Access to holistic diabetes care for rural and remote communities across the Hunter and New England regions is set to improve with the launch of a new custom-built Medibus.

The Medibus is a fully equipped mobile health clinic which brings specialist multidisciplinary teams to towns with limited access to healthcare, including endocrinologists, a diabetes educator, Aboriginal health worker, dietitian and podiatrist.

These clinical teams support patients directly and upskill local General Practitioners, nurses, and allied health providers to provide gold-standard diabetes care and management within the primary care sector.

Diabetes remains one of the most critical health challenges for the Hunter and New England regions, with an estimated 1 in 8 people living with the condition, and many more undiagnosed. If left unmanaged, diabetes can result in serious complications such as heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, blindness, amputations, and premature death.

Diabetes disproportionately impacts those living in low socio-economic communities and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, who are three times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes.

The schedule for the medibus is here:

• Narrabri – 17-18 June
• Wee Waa – 19 June
• Newcastle – July
• Lower Mid North Coast – 12-15 August
• Tamworth – 16-19 September
• Upper Hunter – 27 October-7 November
• Lower Mid North Coast – 17–19 November

Access to the Medibus is via GP or healthcare provider referral.

The Medibus is an initiative of the Diabetes Alliance Program Plus, first established in 2015 by Hunter New England Local Health District and the Hunter New England and Central Coast Primary Health Network.

In 2023, a five-year, $12.4 million donation from the Colonial Foundation enabled the program to expand. This included welcoming new partners, including the Hunter Medical Research Institute and the University of Newcastle, to lead innovative research and evaluate the program’s impact on patient outcomes and the broader health system.

In the past ten years the Diabetes Alliance Program Plus has:

• Supported more than 190 general practices across the district
• Engaged with over 700 GPs and practice nurses through specialist consultations
• Provided care to more than 6,500 patients via face-to-face and virtual clinics

Further information can be found on the dapplus.org website.