Every time a consumer engages with a mental health service it provides an opportunity for clinicians to work together to understand physical health issues and how they impact on recovery goals and to offer help and support to address them. This includes working with the consumer’s family, carers and support community to better understand their health needs and goals, and this applies across service settings (inpatient and community).

Equally well in Victoria places consumers at the centre of making decisions about their physical health. The framework describes five interconnected clinical practice domains that are underpinned by seven core practice principles that support physical health care in Victorian specialist mental health services.

The framework describes the necessary elements at the organisation and clinical practice levels to guide implementation of physical health in a consistent way across Victoria.