A new eight-session program for women in Bankstown who are under 40 and have weight issues, will begin at Bankstown Diabetes Centre on Thursday, 16 May, from 9.30am to 11.30am.
In the Metabolic Transformation Through Action (META) group, young women will have expert help from a clinical psychologist and dietitian in navigating the barriers to change.
They will learn about weight stigma, sustainable lifestyle change, goal setting, relapse prevention.
Find out more:
SWSPHN is seeking expressions of interest (EOIs) from GPs who are willing to provide diabetes management care to patients being discharged from hospital psychiatric units.
GPs will participate in a diabetes case conference alongside an endocrinologist and community mental health teams.
GPs will be able to claim $221.90 through Medicare for participating in a 40-minute case conference consultation.
Patients will continue to be supported with psychiatric care by the community mental health service.
GPs will continue to provide ongoing care for these patients.
EOIs close on Friday, 15 March.
SWSPHN and South Western Sydney Local Health District are working together to enhance diabetes care in the region. Diabetes Case Conference Clinic Days are now available for GPs in South Western Sydney.
What are the benefits of case conferencing?
An endocrinologist and diabetes educator will attend your practice for the day, where 10 eligible patients will each receive a 40-minute case conference. A follow up half-day will occur six months later, where each patient will have a 20-minute case conference. Education will be provided and you will be supported to run quality improvement initiatives for diabetes.
What are the benefits to my practice?
For more information, or to discuss booking a Case Conference clinic day, please contact SWSPHN Priority Populations Program Advisor Alyssa Horgan at Alyssa.Horgan@swsphn.com.au
Read more: Type 2 Diabetes Case Conferencing Clinics
The Go4Fun healthy lifestyle program for families and children aged seven to 13 is returning with sessions across South Western Sydney in Term 1, from Monday, 29 January 2024.
Locations include:
You can register by phoning 1800 780 900 or visiting go4fun.com.au.
What is Go4Fun?
Go4Fun is a free program for children aged seven to 13 who are above a healthy weight, and their families. Trained health and community professionals like dietitians and exercise physiologists run the program which is a fun way to build self-esteem and learn about eating well, staying active and living a healthy life.
Go4Fun takes place during school terms, usually after school. Sessions run once a week for two hours, during a 10-week period. A parent or carer must come to every session.
Find out more about what's involvedAboriginal Go4Fun
Aboriginal Go4Fun was developed in partnership with Aboriginal communities and is delivered by local Aboriginal organisations together with NSW Health. The program encourages the whole community to join in.
Aboriginal Go4Fun includes:
Go4Fun online
Go4Fun Online is perfect for families that can’t make it to our face-to-face program, but still want to make health changes to their lifestyle.
Go4Fun Online runs over 10 weeks and includes:
Bankstown Diabetes Centre is running an eight-week group for women under 40 who have struggled with weight, from 16 February.
The Metabolic Transformation Through Action (META) Group is for women who may have a history of yoyo dieting, and may have conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome, insulin resistance or an endocrine disorder.
The group aims to provide the skills for sustainable lifestyle change.
It will be run by a clinical psychologist and dietitian with expertise in metabolic health.
Participants will benefit from interacting with peers with similar experiences.
Find out more:
If you’re a GP who would benefit from specialist advice on managing patients with type 2 diabetes, a free telehealth case conferencing service is available in South Western Sydney.
GPs can access advice from an endocrinologist and diabetes educator through the service.
These consultations are usually undertaken in the absence of the patient, however, the patient can be present if the GP prefers.
To access the service, GPs should complete a referral form and provide results of pathology which has been undertaken within the last 10 weeks.
The pathology required includes:
The referral form can be located here.
Send referrals to SWSLHD-CampbelltownIDC@health.nsw.gov.au
The wait time for an appointment for a specialist consultation is a few weeks.
Consultations generally take between 20 and 30 minutes, depending on the complexity of the case.
Case conference consultations can be billed to Medicare, according to the item numbers below:
| Item | MBS fee | Consult time |
|---|---|---|
| 735 | $77.85 | 15-19 min |
| 739 | $133.10 | 20-39 min |
| 743 | $221.90 | 40+ mins |
The service is not available for patients who are:
Please contact SWSPHN Diabetes Advisor Alyssa Horgan via email at Alyssa.Horgan@swsphn.com.au with any questions.
When was the last time you thought about changing your diet and lifestyle to improve your type 2 diabetes, and overall health? Knowing how to eat well, exercise and manage your medication is important.
Diabetes is a silent disease. You may not be aware of the damage and risks that uncontrolled diabetes may have on your health until it is too late.
Common diabetes health complications include:
The good news is positive food and activity choices can have a lot of health benefits including:
This healthy lifestyle program will help people with type 2 diabetes, and their families, know how to manage their diabetes to stay healthy and well.
The program is delivered in an informal interactive small group setting with up to eight people. This will allow you plenty of opportunities to ask questions, and to meet others with type 2 diabetes and learn from their experiences too.
If you are recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, attending this program will help you set up healthy lifestyle routines.
If you have been living with type 2 diabetes for some time, this program is also for you. It can serve as a ‘refresher course’ by helping you get back on track and increase your motivation
to change unhealthy habits which may have crept into your life.
