Melbourne south east
Two kinds of people call me, and they need different things
One is living with diabetes and wants it explained properly. The other is a GP, a family member or a facility arranging a medication review for someone else. Same practitioner, two very different conversations.
Start here
Which one are you?
Pick a door and the rest of this page changes to match. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Then this is where we would start
- What it actually isSpecific to the type you have been diagnosed with, in plain words.
- Why it gets treatedWhat is being prevented, across years rather than weeks.
- How to keep an eye on itWays to monitor it and how to read what you see. A blood glucose monitor is provided free of charge where one is needed.
- What to change firstSmall changes chosen against the week you actually have, aimed at reducing the risk of longer term complications.
Then this is what a review involves
- A visit in personAt home, or in the aged care facility where the person lives.
- The whole list, gone throughEvery medicine, discussed with the person taking them.
- Recommendations to the GPWritten back to the treating GP, whose decision it remains.
Draft wording. How a review is arranged, who is eligible and any funding detail need Hilary's own confirmation before this goes live.
Start an enquiryDoor one
Diabetes education
A diagnosis usually arrives inside a ten minute appointment. What it means, why it is being treated and what to do differently on a normal Tuesday is a longer conversation, and it is the one I am here for.
The part I enjoy most is helping people find the small changes that genuinely reduce the risk of the longer term complications diabetes can cause.
- Plain wordsNo assumption that you already know the vocabulary.
- A monitor if you need oneProvided free of charge, and set up with you.
- Your week, not a templateTwo or three changes that survive contact with real life.
- Ongoing, not one offSupport to live well with it, rather than a single session.
Door two
Accredited medication reviews
I am accredited to carry out medication reviews, visiting patients at home and in aged care, to discuss their medicines and make recommendations regarding their treatment to their GP.
It is the pharmacist half of the work. Thirty years of it, aimed at the question a standard appointment has no room for.
- At homeIn the person's own home, where the medicines actually live.
- In aged careOn site, with the people who manage the daily round.
- Back to the GPRecommendations in writing to the treating doctor.
About
Hilary Edwards
I qualified as a pharmacist in the United Kingdom in 1995 and moved to Australia in 2000, where I lived and worked in Tasmania. I moved to Melbourne in 2013 and completed my Graduate Certificate in Diabetes Education in 2016.
I am now a credentialled diabetes educator, so that I can provide ongoing support to people so that they can live well with diabetes.
- Qualified
- Pharmacist, United Kingdom, 1995
- In Australia
- Since 2000, Tasmania then Melbourne from 2013
- Credentialled
- Graduate Certificate in Diabetes Education, 2016
- Consulting
- Waverley Medical Centre, Glen Waverley
Questions
Asked often
Draft answers, written to show the shape of the section. Every one needs Hilary's own wording before anything goes live.
Do I need a referral?
Draft answer. It depends which of the two services you are asking about and how it is being funded, so this needs Hilary's confirmation rather than a guess.
What does it cost?
Draft answer. No fees are published anywhere at present, so none appear on this concept.
Can you see someone who does not speak much English?
Draft answer. Needs Hilary's confirmation on what is realistic and whether an interpreter is arranged through the clinic.
Do you come to the person, or do they come to you?
Both. Diabetes education appointments are at a clinic. Medication reviews are carried out in person wherever the person lives, including aged care.
I am a GP. How do I refer?
Draft answer. The referral pathway needs Hilary's own wording, so nothing is stated here that a practice could act on yet.
Enquire
Tell me which door you came through
A short message is enough. You will get a straight answer back rather than a booking prompt.
