Missed health checks and reduced access to routine health care for people living with type 2 diabetes could be costing the Australian health system around $2.3B per annum, according to Diabetes Australia.

New modelling from Diabetes Australia, based on US research, found that the cost impact of people in Australia living with type 2 diabetes not receiving recommended care was around AU$3,564 per person per annum. 

An estimated 50% of Australians living with type 2 diabetes are not accessing a range of recommended diabetes health checks that help to prevent and manage diabetes-related complications including checks for diabetes management, cholesterol, eyes, kidneys, feet and others.

Missed health checks contribute to the increased prevalence of diabetes-related hospitalisations and complications. Annually this includes:

• 710,000 admissions to hospital for dialysis
• 256,000 admissions to hospital for other kidney-related conditions
• 19,000 diabetes-related emergency admissions
• 100,000 hospitalisations for eye complications
• 5,163 amputations

This results in extra costs to the health system, with an increased prevalence of diabetes-related complications, many of which are preventable.

The new cost analysis was released at the start of National Diabetes Week which runs from July 9 – 15.

Diabetes Australia Group CEO Justine Cain said the modelling highlighted the importance of supporting Australians living with all types of diabetes to receive the best possible healthcare.

“Diabetes is complex and can lead to a range of debilitating and costly complications, many that can be prevented or delayed by ensuring people receive timely and appropriate medical care,” Ms Cain said.

“One of the challenges with Australia’s healthcare system is that it has been orientated towards treating people when they are sick and unwell, rather than preventing issues before they develop. 

“For people with diabetes, this means we need to better ensure people can easily access the routine health checks which can detect problems like heart and kidney disease and vision loss early when they are most treatable.

“That’s why we are strong supporters of the Federal Government’s Strengthening Medicare process which will create a health system that better meets the needs of people living with chronic conditions such as diabetes.”

Ms Cain said this National Diabetes Week, Diabetes Australia was launching the nation’s biggest ever conversation about diabetes to hear from people living with the condition about improving the quality of healthcare they receive and inform its submission to the Australian Government’s Parliamentary Inquiry into Diabetes.

“We’re hoping to amplify the voice of people with diabetes who understand the reality of living with diabetes better than anyone to ensure this inquiry focusses on the priorities that will change the future,” she said.

“Diabetes Australia is encouraging people to complete our National Community Consultation Survey and attend one of our Great Debates either in person or online.” 

Dr Gaurav Puri, Clinical Director of Endocrinology and Diabetes at Logan Hospital and the current Chair of Queensland Statewide Diabetes Clinical Network, said it was important to pinpoint the blockages and gaps in the current system that are making it harder for people living with type 2 diabetes to access optimum care.

“The economic impact of sub-optimal care is a significant and extensive issue that needs to be addressed,” Dr Puri said. 

“We need to have a health system that is geared towards supporting people living with diabetes to live well and prevent diabetes-related complications and protect our health system.”

Glenn Lewis, 71, from outside Pimpama, has lived with type 2 diabetes for about eight years. He is grateful that he understood the importance of staying on top of his condition from its earliest stages, and that his GP was determined to help him access the best diabetes care.

“Before I retired, I was an instrument and control engineer for petrochemical companies, and I had a good understanding about balancing my blood glucose levels,” Glenn said. “About two years after I was diagnosed, my body wasn’t responding to medication, so I went straight to insulin. Some people resist doing that, but I knew I had to keep my blood glucose levels in a healthy range.

“My doctor was also insistent from the beginning that I completed my Annual Cycle of Care appointments and checks. I attend all my regular appointments for eyes, feet, liver and kidney function, and heart checks.

“I understand that with a condition like diabetes, you must stay on top of it. I want to prevent the possible complications rather than have to deal with them.” 

Find out more about 2023 National Diabetes Week and details regarding Australia’s biggest conversation about the impact of diabetes.

To mark Diabetes Australia’s ongoing campaign to Unite in the Fight for Change, the sails of the Sydney Opera House were lit blue on Thursday evening.

We are grateful for the support of the Sydney Opera House to help raise awareness of the impact of diabetes and the need for action to change the lives of millions of Australians.

Since 2006, the blue circle, and colour blue more generally, have provided a universal symbol for diabetes. Introduced as part of a United Nations Resolution to give diabetes a common identity, the circle symbolises unity and the blue border of the circle reflects the colour of the sky and the flag of the United Nations. The United Nations is in itself a symbol of unity amongst nations and is the only organisation that can signal to governments everywhere that it is time to fight diabetes and reverse the global trends that will impede economic development and cause so much suffering and premature death.

Similarly, our new campaign calls for unity in the fight for change.

Without action, diabetes will continue to negatively impact people’s lives and our health system. Our ambition for the future is bold. We want a future where diabetes can do no harm.

