Physical Health is Everyone’s Business: Let’s make it standard practice

Abstract

Author(s):

Rebecca Hallam¹ and Liza Hopkins¹

Affiliations:

1. Headspace YEPP

Whilst at a societal level there have been challenges in bringing Mental Health to everyone’s attention, from a traditional Mental Health Care perspective Physical Health has not been at the top of the agenda. With a groundswell of attention towards considering the physical health perspective, perhaps the time is right to flip the focus. This requires a multi-faceted approach to increase knowledge, awareness and confidence of Mental Health Clinicians in addressing physical health concerns, as well as empowering consumers to make choices that improve their physical health and overall wellbeing.

Exercise Physiology is a discipline that considers health from that holistic perspective. Whilst many people benefit from specific exercise prescription to treat their condition, it is also about addressing the underlying barriers to participation. Accredited Exercise Physiologists tackle the challenges from the physical, psychological, emotional and social perspectives to support people to maximise their opportunity to exercise for both enjoyment and optimal health.

There are a number of Mental Health Services across the country where Exercise Physiologists have been a vital part in ‘flying the flag’ for addressing physical health concerns and implementing clinical exercise interventions. This presentation will explore the challenges and triumphs of one service’s experience in not only introducing Exercise Physiology into recovery, but also the multiple layers from which physical health must be approached in order to facilitate the changes in culture, practice and every day interaction that are necessary for embedding physical health in to standard care for those experiencing Severe Mental Illness.

Themes to be explored will include: Culture change – organisation wide, management, treatment teams and individual clinicians; training – improving knowledge for both clients and staff; infrastructure – what is required to support this to happen: equipment, staffing, resources.