WentWest Stories, WSD: Matthew's story

Western Sydney has been labelled a diabetes ‘hotspot’, with over half of the population at risk of developing diabetes.
Western Sydney Diabetes (WSD) is an initiative co-led by four partner organisations; Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD), Western Sydney Primary Health Network (WSPHN), PwC, and Diabetes NSW & ACT. The Diabetes Case Conferencing (DCC) program is a WSD resource for GPs to help build primary care capacity to manage patients with type 2 diabetes.

COVID-19 has changed the world as we know it, yet the ability of programs to adapt to new virtual ways of working has meant that the Westmead Diabetes Case Conferencing (DCC) program is supporting more patients than ever before. The program was initially designed as a face-to-face program but switched to a telephone and video service early in the pandemic and now offers patients ongoing diabetes management from the comfort of their own home or GP practice. The DCC team conducts 30-minute consultations with GPs and their patients about medication options and formulate a care plan. This service is available in 39 suburbs within the Seven Hills, Blacktown and Toongabbie areas.

Matthew* is a 54-year-old man who has been living with type 2 diabetes for over ten years. Haemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) is a measure of how well controlled your blood sugar has been over three months and provides a good understanding of how high, low, or normal blood glucose levels are. The ideal HbA1c level for someone with diabetes is below 6.5%, yet before taking part in the Westmead DCC program, Matthew’s HbA1c levels were at 13%. He was also not checking his blood sugar levels (BSLs). He had poor adherence to his diabetes medications and felt very discouraged about managing his diabetes as he felt as if his efforts had not achieved the results he expected.

Since joining the program, Matthew has started checking his BSLs and has registered with the National Diabetes Services Scheme (NDSS). He is regularly taking his diabetes medications, and his diet has improved significantly. He also had a free continuous glucose monitoring trial, which shows that his estimated HbA1c is now at a healthy 6.3%.

WentWest’s relationship with General Practice spans almost two decades, and our Practice Development Team work with practices to build their capacity and capability. DCC is just one of the many support services offered to practices. Since 2014, over 300 GPs in Western Sydney have participated in the DCC program.