“I will use this every day” – participants give glowing feedback after successful and practical diabetes workshops

“I will use this every day”, “very informative” and "I will be better equipped to support discharge of ward patients".

These are just some of the overwhelmingly positive statements and feedback received by participants who took part in two ‘at-capacity’, interactive diabetes education workshops last week, supported by the Care Partnership-Diabetes (CP-D) team in Broken Hill and Wentworth.

CP-D is designed to improve health outcomes for people living with type 2 diabetes in the Far West and Western NSW Local Health District (LHD) regions. CP-D recognises that local clinicians and health workers are champions for their communities, providing vital on-the-ground support. These workshops are designed to strengthen workforces by improving access to practical, hands-on training – particularly in the Far West LHD where distance can be a barrier, with many communities located more than 1,000km from Sydney.

Facilitated by Aboriginal Health & Medical Research Council, CP-D, University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and Diabetes Australia, the Wentworth workshop attracted a full group of 20 attendees on Wednesday, seven of whom identify as Aboriginal, along with an additional eight speakers, staff and local champions.

Participants said the workshop offered a great opportunity to build practical, culturally safe diabetes care skills that they can immediately take back and apply into their community.

A primary health nurse participant said, "This is awesome. We don't normally get this sort of education. I will use this everyday".

The workshop was open to anyone working in, or supporting, diabetes care, including Aboriginal Health Workers and Aboriginal Health Practitioners, nurses, allied health professionals, community health staff and diabetes educators. 

Participant Estelle Bowden, an Aboriginal Health Practitioner, said, “it’s great to know about technology available to better support clients. The hands-on teaching is awesome”.

On Monday, 10 pharmacists and pharmacy workforce participants took part in a pharmacy-specific workshop held at Broken Hill, aimed to strengthen their confidence in supporting people living with diabetes in regional and remote communities.

The workshop was facilitated by representatives from CP-D, UTS and Diabetes Australia and local champion and Aboriginal Health Professional from Far West NSW LHD, Darren Kemp.  

Efforts were made to help upskill the workforce outside of their busy working schedules by offering the session as a combined dinner and workshop for the first time. Feedback and high interest in the event confirmed that this structure was very well received by participants.

An attending pharmacist said it was great to attend in the evening and focus on practical updates tailored specifically to pharmacy practice, without interrupting the workday.

Another attendee said, “Thanks so much for putting on the night last night. It was fabulous and I enjoyed learning the various industry updates provided”.

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