{"id":1910,"date":"2026-06-18T15:26:36","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T05:26:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ruralhealth.org.au\/partyline\/?p=1910"},"modified":"2026-06-18T15:26:36","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T05:26:36","slug":"closing-the-distance-between-gps-and-specialists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ruralhealth.org.au\/partyline\/closing-the-distance-between-gps-and-specialists\/","title":{"rendered":"Closing the distance between GPs and Specialists"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When Bunbury GP Dr Grace Morley was caring for a patient experiencing severe hypoglycaemia on insulin, she knew the usual approach was not enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than sending the patient away for a hospital endocrinology appointment, which she was worried they might not attend, she used Diabetes WA Connect to bring specialist advice into the consultation room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a multidisciplinary case conference involving the patient, an endocrinologist and a diabetes educator, Dr Morley was able to discuss the case in real time and work through a safer management plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Morley says this helps address a major challenge in rural medicine – access. Without local endocrinology services, patients may otherwise need to travel to Perth for specialist review, which is not always practical or even possible. For regional GPs, Dr Morley says, access to an endocrinologist in their consulting room can make a critical difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt’s useful for more complex patients with other conditions and issues where the standard care just isn\u2019t working, as it gives reassurance around management and troubleshooting,\u201d Dr Morley said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The service was developed in response to a need identified by GPs and people living with diabetes themselves. While most diabetes care can be managed in general practice, access to timely specialist input can help when questions arise around insulin, medications, side effects or other barriers to care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than replacing existing systems, Diabetes WA Connect is intended to complement them by creating another pathway for collaboration between primary care and specialist teams. By bringing multiple clinicians into the same conversation, the service supports more integrated care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt goes beyond the standard referral pathway,\u201d says Diabetes WA Connect endocrinologist Dr Greg Ong. \u201cCountry GPs are highly skilled and manage the vast majority of diabetes care, but they are often working a long way from specialist services. If troubleshooting can be done by phone, they can put a management plan in place much sooner.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feedback from country GPs suggests the service is also improving clinician confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen we surveyed our country GPs, what we heard was that they felt more confident putting plans in place after speaking with Diabetes WA Connect, even if the plan itself didn\u2019t change,\u201d says Dr Ong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For regional and remote practices, that combination of specialist support, improved timeliness and reduced travel burden has the potential to make a meaningful difference for both doctors and patients. “Routinely I don\u2019t need to seek a second opinion around diabetes management, but it was so good for this case,\u201d says Dr Morley. \u201cWe don\u2019t have access to an endocrinologist here, which can make it challenging as patients have to go to Perth, and if they are elderly or otherwise unwell, they may not be able to.It\u2019s also very quick and easy to book an appointment online. I also like that you get paid for that time, which you don\u2019t when you\u2019re ringing around for a second opinion in your own time.\u201d<\/p>\n

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