Dr Sophia Zoungas, clinical services manager Meredith Williamson, Kim Barker (administration) and Southern Health’s director of diabetes services Dr Helena Teede at Dandenong Hospital’s new facilities.SOUTHERN Health’s new Diabetes Clinical Services and Research Unit opened at Dandenong Hospital last week in response to a growing health problem.
Southern Health director of diabetes Helena Teede said inpatient services offered by the unit would include rapid assessment, specialist consultation and diabetes education.
Outpatients will be catered for with gestational diabetes and insulin stabilisation clinics.
“The range of clinical services offered by Southern Health will expand and we will be able to offer prompt review for insulin stabilisation, preadmission and transitional post discharge support,” Dr Teede said.
“We will be able to provide emergency department support and will also work closely with local GPs to avoid unnecessary admission.
“The unit is a multidisciplinary one, and will work in close partnership with GPs, the community and government to promote best practice to ensure optimum quality of life for people living with diabetes.”
Dr Teede said the prevalence of diabetes in the Southern Health catchment area was seven per cent in the adult population and this was expected to double by 2015.
“As the population ages, that figures increases about 25 per cent of people over 70 are affected by diabetes, not all of which have been diagnosed.”
Dr Teede said the new clinic would shorten the waiting list at Monash Medical Centre’s diabetes unit. “Previously, clients had a six month waiting list to attend the clinic at Monash Medical Centre — now they will be able to be seen in four weeks,” she said.
As part of the unit’s multidisciplinary support service, it will have a strong emphasis on providing services to women with gestational diabetes, where they develop high blood glucose in pregnancy.
“Our gestational diabetes clinic sees about 2500 women a year, but will hopefully be able to increase to more than 3000,” Dr Teede said.
The unit will also include a research centre, where a team of staff will examine the causes of diabetes and how to provide the best care for the community.
