Team Care Coordination support people with diabetes and other chronic and complex health conditions

July marked National Diabetes Week, which aims to improve ongoing clinical outcomes and drive meaningful conversation around the impact of diabetes in Australia.

According to Diabetes Australia 120,000 people are diagnosed with diabetes each year, contributing to the total of 1.5 million people living with diabetes across Australia. There are an additional 400,000 people at high risk of developing the disease. Diabetes Australia continues to provide education, advocacy, and resources to improve health outcomes for people with, or at risk of developing diabetes. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reports that Indigenous Australians are almost 3 times more likely to have diabetes as their non-Indigenous counterparts (12.6 per cent compared with 4.3 per cent).

There are a range of health complications from the impact of the ongoing high blood glucose levels (BGL) caused by diabetes which can damage various body parts and systems, including the heart, kidneys, feet, and eyes. Reducing the risk and impact of these complications as well as the prevalence of diabetes is imperative to the wellbeing of our health care system and its consumers on an individual level.

As part of their campaign this month, Diabetes Australia is working to contribute to the Australian Government’s newly announced Inquiry into Diabetes. The goal is to guide the conversation towards the prioritisation of strategic improvement of the nationwide, systemic, and individual impact of Diabetes, now and into the future.

People living with diabetes have a range of experiences in their health literacy journey as they learn to live with chronic disease and manage its impacts on their lifestyle, and their mental and physical health. There are several resources available to support this learning, through a range of sources including Diabetes Australia and the National Diabetes Services Scheme (NDSS).

Team Care Coordination is also a valuable resource for providing people in the community with education and support to optimise their diabetes management and improve their overall health and wellbeing. The Team Care Coordination program provides support, service navigation and care coordination, and evidence-based clinical education around chronic and complex health conditions, including diabetes, with an aim to prevent hospitalisation.

Our Clinical Nurses and Allied Health team provide a multidisciplinary service that considers the overall needs of our clients to help them, and their clinical and care providers connect to each other. This approach helps to thread clinical information through the complex tapestry of the health care system, and allows our clients to receive integrated, individualised, clinical education in their own home, either in person or over the phone/video call.

This evidence-based program recognises the importance of its participant’s engagement in the management of their chronic and complex health conditions to reduce the number of preventable hospitalisations across the region.

If you or someone you love would benefit from understanding more about a diagnosis of diabetes and or other complex or chronic illnesses, and need help to optimise clinical care and support at home, please call our Service Navigation line on 1800 250 502 or visit our website for more information.

Your Care Navigator is also a helpful resource for those who need support connecting with healthcare providers and information.

Sam Wharemate, one of our TCC Clinical Nurses.