Urgent action is needed to:

• Prevent people from developing type 2 diabetes
• Support people with diabetes to live long and live well
• Reduce the health, social and financial impacts of diabetes
• Find a cure.

To achieve this ambition we must drive change.

On the same day as the sails were lit blue, we participated in the launch of the Western Sydney Changing Diabetes initiative. We’re proud to be a partner of Western Sydney Diabetes, working locally to increase the proportion of the healthy population, slow the progression towards being at risk of diabetes, and reduce the size of the at-risk population.

It is initiatives like Western Sydney Changing Diabetes that we will fight for more of, to change the trajectory of the diabetes epidemic.

It’s time to unite to drive change and have a greater impact.

Together we can change the lives of millions of Australians, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, grandparents, and loved ones, who are living with diabetes or will develop the condition in the years ahead. That’s why we are asking all Australians to join us and unite for change.

Cara Lange has always talked to her children, Emily, 6, and Morgan, 4, about living with type 1 diabetes and involved them in her management.

They learnt their numbers and colours by doling out Cara’s jellybeans, her preferred ‘hypo’ treatment, when she needed them. Cara also taught them their address and how to call an ambulance if they couldn’t wake her.

In August 2021, Cara’s blood glucose levels plummeted and didn’t respond to her usual hypo treatments. When she was dropping in and out of consciousness, Emily coolly decided to call 000, then opened the garage door to make sure the paramedics could access the house.

While Cara made a full recovery and was full of praise for the St John’s Ambulance paramedics, her highest praise is for her daughter. “I’m so proud of Emily. She did everything I taught her to do perfectly.”

Cara hopes her daughter will never have to call for an ambulance again but she is glad she taught her how.

She also hopes that, one day, a cure for diabetes will be discovered.

It’s time to unite in the fight for investment in more research for prevention and treatments and, eventually, a cure.

Click the Unite in the fight for change image below to visit the campaign page.

Dave was only 39 years old when he was driving home from work and lost the colour in his vision. He went straight to the doctor, got a blood test and was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.  

With high blood pressure and soaring blood glucose levels, he was given three months to live unless he changed his lifestyle. Dave had been living with undiagnosed, silent type 2 diabetes.   

Dave knew he had to make changes.  

“After my diagnosis, I made time to adapt my diet,” he said. 

“My doctor warned me that my lifestyle was going to kill me. I knew he was right – for years I’d put off exercising. It was always easy to find an excuse to avoid activity, even just playing with my kids.  

“With his warning ringing in my ears, I started walking, going at my own rate, every day. It became a habit. As I got fitter, I lifted my distance and intensity and then took up cycling.  

“Being active was the easiest decision I’ve made. Improving my future was my motivation.”  

These days he’s living well with type 2 diabetes.  

“Since making these changes, I feel awesome. I wish I’d made all the changes sooner, including being a better husband and father.”  

There are currently up to two million Australians living with or at very high risk of type 2 diabetes, including an estimated 500,000 people living with silent, undiagnosed type 2 diabetes. It’s time to unite and fight to make sure that our health system regularly checks everyone at risk of type 2 diabetes so that they can reduce their risk and that if people are diagnosed, they can access the support they need to live well.  

Click the Unite in the fight for change image below to visit the campaign page.

When Julie was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, she was uncertain about what her future would look like.   

She was concerned about how she was going to look after her daughter, who manages a serious health condition.  

She knew she had to change her lifestyle to live well with the condition and although it was overwhelming, she started walking.  

Julie started with small steps but she was on a long journey to better health. These days, she walks 76 kilometres a week, makes healthy, realistic food choices, has a job she loves and the ability to spend quality time with her daughter.  

Julie says she hasn’t let diabetes take over her life. It’s just one part of it.    

“No one expects you to run a marathon. The important thing is to get moving,” Julie said.   

“I started small with just a few minutes of exercise every day.    

“It wasn’t anything fancy.    

“I strapped on my cheap shoes and went for a 20-minute walk because that was all I could do to start with.    

“Before long, I started losing weight and feeling healthier. I’ve upgraded to better shoes now!  

“I didn’t want managing diabetes to affect my whole day. Instead, I made diabetes part of my daily routine, like brushing my teeth. Doing things at regular times, every day, means I get it out of the way and it’s no longer my focus. I feel more in control and happier, while keeping fit, strong and healthy for my daughters.”  

It’s time to unite for Julie and all those living with type 2 diabetes so they have the support they need to make positive lifestyle changes to live long and live well. 

Click the Unite in the fight for change image below to visit the campaign page.

In November 2015, Steve Dale from Rockingham in Western Australia became one of the 5,163 Australians who undergo a diabetes-related amputation every year.   

