The diabetes service at CCDHB is a regional specialist service that currently has five related components:

1. Specialist Endocrine & Diabetes clinics (including urgent referral Registrar clinics) held in the Endocrine, Diabetes & Research Centre on level 5 of the Grace Neill Building and at Kenepuru Hospital, Kenepuru Main Outpatients Department
2.  Specialist Nursing clinics are also based in the same locations.
3. Antenatal Diabetes clinics  are held in the Wellington Regional Hospital on level 3.
4. Multidisciplinary Outreach clinics  held in the Wellington and Porirua community.
5. An Adolescent diabetes (transitional to adult) service held at Paediatric Outpatients, level 5 Grace Neill Building.

Each of these services has clinics based at other facilities including Kenepuru, Kapiti Health Centre and Masterton Hospitals. These services all work with primary providers in the region by managing complex cases that are referred to them. Diabetes Education and Management incorporates a community dietetic service and a secondary podiatry service.

• You will be referred by your General Practitioner (GP) and your referral will be prioritised (given a position on a list of other referrals) depending on the type of diabetes and its severity.

•  The average waiting time before an appointment at a clinic ranges from 2 weeks to 4 months, depending on priority. An appointment letter will be sent to you in the mail. Please ensure your GP has your correct mailing address and contact telephone numbers.

• Prior to your appointment, you may be asked to undergo some further tests before seeing the doctor in the clinic. These blood tests should be taken the week before your appointment.

• You will see either a Specialist, Registrar (a doctor training to become a Specialist who works under the supervision of a Specialist).  There are also Specialist Nurses who may be involved with your first appointment and ongoing treatment.

• You may have ongoing follow-up in the clinic or have your treatment carried out by your GP with advice from the Specialist.

• Your recent blood glucose results in your record book
• Your blood glucose meter and recording book.
• Your medication yellow card or an up-to-date list of what you are taking.

How To Help Us, Help You

There are no charges for our service.

Public Transport

Buses run regularly to and from Wellington Hospital (for timetable information ring Metlink on 0800 801 700). During weekdays over 20 buses per hour, run from the city to the hospital, on routes 1, 10, 11, 12, 18, 22, 23, 43 and 44.

Shuttle Service for Patients Living in Kapiti/Porirua

A free patient shuttle service also runs between the Kenepuru and Wellington hospital sites. It operates on the hour from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm weekdays. You must book a seat in advance for this service by telephoning (04) 385 5999 extn: 7088.

Parking

All clinics are now located in the new Wellington Regional Hospital.

Parking for clinics in the new hospital will be in the underground car park. The entry to the car park is clearly sign-posted near the main entrance to the hospital, on Riddiford Street. Usual parking fees will apply.

There may be limited parking available outside the Grace Neill Building, usual pay and display parking fees will apply.

 On-site Shuttle:

The walking path through the hospital site is steep, and an on-site shuttle service is provided to assist patients/ whanau. If you require this service, please wait at the On-site Shuttle Stop, which is near the main entrance to the hospital site.

This service runs every 20 minutes between 8:00 am to 4.30 pm on weekdays. It stops at all buildings.

The Endocrine, Diabetes & Research Centre is home to the Wellington Diabetes Research Centre staff as well as the Diabetes Nurses. Janet Kumar  is the Office Administrator who is usually the first person of contact within the building.

 The Wellington Diabetes Clinical Nurse Specialist Teams :

Lorna Bingham:  Nurse Practitioner (Candidate). Responsible for coordination of Clinical Nursing Practice across DHB and Consults in Nurse Lead Clinics in both Primary and Secondary care settings. Based in our service but reports to Vicky Noble.

Lindsay McTavish : Clinical Nurse Specialist and Team Leader (Full-time). 50% working clinically with primary school children (under 13 years) with Diabetes.

Kirsty Newton:  Clinical Nurse Specialist & Masters of Primary Health Care (Part-time). Adolescent and young adults under 25 years clinics. Facilitates clinics at Schools, Evolve and Victoria University. Involved with Insulin Pump Service.

Dianne Thomson:  Clinical Nurse Specialist (Part-time). Dianne is our Inpatient Diabetes Nurse who works closely with the Registrars to prepare patients for discharge. Dianne is also responsible for the facilitation of the workforce development diabetes courses in secondary care.

Tess Clark:  Diabetes Nurse (Part-time). Tess works as our In-patient Diabetes Nurse on the days Dianne is away from Capital Coast Health.

Julie Bate: Diabetes Nurse (Full-time). Julie is working towards accreditation as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Diabetes. Currently Julie mainly works with complex patients with diabetes with a particular focus on Maori and Pacific Peoples.

Debbie Hughes:  Diabetes Nurse (Full-time). Debbie is working towards accreditation as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Diabetes. Debbie follows up complex patients referred to her from Main Out-patients Department, Renal and Opthalmology

Brenda Anderson:  Clinical Nurse Specialist (Casual). Brenda left our service earlier this year but has been known to do some casual work for us.

Liz Dutton (Capital PHO): Diabetes Nurse Educator (Full-time). Liz provides support and education, to the General Practitioners and nurses in practices with Capital PHO, for their patients with diabetes.  She also receives referrals for patients with diabetes that are difficult to manage in the practice setting.

The Kenepuru Diabetes Clinical Nurse Specialist teams are:

Ula Fatialofa:  Clinical Nurse Specialist  (Full-time). Covers in-patient referrals and Main Out-patient Department Clinics and GP referrals when requested from Primary care.

Heather Campbell  (Tumai mo te Iwi PHO): Diabetes Nurse (Full-time). Cares for referred patients with diabetes in the community, who are enrolled within Tumai mo te Iwi PHO

 The Kapiti Diabetes Clinical Nurse Specialist teams are:

Val Crawford:  Specialty Clinical Nurse - Diabetes (Full-time). Val is working towards accreditation as a Clinical Nurse Specialist.  Covers paediatric, adolescent and adult diabetes in the Kapiti region.

Dinah Porteous  (Kapiti PHO):  Diabetes Nurse Educator (Full-time).Provides support and education, to the General Practitioners and Practice Nurses within Kapiti PHO, for their patients with diabetes. This includes ensuring they receive the correct type of support and mentoring the Practice Nurse diabetes champions. Dinah also works with patients who require insulin and medication titration and whose diabetes self management needs are more complex.

Referral Information for Nurses 

Diabetes Nursing Service Referral Pathway
Describes the pathway for a patient being referred to the Nursing Service.
Please fax your referral to: (04) 385 5948.

Nursing Service Referral Pathway Criteria
This document describes the clinical situations the Referral Pathway is indicated for.

Diabetes Referral Pathway in Primary Care
This flowchart is specific for Compass Health PHOs