The Diabetes Care Project (DCP) is a three-year pilot that is part of the Australian Government’s response to the growing incidence of chronic disease in Australia and the significant challenge that diabetes presents for the Australian community and health sector.

The pilot will assess how the reform can support a more consumer-centred approach to care through expanding the choices available to people with diabetes, and by providing more coordinated multidisciplinary education and care.

The DCP will test new ways of providing more flexible and better coordinated care, with the aim of improving the management of care for people with diabetes. The Project is piloting four key changes in how care is delivered to people with diabetes.
* A new Care Facilitator role will be created to collaborate with the care team to support patient care.
* An education and training program will support practitioners and people with diabetes to increase their understanding of diabetes management.
* A new chronic disease management IT tool will support care planning, enable information sharing, and reduce administration through a secure online portal.
* A new funding model will provide more funding for people with diabetes who have greater needs.

The project will involve up to 150 practices in Queensland, Victoria and South Australia. Participation will be voluntary for consumers and healthcare providers.

The DCP commenced in July 2011, with patient enrolment to commence in early 2012, and will run till 30 June 2014. At the end of the trial, these new models of care will be evaluated for their capacity to deliver better quality healthcare outcomes, enable care to be provided in more flexible ways, improve patient and practitioner experiences, and to be economically sustainable and scalable nationally.

The project is being delivered for the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing by a consortium of healthcare organisations and experts working in collaboration with other peak organisations such as Diabetes Australia.

The Project has established an Advisory Group to work with the Government in developing the detailed design and implementation of the pilot. The Diabetes Advisory Group includes representatives from general practice, nursing, allied health, and diabetes and health consumer organisations.

More information can be found at the Diabetes Care Project website www.dcp.org.au