MidCentral DHB’s diabetes service operates from the Diabetes and Endocrinology Service at Palmerston North Hospital in the Northside building.
Hours: Weekdays 8am – 4:30pm
Closed weekends & public holidays
The focus of the Diabetes and Endocrinology Service is to provide specialist care with a multidisciplinary approach to people with diabetes who most require it to ensure the best management of your diabetes and promote self-management where possible. That is:
• People with type 1 diabetes
• Children, youth & adolescents (collaborative service with Child Health)
• Diabetes in pregnancy (collaborative service with Women’s Health)
• Inpatients
• Patients with complex foot disease
• Patients with end stage renal disease
All other patients should be managed primarily outside of our service (whether primary or secondary care), but our service acts in their care in a supporting role, as a resource and a source of advice for the patients’ principle carers such as the general practice team and other community based diabetes nurses and dietitians.
Services include
Specialist Clinical Care
Specialist clinical care is provided if you have type 1 diabetes or have complex or complicated diabetes. You may be seen at the Diabetes and Endocrinology Service, in hospital as an inpatient, in a clinic, or at home.
Episodic Diabetes Follow-up
If you have type 2 diabetes with significant complications and other co-existing illnesses, the diabetes specialist service will provide short to medium term follow up care. After you are stabilised your care will be returned to the primary health care provider.
Diabetes Complication Assessment and Treatment
This service allows for the early detection or prevention of any diabetes-related complications and allows for your more effective treatment and reduction in morbidity.
Diabetes in Pregnancy Care
If you are planning a pregnancy and have pre-existing diabetes, pre-pregnancy counselling and intensive stabilisation is essential and should be provided by this service. This intensive treatment will continue (working with the Obstetrician and Midwives in the Diabetes in Pregnancy Antenatal Clinic) both throughout and after your pregnancy.
Children, Youth and Adolescents with Diabetes
Specialised clinical care has been designed to meet the different psychosocial, educational and medical needs of children and youth with diabetes including pump therapy and intensive insulin therapy.
Appointments
Your appointment will depend on what has been requested by your GP, or other referrer. You may either receive a one-off appointment or you will continue to have regular appointments depending on your needs. Your care is shared with your general practice team who will continue to care for you in the long term, in the community. You will be referred back to the specialists when the need arises. Some people with complex medical needs and problems will be reviewed regularly.
Diabetes specialist nurses can often answer questions or help you adjust medication in this manner without the need for a clinic visit. Please leave a phone message if we are unable to answer your call and we will call you back as soon as possible.
If your blood glucose levels are not meeting your targets your nurse may suggest that you send in records of your home blood glucose testing on a regular basis to help with adjustments in your medication. They will instruct you as to when to test your blood glucose levels at home and what blood glucose targets you should be aiming for - this will differ from patient to patient.
Please have with you, when you call or attend the Diabetes and Endocrinology Service:
• Your recent blood glucose results
• Your medication or an up-to-date list of what you are taking.
It is not our role to provide prescriptions for your medications in between appointments. You should continue to get prescriptions from your GP, however if changes to your diabetes medications are made during your appointment we will arrange these.
The service participates in international clinical trials of medication that are often not otherwise available in New Zealand. If you are would like to know more about our current trials or are interested in receiving some information please contact our Clinical Trial Coordinators.