Diabetes Australia

About the organisation

Diabetes Australia is the national peak body supporting all people living with or at risk of diabetes. Through leadership, prevention, management and research, Diabetes Australia is committed to reducing the impact of diabetes on Australian communities.  

Their work in partnership with diabetes health professionals and educators, researchers and healthcare providers includes: 

• administering the National Diabetes Service Scheme to almost 1.4 million Australians diagnosed with diabetes 

• advocacy on issues impacting diabetes in Australia. 

• providing a trusted source of information and advice on prevention and management. 

• providing funding towards research into the prevention, management and cure for diabetes.  

Through Diabetes Qualified, their training arm, the organisation delivers high-quality, evidence-based training to healthcare professionals, and care workers equipping them with the knowledge and skills to provide better diabetes care.

Transforming Diabetes Care for People Living with a Disability 

The issue

With support from nib foundation, Diabetes Australia will kickstart the Safely Injecting Insulin program. This will work towards establishing access to an appropriately trained carer as the standard for every person living with diabetes and a disability.  

The pilot program will train disability support workers so they have the knowledge, practical skills, and confidence to safely injecting insulin.​ 

This specialised knowledge and practical skill will enable support workers to provide safe and effective diabetes care. It will reduce risks for people living with diabetes and disability, and ease pressures on health professionals. 

Over the long term nib foundation and Diabetes Australia hope to use the pilot program’s data to build a compelling case for making the training an industry standard​. 

Why it matters

The initiative will focus on bridging gaps in the training of disability support workers across Australia. People living with both diabetes and disability can face unique health challenges, and access to appropriately trained support workers is often limited. There is currently no standardised training for support workers in insulin administration, leaving significant gaps in care quality. ​ 

The overall goal is to ensure it becomes standard for every person living with diabetes and disability to have access to appropriately trained support workers. This will enable more timely and personalised care, reduce preventable complications, and create better overall health outcomes.