While it was tough to lose his right foot, worse was still to come.  

In 2020, escalating problems on his other foot seemed to be leading towards a second below-the-knee amputation, and life in a wheelchair. Thanks to some excellent healthcare his leg was saved and today he is still enjoying many of the things he loves, including spending time with his two children and getting out and about in his caravan.    

Steve’s leg was saved with a procedure that removed a vein from his left leg and grafted it onto his artery to improve blood supply to his foot.   

He has also undergone a heart bypass and laser surgery to his eyes.   

Steve, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was 10, has experienced the impact of diabetes-related complications but has seen first-hand how research is leading to improved treatments and better health outcomes.  

Two million Australians are at risk of diabetes-related complications in the next two decades. It’s time to unite to ensure Steve and others experiencing, or at risk of, diabetes-related complications have access to timely treatment, and that investment in research prevents complications in the future.

Click the Unite in the fight for change image below to visit the campaign page.

Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was 6 years old, Archie used to feel alone and different to other kids.   

Then, despite feeling nervous, Archie and his mum attended his first family diabetes camp, which was funded by donations from Diabetes Australia supporters.   

“If you have diabetes, finding your crew is super special,” says Archie’s mum Jess. “At diabetes camps, the kids can take their ‘masks’ off and be themselves. Camp normalised diabetes for Archie and made him realise he was not alone on this often isolating, difficult and painful journey as a type 1 kid.”  

It was an experience that for the first time let Archie and his family share the burden of type 1 diabetes because they were face-to-face with other kids and families facing the same challenges.  

“As a family we have made valuable connections with other type 1 families who share our challenges. We feel the heavy emotional load that comes with type 1 is now shared,” Jess said.  

Those connections made at camps have helped Archie celebrate milestones and try different ways of treating his diabetes.  

After the first camp, he made many new friends, including Annie, who helped him realise there were other people like him. “A small, but big victory,” says Jess..   

He started setting up a Teddy Bear’s Picnic with make-believe insulin pumps. Archie then decided he wanted to start using a pump and he encouraged Annie to do the same.  

Through support from peers, his family and Diabetes Australia, Archie has gained insight and hope about his future.   

“The future can be scary as type 1 diabetes is a long-term illness,” says Jess. “The diagnosis of type 1 bought many tears for our family and so do camp visits, except the camp tears are from the joy of being amongst ‘our people’.”   

It’s time to unite to ensure more kids like Archie find their crew and connect with the care they need, now and into the future. 

Please visit our campaign donation page to support our fight for change.

The one question Sharon couldn’t answer when her daughter Allison, now 10, was diagnosed four years ago with type 1 diabetes was, “Mum, when am I going to get over this?”

Allison now knows that part of her body doesn’t work but can’t grasp the concept yet that there could be a cure.

The hardest part for Sharon and her husband was when they bought Allison home from hospital after the initial diagnosis. “If we mess up, it will affect her future,” was the thought that haunted them.

Today, Allison loves school, swimming, calisthenics, basketball and playing the guitar. Sharon describes her as a Superstar.

It’s time to unite to change the future for Allison and other kids living with type 1 diabetes.

Click the Unite in the fight for change image below to visit the campaign page.

Mohammed was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes when he was only 35.

He didn’t take it seriously because he thought he was too young for anything bad to happen to him.

He was barely managing the condition when he had a series of strokes that led to him being hospitalised for a month.

All he could think about in his hospital bed was his three young children. The idea that he might not live to see them grow up has prompted him to make a complete 180 degree U-turn.

He has lost a significant amount of weight and is now managing diabetes with physical activity and diet alone.

It’s time to unite for Mohammed and others living with, or at risk of, type 2 diabetes to improve awareness and understanding of the risk of diabetes-related complications and for the support and care they need to stop complications before they happen.

Click the Unite in the fight for change image below to visit the campaign page.

Meriem knows what it’s like to be excluded.

Meriem, who was born in Morocco, endured years of bullying at school when she and her family first moved to Hobart. It triggered an eating disorder, a particularly dangerous condition for people with type 1 diabetes.

“There were many factors that led to my eating disorder, including being bullied at school and the huge focus on counting carbs to keep my blood glucose levels under control,” Meriem said.

“Unfortunately people with type 1 diabetes are more vulnerable to developing eating disorders.

“I changed my mindset and saw food as fuel to nourish my body.”

Now a qualified nurse who describes her profession as “rewarding, demanding, and so fulfilling”, Meriem is also a long-distance runner who proudly wears a headscarf to bring awareness to her religion and show that Muslim girls can compete in sport without compromising their beliefs.

It’s time to unite for Meriem and fight for better mental and emotional health support so people with diabetes can live long and live well with hope for the future.

Click the Unite in the fight for change image below to visit the campaign page.