The NHS is trialling a new treatment method developed in Australia in order to help improve the levels of physical activity for those who suffer from mental disorders in the UK.

Those currently being treated for mental illness are often prescribed with antipsychotic medication, however this can lead to rapid weight gain within its initial usage period.

To combat this issue, along with generally seeking to help the wellbeing of patients through increased exercise, a programme was originally developed in the Bondi Beach area of Australia five years ago to improve the lives of young patients.

The Keeping the Body in Mind method is a multidisciplinary programme, which advises patients on what exercise to do, as well as what to eat and how to prepare their meals.

Each participant is given 12 weekly individual sessions with both an exercise physiologist and specialist dietitian, while weekly group sessions and gym access is also provided to patients.

Such has been the success of the scheme in Australia; it is now undergoing a formal cost effectiveness analysis, with the hope of wider adoption.

In the UK, the scheme is being trialled by the NHS in Worcester, in the form of its Shape (Supporting Health and Promoting Exercise) programme for young people with psychosis.

If it proves successful, Shape could be rolled out across the UK to work in accordance with the new MOT method, which sees trusts paid to open up discussions on smoking statuses and diet, while also monitoring the weight, blood pressure, glucose and cholesterol levels of people with mental health issues.

Exercise referral is a topic becoming increasingly prominent in the discourse surrounding public health delivery, with conversations recently looking at whether the health and fitness industry is fully qualified to deliver professional advice and guidance – a question becoming increasingly pertinent should programmes like Shape be implemented across the country.

The discussions come following a switch that sees local authorities now taking the lead for improving health and coordinating local efforts to protect the public’s health and wellbeing.