Endocrinology & Diabetes
The paediatric endocrine service offers assessment and management of disorders of growth and puberty, adrenal disorders, sexual ambiguity, pituitary dysfunction, thyroid dysfunction, hypoglycaemia, abnormalities of fluid and electrolyte balance, disorders of calcium and bone metabolism and diabetes.
Inpatient services include treatment of ketoacidosis, stabilisation of new onset and poorly controlled diabetics, management of diabetes during admission to John Hunter Children's Hospital for reasons other than diabetes and initiation of insulin pump therapy.
We have particular expertise in managing young children using insulin pumps and have pioneered the ezy-BICC injection management system which provides for greater flexibility in meal size while using multiple daily injections.
As part of our inpatient and outpatient services we offer an education program for newly diagnosed diabetic children and their parents. Clinic visits are 3 monthly. An HbA1C is performed at each visit with the result immediately available.
Education programs and seminars, and support groups are run by our team. The nurse educators also do school visits to facilitate the safe integration of children with diabetes into their schools.
Patient and Parent Information
Type 1 Diabetes Information
Diabetes Information Sheets
Type 1 diabetes information sheets
Gluten free diabetic recipes
Forever Yum is a book of over 60 recipes for everyday and celebration foods designed for a gluten free diabetic diet.
Management of coeliac disease and type 1 diabetes requires lifelong avoidance of gluten and attention to the carbohydrate content of foods.
Members of the team and what they do?
Your doctor (Endocrinologist) is a specialist in caring for diabetes and endocrine conditions in children and teenagers. A doctor will see you most days during your hospital stay to adjust your insulin doses and other medications and manage your medical treatment. They will review your progress every three months in the clinic. Our medical team also includes a Paediatric Registrar & Resident Doctor who assist the endocrinologists.
Your diabetes educator (Clinical Nurse Consultant) will teach you how to measure blood glucose levels, give insulin, manage high or low blood glucose levels, and generally adapt the diabetes treatment to your life. For children with endocrine conditions they will instruct you on how to give your injected and oral medications.
Your dietitian will assess your nutrient intake and will teach you how to match your insulin dose to your food intake. Management of exercise, parties and eating out is also discussed and a healthy lifestyle is encouraged. For children with coeliac disease or requiring a special diet they will help you with these.
Your social worker will provide emotional and practical support in hospital around your child and family's adjustment to diagnosis and the hospital environment. Parenting advice and therapeutic support is also offered to children and young people and their families after discharge as needed.
We work closely with your family doctor (General Practitioner) who will continue to provide your routine health cares such as immunisations, scripts for medications including insulin, and review of routine pathology tests that were ordered at the hospital. Your family doctor can help by developing a Enhanced Care Plan to help track your progress.
The Diabetes and Endocrine Team
Endocrinologists:
A/Prof P Crock
Dr R Seckold
Dr K Vora
Dr P Lopez
Dr B King
Attached to our unit we also have a rotating Paediatric Registrar and a Senior Resident Medical Officer
Nurse Clinicians & Educators:
Liz Nunn
Michelle Neylan
Megan Paterson
Helen Phelan
Alison Wright
Donna Williams (inpatient endocrine testing)
Dietitians:
Carmel Smart
Marcelle Pappas
Emma Fisher
Social Worker:
Anne McCrea
How do I make an appointment?
Use SeNT eReferral to send referrals to HNELHD. If your GP management system does not support SeNT, you may FAX referral to (02)49 223904.
Children and young people who become seriously unwell with diabetes or an endocrine disorder should be brought to the John Hunter Accident and Emergency Department for initial assessment.
Contact details
Administration
Ph: (02)49 855634 or (02)49855274
Urgent enquiries
If your problem is very urgent please call John Hunter Hospital switch on (02)49 213000 and ask to speak with the paediatric endocrinologist on call.