A major challenge for Australia’s health care system currently is its escalating levels of chronic disease. Chief amongst these are the increasing rates of both type I and type II diabetes. At present, approximately 1 million Australians are diagnosed with diabetes. Australia currently has the 7th highest prevalence and 6th highest incidence of type 1 diabetes in children aged 0-14 years. There are also a growing number of Australian children and adolescents now affected by type 2 diabetes.If diabetes continues to rise at the current rates, up to 3 million Australians over the age of 25 years will have diabetes by the year 2025.

Significant health reform has been underway in Australia over the last 5 years to look at how we can change systems, structures, processes and practices to better address this and our other  major health challenges. Medicare Locals (MLs) – regional primary health care organisations – are part of this structural health reform. Established in three stages between July 2011 and July 2012, all 61 MLs are now in operation and, although still fledging organisations, are starting to tackle these issues. This presentation will look at the role of Medicare Locals in improving diabetes care across the prevention–management continuum and at the challenges and opportunities that improving such care brings from both a policy and practice perspective.