Best Care In The Nation

Newcastle Herald

Thursday January 19, 2006

By ALICE KELLY Health Reporter

PEOPLE with diabetes living in the Lower Hunter are far more likely to get better care than those living in any other part of Australia, new data shows.

Hunter Urban Division of General Practice GPs gave "best practice" care for 2824 patients in the six months from February to July last year at least 1000 more patients than any other division in Australia, according to Health and Ageing Department figures supplied by the division.

The treatment and monitoring program, called "annual cycles of care", is recommended for all patients with diabetes, division clinical director Annette Carruthers said yesterday.

It included monitoring weight and blood pressure, checking blood tests, cholesterol and kidney function, examining the eyes and feet for complications, discussing diet, exercise and smoking and reviewing drug treatment, she said.

Type 2 diabetics Kerry and Marcia Booth of Fern Bay said the regular check-ups "help to keep us on the straight and narrow".

The King Street General Practice patients said the regular monitoring did not interfere with their lives, but gave them the peace of mind to do the things they enjoyed.

Mr Booth, 66, who has lost 18 kilograms since being diagnosed and has been able to throw out his diabetes medication, said he would recommend the care plan to others.

Dr Carruthers said diabetes and its complications contributed significantly to ill health, disability and premature death in Australia and rates were rising.

A new Medicare item number was encouraging practices to do the annual cycles of care, she said.

She said the results were an "outstanding achievement" for an area with a GP shortage. The division had trained a growing army of general practice nurses to help GPs deliver the care programs.

© 2006 Newcastle Herald

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