Skip to content

• The diabetes team
  • Multidisciplinary diabetes care
  • Diabetes education
• Referrals and reimbursement
• Position statements
• Guidelines and standards
• National Association of Diabetes Centres (NADC)
• Publications

The diabetes team

Diabetes is a chronic and lifelong disease requiring regular and ongoing care, self-management education and support. Care, self-management education and support must be individualised to each person’s needs and circumstances throughout the continuum of life and the continuum of diabetes.

People with diabetes bear the burden of their disease. They have the responsibility of making the daily lifestyle choices as well as deciding and achieving the overall long term management targets and goals. People with diabetes have the right to receive quality care which includes self-management education and support from their multidisciplinary diabetes team to assist making informed choices and decisions.

Whilst some health care professionals may be members of a person’s diabetes team for many months or even years, others may be members for shorter periods of time or provide advice and care until specific health issues are resolved. The person with diabetes and their family or carers are always the central members of the team.

There is increasing evidence of the benefits of a multidisciplinary approach to chronic disease care and management. Health care professionals in the diabetes team that provide regular and ongoing services include the General Practitioner, and frequently the Endocrinologist, the Credentialled Diabetes Educator, the Dietitian and the Podiatrist, but other health care professionals also contribute their discipline specific knowledge and care.