About GPSI Diabetes

Dr Janet Titchener introduced New Zealand to a cutting edge approach to diabetes management when she opened GPSI Diabetes in Hawke's Bay. That was over 15 years ago. Today, this cutting edge approach, known as patient-centered care  is recognised by experts as an essential component of diabetes care if good clinical outcomes are to be achieved. GPSI Diabetes is the only provider in New Zealand to provide a truly patient centered approach to diabetes care and not surprisingly, is now providing care to people all over New Zealand and overseas.

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At the time a person is diagnosed with diabetes, they are generally given a set of instructions which they are expected to follow -  "you need to lose weight", "you should take insulin", "you should exercise". In other words they are expecting a person to change their lifestyle and life choices so they fit into a prescribed diabetes management regime.

At GPSI Diabetes we recognise each person is a unique individual with their own set of beliefs and priorities about their life, and that management success will not occur if treatments being selected do not suit the patient’s unique life situations and/or cultural and personal beliefs. There are many different ways to manage diabetes and we believe that if you are provided with information about all of these choices, then you will be able to select the management regime that is going to suit you and your life the best. In other words, it is quite possible for you to fit your diabetes into your life as opposed to fitting your life into diabetes.

GPSI Diabetes is also unique in that it provides care for all types of diabetes and for all ages - paediatrics to adulthood. Trained as a Primary Care Physician, Board Certified in Advanced Diabetes Management (AADE) and with a Masters in Psychology, Dr Janet provides specialist diabetes care against a background holistic approach. Her philosophy is to "do myself out of business" by empowering each individual with the knowledge to independently self-manage their own diabetes.

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With rooms in Havelock North (Hawkes Bay) and Auckland, our friendly professional team aims to provide you with information to understand your particular type of diabetes and involve you in the medical decision-making

GPSI Diabetes believes empowering patients will change health care systems around the world - and that this can only be achieved by using a patient centered approach. Click HERE to find out more about patient centered care and what receiving this care would mean for you.

Our team

Dr Janet Titchener - Clinical Director 

MD, MA, BC-ADM (AADE), AAFP, RNZCGP

I have been the Clinical Director at GPSI Diabetes for over 15 years and have close to 25 years experience in diabetes management.

I completed my medical training at one of America's top institutions (University of Pennsylvania/Lancaster General). It was during my training as a Family Physician  that I developed my interest in diabetes - and developed the patient centered approach to diabetes management that is used at GPSI Diabetes today. After completing a Fellowship and board certificatioin, I joined the faculty at Lancaster General to teach general medicine and diabetes management both within the hospital setting and the community. 
 
In New Zealand, I continue to teach other providers, regularly giving training courses for registrars, GPs and nurses. 
 
I am actively involved in research with a number of publications. Diabetes a manual for providers delivering patient centred care to people with diabetes. (2014) has been widely used in New Zealand and subsequently published internationally (2020) and translated into multiple languages under the new title Diabetes management. A manual for patient-centred care (CRC Press) 

Indika De Saram - Front desk staff

Indi has recently come on board, replacing Sally who has recently retired

I look forward to introducing you to Indi -  with a photo and introductory bio in the near future.