The ACT Greens would seek to establish a unit within the Canberra Hospital's emergency department to manage complex drug and alcohol-related presentations under an election commitment designed to reduce emergency wait times.
The party said it would spend $100,000 on a scoping study for a psychiatric alcohol and non-prescription drugs assessment unit.
The party also committed $800,000 over the next term to a alcohol and drug mental health consultation liaison service at the Canberra Hospital's emergency department.
The party's health plan also included a separate triage stream for seniors within the emergency departments of the Canberra and Calvary hospitals and a $600,000 commitment for two hospital-based "Safe Haven Cafes", therapeutic environments for mental health patients.
The plan commits $2 million over two years to planning and feasibility studies for a northside hospital, to be built by 2030.
ACT Greens leader and health spokesman Shane Rattenbury said Canberra's emergency departments and their staff were under pressure and Canberrans should be seen in recommended timeframes.
"Our new dedicated services will deal directly with some of the more frequent - but often complex - cases that may present to emergency departments," Mr Rattenbury said.
"For example, average treatment times in emergency departments for co-occurring alcohol and drug and mental health patients can be quite long as mental health assessment cannot be done until the effects of drugs and/or alcohol wear off.
"This is the right time to deliver change in our healthcare system. Healthcare practices are changing, new technologies, systems and expertise are now available, and we have more international evidence that we can adopt to address the increased pressures from population growth and an ageing population."
Wait times in Canberra's emergency departments have been consistently long. Less than half of people who presented to the departments received treatment within the recommended time between October and December 2019.
Only 19 per cent of urgent patients were seen on time at Canberra Hospital. A Productivity Commission report in January ranked Canberra's public emergency departments among some the nation's worst.
The party's health plan also includes a $1.5 million fund to provide dental care to low-income families and piloting a safe drug consumption site, modelled on facilities in Sydney and Melbourne.
The party committed to improving the walk-in centre model and building two more centres. The centres could be built in the inner south or around West Belconnen, pending the outcome of further needs analysis, the party said.
The Greens also want to see sexual health services provided at walk-in centres, along with an expanded role for nurse practitioners. Labor in September committed to having a nurse practitioner on duty at each of the clinics.
"The Greens will work with Sexual Health and Family Planning ACT to explore building this capability in Canberra's walk-in centres and deliver greater sexual health services to the community," the party's policy document said.
The Greens have also signalled their support for a hydrotherapy pool on Canberra's southside, committing $3 million to the project.
Last month, the Canberra Liberals committed $5 million to a hydrotherapy pool in Deakin, while Labor also promised south side hydrotherapy pool in its commitments for Tuggeranong.
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