Provide the right diabetes care at the right time for all Victorians

Here, we take a closer look at priority number three:

3. Provide the right diabetes care at the right time for all Victorians

• • 3.1 Address long waiting times for specialist care by implementing new diabetes care models
  • 3.2 Lift the standard of diabetes care in the health system, guided by a Diabetes Learning Health Network

Access to care, regardless of postcode

For Victorians living in rural and regional areas, it can be difficult to access optimal services. This includes appointments with endocrinologists, nurses with advanced training in diabetes and credentialled diabetes educators.

“The number of people living with all types of diabetes is growing, and cost of living pressures are causing extra demand on the public health system,” says Jo Walsh, Digital Communications Lead at Diabetes Victoria.

“We hear from the diabetes community that wait times for appointments are getting longer, diabetes education is stretched and after-hours care has been rolled back.”

Diabetes Victoria supports the Specialist care reform blueprint , however diabetes needs to be specifically planned for. We have seen the perfect example of this with the diabetes stream of the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department.

We are calling on the next Victorian Government to invest $14.4 million over four years to expand access to diabetes care using the cost-effective Beacon model.

Improving the standard of diabetes care in the health system

Approximately 35% of people admitted to Victorian hospitals are living with diabetes. People with all types of diabetes are at higher risk of developing infections and adverse outcomes.

“Most other jurisdictions in Australia have a diabetes clinical network in place. This allows health professionals and people living with diabetes to address unacceptable variation in care across the health system,” Mrs Walsh explains.

“This is a low cost, practical solution that drives consistent, evidence-based improvements.

“New therapies and new understandings of the behavioural and psychological impacts of living with diabetes are emerging. Every day without a structured way to train and upskill health professionals is another day where people are missing out on appropriate care.”

Diabetes Victoria is calling on the next State Government to invest $1.8 million over four years to create better standards of diabetes care across the health system, guided by a Diabetes Learning Health Network.

You can read more about the Diabetes Victoria state election priorities in the Diabetes Doesn't Rest policy document.