substances. The Hotline can provide local services with a resource of the highest level of expertise.

Hotline statistics

  • The most commonly reported occupational groups are female, nurses, and dental staff.
  • The majority of calls come from Area Health Services of high HIV and hepatitis C prevalence, namely the Sydney metropolitan areas. However calls are received from all areas in NSW and occasionally from other states
  • Most calls are reported to a local system and the reason for calling the Hotline is usually for further advice and reassurance, as the local referral person may not feel adequately up-to-date with the latest management strategies for needlestick injuries
  • Calls are received from both the public and private health sectors
  • Routine patient care and cleaning are the most common situations where needlestick injuries are reported to the service. Invasive procedures such as injections, suturing and venepuncture are the most commonly reported as associated with injury. The HIV and hepatitis status is not known for the vast majority of contact patients. Where known, exposure to hepatitis C is the most frequent disease known.

Posters and Pamphlets

A4 size posters and pamphlets promoting the service for health care workers are available and can be obtained, free-of-charge, by telephoning the Albion Street Centre on (02) 9332 9712.

Albion Street Centre
150 - 154 Albion Street Surry Hills NSW 2010 Australia
Telephone: +61 2 9332 9600 Fax: +61 2 9331 3490

Print this page Reduce font size Increase font size