Fostering CAPACITY - an agile and flexible workforce - to meet diabetes healthcare needs through developing CAPABILITIES and CONSISTENCY, and strengthening CONNECTIONS
The Capability Framework for Diabetes Care, ‘the Framework’, and the associated online resources, launched in early 2022, was designed to
develop a competent, flexible and adaptive workforce. The Framework guides nurses, allied health professionals, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Health Workers or Practitioners, pharmacists, midwives and health assistants on best practice when delivering care to people living with diabetes in Australia. The Framework provides a
nationally consistent approach to training healthcare providers and disciplines in diabetes care. It defines the
capabilities or knowledge, skills and abilities, required by healthcare providers to be effective in diabetes care. It is characterised by nine core capabilities underpinned by three sets of attributes for seven practice levels. The Framework provides a consistent language and a shared understanding of the essential elements of diabetes care.
Why do we need a Capability Framework for Diabetes Care?
In Australia, over
1.4 million people live with diabetes. On any given day across Australia, up to a third of people accessing healthcare services have diabetes. The
rising incidence of diabetes, including type 2 diabetes among youth, contributes to the increasing prevalence of diabetes.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have one of the highest rates of diabetes in the world.
By 2030, diabetes is expected to be the leading cause of disease burden in Australia, when over half of the Credentialled Diabetes Educators workforce reaches retirement age.
More diabetes educators and skilled healthcare providers must support the ageing diabetes workforce and growing number of people with diabetes. All care providers have a role in helping people to live well with diabetes and provide collaborative multidisciplinary care.
The Capability Framework for Diabetes Care can be used by:
Any health professionals working in a role or interested in applying for positions in the diabetes field and for academics and educators training the healthcare workforce.
- Healthcare providers to reflect on their strengths and weaknesses in diabetes education and care to align their professional development with the capabilities.
- Universities and colleges to ensure adequate, consistent diabetes content based on current evidence-based to inform the design and development of capacity building opportunities through constructive alignment of learning outcomes with the Capability Framework.
- Managers to assist in planning professional development, recruitment, and staff career development that allign with the relevant capabilities and practice levels required.
- Healthcare employers to benchmark the current capabilities within their team delivering diabetes education and care.
- Peak health professional organisations to identify capacity-building opportunities and promote inclusion of the diabetes capabilities in all courses they accredit.
- Health organisations to determine whether the organisation has access to health professionals at each diabetes practice level and, address these gaps alongside local quality and accreditation processes.
- Policy-makers to inform policy and decision-making regarding health professionals involved in the management of diabetes and to achieve the goals of the Australian National Diabetes Strategy 2021-2030.
 |
Health Professionals and Health Assistants
It will help you think about your current capability levels and how you can develop yourself to get to where you want to go.
|
 |
Course Coordinators and Tutors
It will help guide you with the current capabilities required for diabetes care and the level you need to teach for the relevant practice levels.
|
How to use the Capability Framework for Diabetes Care
Find out more
The Framework and each practice level can be accessed and downloaded from the Resource Library. If you would like further information about the Framework please contact us.