Our services

Diabetes Centre

The St Vincent’s Hospital Diabetes Centre provides a variety of ambulatory services, based on a team approach, for the person with diabetes. It is a public specialist health service located within the Garvan Institute of Medical Research. The Centre is staffed by Diabetes Specialists, a Diabetes Registrar, Diabetes Nurse Educators and Diabetes Dietitians. The Centre accesses the services of St Vincent's Hospital Podiatrists, Ophthalmologists, Pharmacists and Psychologists.

Onsite services include:

  • Individual appointments with diabetes educators and dietitians
  • Ambulatory insulin dose adjustment clinic 
  • Continuous glucose monitoring service  
  • Specialist type 1 clinic including insulin pump service
  • Group programs - for people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes (see below)

A valid Referral is required (please see under ‘Referral to a Diabetes Educator or Dietitian)

For enquiries phone: (02) 8382 2622

 

Ambulatory Care Clinics

The Diabetes Clinics are staffed by Senior Endocrinologists and Advanced Trainee Endocrine Registrars and supported by Diabetes Educators, Dietitians and a Pharmacist. These clinics are located at St Vincent’s Public Hospital General Ambulatory Care Department, located within the main hospital:

  • Diabetes Assessment Clinic (new patients) - Tuesday afternoon
  • Complex Diabetes Clinic – Wednesday morning

A valid Referral is required (please see under ‘Referral to a Diabetes Specialist’)

For enquiries Phone: (02) 8382 2622

 

Inpatient Diabetes Service

An Advanced Trainee Registrar supervised by an Endocrinologist provides diabetes inpatient management and consultation in the emergency department and all ward areas within the hospital.

A Diabetes Clinical Nurse Consultant provides and coordinates patient education and follow-up care as well as staff education.

 

High Risk Foot Service

St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney offers an interdisciplinary “one stop shop” for people with complicated foot conditions related to diabetes. Patients see a podiatrist and endocrinologist, with involvement of an orthopaedic surgeon, vascular surgeon, rehabilitation specialist, infectious diseases specialist, pedorthist, diabetes educator, dietitian and/or other allied health professionals, as required. This allows patients to reduce the number of visits to the hospital, and also improves coordination of their care between the different sub-specialty members.

The referral process is outlined here.

For enquiries phone: (02) 8382 3178

 

Partnership Clinics

Diabetes and Oncology – at Kinghorn Cancer Centre

Patients with cancer often develop diabetes from steroids and other treatments. The Endocrine Service has placed a registrar in the Oncology clinic to manage patients with previously undetected or steroid-related diabetes or diabetes from specific immune therapies.

 

Diabetes and Transplant – at Heart and Lung Clinic

Patients who undergo lung and heart transplantation are at risk of developing diabetes related to treatments they receive following their transplant (especially steroids). Furthermore, certain conditions that necessitate transplantation, such as cystic fibrosis, carry a higher risk of diabetes due to a reduction in secretion of insulin from the pancreas. One of our registrars is embedded in the Heart and Lung Service to screen and treat pre-diabetes and diabetes in transplant patients.

 

Diabetes and Homeless Health - at Matthew Talbot Hostel

St Vincent’s Hospital is located in a unique area where extreme poverty, mental illness, drug and alcohol problems and homelessness exist. Whilst individuals living under such circumstances are at high risk of developing diabetes, they may not access optimum care. The Diabetes Service at St Vincent’s Hospital has introduced a model of care where our Diabetes Specialist Team, including a staff endocrinologist and a diabetes educator, join the local Primary Care Team (a General Practitioner and Mental Health Nurse Specialist) in shared consultations with patients. Shared care management plans are developed, and education is provided to the primary care team and patients.

 

Diabetes and Mental Illness - at the O’Brien Centre

Patients with severe mental illness have high rates of diabetes, obesity and metabolic disease but may have difficulty accessing appropriate physical health care.  The Diabetes Service at St Vincent’s Hospital has introduced a model of care where our Diabetes Specialist Team, including endocrinologist, diabetes educator, dietitian and exercise physiologist hold weekly metabolic assessment clinics for inpatients (Caritas Ward) and outpatients (Clozapine Clinic and Community Mental Health).  These clinics are unique and aim to provide holistic care for the consumer.

 

Group Programs - for people with type 1 diabetes

The St Vincent’s Diabetes Service runs group programs throughout the year for those with type 1 diabetes. 

DAFNE (Dose Adjustment for Normal Eating)

DAFNE is a five-day outpatient group education program that equips participants with strategies to self-manage their insulin doses based on the amount of carbohydrate they eat. During the course, participants learn how to:

  • Count carbohydrates and calculate quick acting insulin doses according to carbohydrate intake
  • Correct ‘out of target’ blood glucose levels
  • Adjust long acting insulin or their basal rates to approximate basal insulin requirements
  • Evaluate their blood glucose patterns and adjust insulin to attain blood glucose levels in the target range.

Dates for 2022:  

Multiple Daily Injection DAFNE program:

  • 7-11 March 2022
  • 11-15 July 2022

Insulin Pump DAFNE program:

  • 17-21 October 2022

If you are interested in attending the DAFNE program or would like to find out more, please contact Leanne Gregory on (02) 8382 2622 or email leanne.gregory@svha.org.au

To learn more about the DAFNE program go to the website www.dafne.org.au

 

Carbohydrate Counting Workshop

The Carbohydrate Counting Workshop is a one day education course for people with type 1 diabetes. It aims to improve participant’s accuracy of insulin dosing and diabetes self-management. The workshop provides information and practices hands on skills to update and refresh carbohydrate counting practices.

Dates for 2022:  

  1. Friday 8th April 2022
  2. Friday 16th September 2022

If you are interested in attending the Carbohydrate Counting Workshop or would like to find out more, please contact Leanne Gregory on (02) 8382 2622 or email leanne.gregory@svha.org.au