Author(s)

Carmen Negoita

Affiliations

Eastern Community Mental Health Service

Introduction

Background: People with severe mental illness die up to 20 years earlier than the general population, often due to preventable physical conditions. Addressing this inequity is central to the Equally Well initiative.

Role of the Nurse Practitioner: A Nurse Practitioner with a dedicated Equally Well scope of practice has been embedded within the Central Adelaide Health Network – Eastern Community Mental Health Team to lead integrated, physical health–focused care.

Discussion

Key activities
• Conducting physical health assessments, follow-up, and providing easy-to-understand, consumertailored health education.
• Initiating routine cardiometabolic screening, including blood tests for consumers less likely to engage with general practitioners.
• Linking and referring mental health consumers to accessible general practice and outpatient services.
• Providing smoking cessation support through a program tailored to the specific needs of people with mental illness.
• Conducting medication reviews to monitor side effects and interactions.
• Delivering staff education on physical health risks and early intervention.
• Introducing home and in clinic blood collection services for consumers at risk of physical health deterioration, including those on high-risk medications such as clozapine.

Outcomes to date
• Greater consumer engagement in health discussions
• Early identification of health risks and improved referrals to primary care
• Increased staff confidence in addressing physical health

Future directions
• Improve data collection to monitor long-term impact
• Strengthen integration between mental health and primary care systems
• Introduce peer support workers in physical health initiatives

Conclusion

This work demonstrates the vital role Nurse Practitioners can play in driving Equally Well principles within community mental health settings—bridging the gap between mental and physical health through proactive, person-centred care.