Keeping the Body in Mind: Primary Care
Dr Hamish Fibbins
Director Translational Research
Dr Hamish Fibbins
PhD
Director Translational Research
Dr Hamish Fibbins
PhD
Director Translational Research
Hamish is the Director Translational Research for Mindgardens, working with research leads and clinical services to implement research into practice at the system and service levels. In addition to supporting the strategic development of the organisation, Hamish was appointed in 2022 to lead the future direction and management of the Mindgardens Psychosis Flagship and its research portfolio.
In addition to completing a PhD with the UNSW Discipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Hamish has worked clinically as a mental health exercise physiologist and in health services management as a quality improvement advisor. He currently holds a Conjoint Senior Lecturer position with UNSW, Sydney.
Building upon the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District’s Keeping the Body in Mind program, this primary care service provides exercise, diet, smoking cessation, peer support and health coaching to people living with complex mental disorders who receive care from their GP, or other primary care provider.
About the project
Historically, only people whose care was managed by South Eastern Sydney Local Health District mental health services could access the Keeping the Body in Mind program. Individuals who received mental health support from their GP were not eligible and there were no other similar services.
Responding to this gap, Central and Eastern Sydney Primary Health Network (CESPHN) funded Keeping the Body in Mind Primary Care, which allows GPs and other primary health care workers to refer people with complex mental health conditions to the service.
Clients can access up to ten free sessions each with an exercise physiologist, dietitian and nicotine treatment specialist, with telehealth support options and face to face appointments operating out of the UNSW Medicine and Health Lifestyle Clinic. Clients can also access a peer support worker, who supports with maintaining health and lifestyle goals through the lens of lived experience. Clients will also have the option to attend group sessions.
Keeping the Body in Mind Primary Care includes:
- a detailed assessment of exercise, diet, medical and smoking/vaping history
- goal setting and barrier identification
- education around the physical and mental health benefits of eating well, exercising regularly and quitting smoking/vaping
- development of personalised physical activity and diet programs
- trauma- and mental health-informed practices
- access to peer support
- referral pathways into existing community resources to promote long-term benefits
Eligibility criteria:
- Diagnosis of a severe mental illness (eg. schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder)
- Not currently having care managed by a public mental health service
- Reside within Central and Eastern Sydney PHN
- Aged between 18-75 years
How to join the program:
Referrals can be made using the following link: https://redcap.link/KBIM_primary
(Referral must be made by a GP, primary-care clinician or relevant NGO. This service is currently available only in the Central & Eastern Sydney PHN region.)
Funding Sources
- Central and Eastern Sydney Primary Health Network
- Maridulu Budyari Gumal, the Sydney Partnership for Health, Education, Research and Enterprise (SPHERE)
Keeping the Body in Mind: Vaccines
Keeping the Body in Mind: Primary Care
Addi Moves: Exercise for People from Refugee and Asylum Seeking Backgrounds
Keep Quitting in Mind: Smoking & Vaping Support
Keeping the Body in Mind(gardens): Resources
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Mindgardens Neuroscience Network acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognises their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respect to them and their cultures, and to Elders past, present and emerging.
We acknowledge the voices of people with lived experience, their carers, families and kinship groups. We recognise the expertise acquired through living with a mental health, drug and alcohol or neurological disorder and acknowledge those who care for people on their recovery journey. We place lived experience at the heart of all that we do.
Brings together the strengths of four founding organisations
