Diabetes Street Hub for patients in unstable housing

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Endocrinologist and Medical Lead for the Diabetes Street Hub, Dr Pieter Jansen
Endocrinologist and Medical Lead for the Diabetes Street Hub, Dr Pieter Jansen

An innovative service developed by Princess Alexandra Hospital for people in unstable housing has secured permanent funding after an initial six-month start-up phase.

The Diabetes Street Hub was initiated by the Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology, to enhance diabetes care and outcomes for patients who live in unstable housing conditions including homelessness across metropolitan Brisbane.

Endocrinologist and Medical Lead for the Diabetes Street Hub, Dr Pieter Jansen says the renewed funding will give the community-based program the time it needs to grow.

“With the confidence of ongoing funding, we are now able to develop the service in an agile way to make sure it is effective and truly meets the needs of the community.”

For the Hub to be successful in its mission, easy access to the service is really important.

“Early in the development, we worked on referral pathways that have been shared with Emergency Departments and Endocrine Departments in Metro Brisbane, as well as GPs and other service providers in the area.

“We hope that easy referral pathways help provide better access to care for vulnerable patients with diabetes in unstable housing who frequently have complex care needs and often face significant socio-economic challenges that impact on their care,” he said.

While many vulnerable people with diabetes rely on trips to the ED to access treatment, engagement with outpatient services for long-term management can be difficult to maintain.

Dr Jansen and his team identified the need for a patient-centred, accessible service that could relieve some pressure on the hospital system, while also offering target patients more timely and appropriate access to care in the community as part of an integrated clinic.

Located at the Inclusive Health and Wellness Hub in South Brisbane, which is a primary care service run by Micah Projects and its partners, the Diabetes Street Hub offers a range of services which are optimised for short and long-term patient outcomes.

Dr Jansen says a key component of the service is a full-time diabetes nurse educator, who reviews and follows-up with patients, and helps identify and coordinate other parts of their care.

“Our nurse also makes community outreach trips to some of the residential areas frequented by our target community.”

For more complex cases of diabetes that require specialist care, Dr Jansen runs a monthly clinic, where he works closely with a GP from the Inclusive Health and Wellness Hub. This collaboration facilitates a more holistic and patient-centred approach to management.

The integration with the Inclusive Health and Wellness Hub opens more doors for the program to broaden its reach.

“The close relationship with Micah Projects means that there are good opportunities to link with other relevant social services,” he said.

“Recently, we attended the Brisbane City Council’s Homeless Connect event where we were able to connect with many different relevant services and raise awareness about the Diabetes Street Hub.”

The start-up phase of the Diabetes Street Hub was funded through the Queensland Government’s Connected Community Pathways Initiative and is now permanently supported through Princess Alexandra Hospital.