Move with Mob will be an eight-week outpatient physiotherapy program designed with and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Co-designed with the Metro North Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders Community, the program will combine culturally informed physiotherapy, tailored exercise, health education and yarning in a welcoming, supportive environment. 

Each weekly session will provide opportunities for participants to build confidence, improve mobility and physical function, and connect with others through shared experiences.  

To help remove barriers to participation, the program will also provide transport assistance, morning tea and multidisciplinary support where needed. Delivered, wherever possible, by an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander physiotherapist, Move with Mob will offer a culturally safe model of care that supports people to improve their health while feeling respected, connected and empowered.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples continue to experience significant inequities in health outcomes and access to healthcare. Within outpatient physiotherapy services, these inequities are often reflected in lower attendance, reduced continuity of care and lower engagement with traditional models of rehabilitation. 

Many people face barriers that extend beyond physical health, including experiences of culturally unsafe care, limited trust in health services and practical challenges that make it difficult to attend ongoing appointments. As a result, opportunities to improve mobility, manage pain and prevent long-term disability can be missed. 

To better understand how physiotherapy services could better meet community needs, the Physiotherapy Department at Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH) will partner with the Metro North Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders Community through a series of yarning circles. 

The goal is a culturally informed physiotherapy program that supports physical health while strengthening connection, confidence and ongoing engagement with care. The pilot would then help inform future models of culturally safe rehabilitation that could benefit Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Metro North Health.