You will receive advice to effectively manage your diabetes.
Topics discussed include:
FREE type 2 diabetes management sessions are for people living with type 2 diabetes who reside in South Western Sydney.
There will be a maximum of eight people per session.
Education will be held at
Rosemeadow Community Health Centre
5 Thomas Rose Drive, Rosemeadow.
Complete this expression of interest to receive an invitation to attend a type 2 diabetes coaching session on a date which is suitable to you. Session dates are set once enough attendees have confirmed their interest to attend. You will receive a phone call from Campbelltown Hospital, which will appear as PRIVATE CALLER (No Caller ID).
"*" indicates required fields
The program is funded by South Western Sydney PHN and delivered by South Western Sydney Local Health District.
South Western Sydney PHN would like to thank Pharmacy Focus Rosemeadow for their interest and assistance with caring for community members living with type 2 diabetes.
Know your risk, Know your response is the slogan for this year’s World Diabetes Day (WDD) on 14 November.
Diabetes is a health condition of particular concern to residents in South Western Sydney, which has some of the highest diabetes rates in Australia.
WDD raises awareness of the importance of knowing your risk of type 2 diabetes to help delay or prevent the condition, and the impacts of diabetes-related complications.
It also highlights the importance of having access to the right information and care to ensure timely treatment and management.
One in 10 adults worldwide have diabetes.
More than 90 per cent have type 2 diabetes, which is preventable by maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
The SWSPHN South Western Sydney Diabetes Framework to 2026 report highlighted some alarming diabetes statistics in our region.
A person living in South Western Sydney is more likely to die from diabetes than a person living in many other parts of NSW.
In 2016, 368 South Western Sydney residents died with diabetes identified as the underlying or associated cause, a rate of 37 per 100,000 people (compared to 30.3 per 100,000 for NSW). Within South Western Sydney, people in Campbelltown, Fairfield and Liverpool have the highest rates of death from these causes.
SWSPHN has identified diabetes as a key local priority, and we are working collaboratively with all health care providers to improve the way services are provided to people with diabetes.
One of the community’s growing services is the GP-led Type 2 Diabetes Case Conferencing Day Clinics, where consultations are held with eight patients. These consultations are held in person in the presence of the GP, an endocrinologist and a diabetes educator.
The day clinic is convenient and allows for improved patient care. Patients can avoid the cost, travel, parking and long wait times to get in to see a specialist, while accessing continuity of care. GPs can learn from diabetes specialists, to upskill and broaden their experience in diabetes management.
Learn more about diabetes and diabetes management in South Western Sydney and World Diabetes Day.
Western Diabetes Education Program (WDEP) is a free online clinically focused education program designed for all healthcare workers, including practice nurses, to promote competencies in diabetes clinical care and support of people living with diabetes.
For free registration, please email your full name, email address, position title and workplace to: SWSLHD-CampbelltownWDEP@health.nsw.gov.au
Download flyerThere’s a well-quoted saying that “Great satisfaction comes from sharing with others”, and consultant clinical pharmacist George Damuk (pictured), from Pharmacy Focus Rosemeadow, is a firm believer.
SWSPHN Diabetes Coordinator Alyssa Horgan accompanied Mr Damuk on a recent visit to Mount Gilead Estate retirement village where he gave a presentation to residents about diabetes.
He provided an overview of what diabetes was, what symptoms you could suffer from and how it affected the body. He also talked about the care needed to manage the condition to ensure long-term health outcomes.
Pharmacy Focus is the main pharmacy which services this retirement village. As an extension of his dispensing service, Mr Damuk delivers an education session to residents every two months on a topical health issue.
A member of South Western Sydney Primary and Community Diabetes Care Sub-Committee, Mr Damuk has an interest in diabetes and particularly in care around the condition.
He estimates about 50 to 60 per cent of Mount Gilead Estate residents who visit his pharmacy have diabetes, so it was a logical next step to talk to them about the condition.
A South Western Sydney Local Health District (SWSLHD) diabetes educator and the manager of Campbelltown Hospital’s Diabetes Obesity and Metabolism Translation Unit (DOMTRU) also accompanied Mr Damuk to Mount Gilead Estate.
The team provided an overview of the joint programs and services SWSPHN and SWSLHD provide, such as small group education sessions for type 2 diabetes patients.
They also highlighted the case conferencing service for type 2 diabetes patients, where an endocrinologist and diabetes educator attend a general practice for the day to run a diabetes clinic for patients.
Mount Gilead Estate residents who attended the talk were engaged with the information.
Mr Damuk is keen to look at opportunities to deliver education sessions to other retirement villages and aged care homes. He wants to promote the message that pharmacists are integral to patient care and highlight the role pharmacists can play in patient education.
Mount Gilead Estate residents will learn more about home care in a November talk delivered by a home care provider. Mr Damuk will return in January to lead a discussion about a health condition nominated by residents.
For more information, or to discuss booking a diabetes case conference clinic day, contact SWSPHN Priority Populations Program Coordinator Alyssa Horgan at Alyssa.Horgan@swsphn.com.au.
