BCHS Quality of care 2024 digital - Flipbook - Page 23
CHRONIC DISEASE MANAGEMENT
BCHS Community Diabetes Clinic
diabetes. It is supported by Bendigo Health
Endocrinology and also assists local medical
practices to support patients living with
diabetes.
The clinic has seen significant
improvements in patients’ management of
their diabetes with noticeable reductions in
HbA1c levels – 1.1% over six months. This is
a significant clinical identifier attributing to
a reduction of diabetes complications.
Six-month snapshot:
This GP-led clinic is a joint initiative
between the BCHS Medical Practice
and the Chronic Disease Management
Program and provides short-term medical
advice and support to people with Type 2
•
34 referrals from 12 different sources
•
Referral reasons included poor
diabetes control, deterioration of
diabetes control and for ongoing
support.
Cara aims to close the gap
Our chronic disease clinical lead and
diabetes educator Cara Jamieson
has added another credential to
her resume, completing a Masters
of Nursing (Nurse Practitioner)
degree with the support of BCHS.
Cara’s decision to become a
nurse practitioner, which involved
completing a clinical internship with
senior medical staff in the BCHS
Medical Practice, came from her
recognition that there are still gaps
in care for people with diabetes
and other chronic diseases in the
Bendigo region. A nurse practitioner
is a registered nurse with the
experience, expertise and authority
to diagnose and treat people of
all ages with a variety of acute or
chronic health conditions; they
are some of the most senior and
independent clinical nurses in our
healthcare system.
planning and treatment, as well as
ordering diagnostic investigations
and prescribing medicines.
With her new role, Cara can now
address the gaps in care for
vulnerable people with diabetes
and chronic disease who may
otherwise struggle to engage
with health services by increasing
In her time at BCHS, Cara has
seen many changes to the way
diabetes is managed, as well as the
introduction of improved diabetes
technology. Her new role will allow
her to independently manage
episodes of care for our clients living
with diabetes, including advanced
assessment, diagnosis, care
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access to timely and appropriate
care. She aims to do this by not
only supporting other diabetes
educators and clinicians at BCHS,
but also through collaboration
with other health professionals
in the region.
Pictured from left: Debra Butcher,
Cara Jamieson and Jessie Gladman.
