Abstract

Author(s)

Jenny Bowman, Kate Bartlem, Tara Clinton-McHarg, Lauren Gibson, Julia Dray, Caitlin Fehily, Magdalena Wilczynska, Olivia Wynne, Joanna Latter

Introduction

Community managed organisations (CMOs) may play a valuable role in providing preventive care to people living with a mental health condition (consumers) to improve lifestyle health behaviours (related to smoking, nutrition, alcohol and physical activity). Little research however has explored the extent to which this potential is being realised or how the capacity of CMOs to provide preventive care might be increased. This presentation provides an overview of the NSW-wide ‘CMO Connect’ project; designed to address this gap.

Methods

The project is triangulating data collected from CMO leaders, staff and consumers, using both quantitative and qualitative methods. It is assessing the current provision of preventive care, barriers and facilitators to provision, as well as consumer views of acceptability. Data is informing the conduct of a pilot trial of co-developed strategies to increase the capacity of CMOs and staff to support consumers in improving lifestyle health behaviours.

Results and Findings

This presentation will provide an overview of key findings from the project to date. Despite consumer expectation of receiving preventive care from their CMO support workers, such care is infrequently provided systematically, across behaviours, for all consumers. Factors likely to facilitate routine and comprehensive care provision include: staff training and guidelines; the availability of funding at both a service and consumer level; the degree to which the importance of a healthy lifestyle is embedded within organisational culture; and awareness of supports which might be offered by other CMOs and services, and to which consumers might be connected.

Discussion

Tailored strategies are required, co-developed with CMO staff and consumers, to increase the capacity for preventive care provision to consumers. Given diversity across CMOs in care and funding models, and in staff and consumer characteristics, strategies which can be adapted to a range of settings will be especially important.