Making DREAM a reality: specialist diabetes care continues closer to home

At a glance 

• 10 specialist clinic visits across the region 

• Around 75 patients received individualised specialist diabetes support  

• 91% of patients seen have Type 2 diabetes 

• 99 patients across the whole program have trialled continuous glucose monitoring (since the program began)

For people living with complex diabetes in rural communities, seeing a specialist can mean long waits, significant expense and hours of travel. The Diabetes Regional Education, Access and Management (DREAM) is turning that model around by bringing specialist care to the patient. 

The DREAM initiative is a partnership between St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney, Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network (MPHN) and Murrumbidgee Local Health District, supported by the St Vincent’s Curran Foundation. Since launching in 2024, specialist teams have travelled to communities across the Murrumbidgee, working alongside local GPs and diabetes educators to provide care within familiar general practices.  

“Traditionally, patients have had to go into bigger centres to access this kind of care,” MPHN Primary Care Engagement Officer Alanah Christie said. “Now the tables have turned and the patient, their GP, the endocrinologist, the diabetes educator, and the patient support person are all sitting in the same room at the same time talking about how they can make things better.”  

The approach is improving access while building the capability of local clinicians. GPs and practice nurses report DREAM is valuable for clinical education and upskilling, while patients gain greater understanding and confidence to manage their diabetes.  

Continuous glucose monitoring has become an important part of that empowerment. Trials allow patients to see in real time how food, exercise and other choices affect their blood glucose. 

During 2025-2026, DREAM significantly expanded its reach across the Murrumbidgee, delivering 10 specialist clinic visits and reviewing up to 75 patients across a growing number of general practices and communities. With the model of care refined over the year, the program was able to see more patients more efficiently, while also extending its impact through professional development that upskilled local clinicians beyond the practices hosting DREAM clinics. 

For Lyn, a 43-year-old single mother with Type 2 diabetes, DREAM was transformative. Despite regular care, managing diabetes alongside work, study and raising her daughter had been difficult. After meeting the DREAM team at her Aboriginal Medical Service, her medications were reviewed and she was given new goals and hope. 

As Lyn says, this day changed her life. Within three months, her HbA1c had fallen from 10.3% to 6.8%, her insulin had reduced from three doses a day to two at half the dose, and she was working towards stopping insulin altogether.  

“It’s about giving people with diabetes the tools and the understanding to manage their condition better,” Ms Christie said.