Free health coaching to support your patients
The Get Healthy Service provides free, flexible health coaching that supports the care you already provide.
The Get Healthy Service uses evidence-based behaviour change and goal-setting techniques to help participants improve their health and:
- make healthier lifestyle changes
- manage long-term conditions, such as type 2 diabetes
- reduce their risk of lifestyle-related disease.
Coaching is available by phone or online, providing practical support that fits around busy lives. Get Healthy Service is available for everyone in NSW, including regional and remote areas.
How the Get Healthy Service supports patients
Participants can choose support to help achieve their health goals, including:
- eating well
- being more physically active
- reaching and maintaining a healthy weight
- having a healthy pregnancy
- cutting down on alcohol, and avoiding alcohol during pregnancy
- preventing and managing diabetes
- healthy ageing, including reducing the risk of falls
- improving sleep
- support during and after cancer treatment.
How the service works
People who register to the Get Healthy Service receive:
- access to their own qualified health coach
- support and motivation to set health goals that matter to them
- up to 10 regular confidential coaching calls at a time that suits them
- help to track goals, actions and progress
- support to work through barriers and stay on track to reaching their health goals
- the option to book coaching sessions online
- optional online learning modules and webinars
The time it takes to complete the program will vary. When participants finish, they can re-enrol for more coaching or register for Get Healthy Stay Healthy for SMS (text message) support to help maintain their goals.
Language, accessibility and culturally safe support
The Get Healthy Service is available in Mandarin and Cantonese.
Free interpreter services are available in more than 150 languages through the Translating and Interpreting Service.
Support for people who are deaf or hard of hearing is available through the National Relay Service.
Aboriginal health coaches provide culturally safe support and tailored resources to support health and wellbeing. Learn more about the Get Healthy Service for Aboriginal people.
Who to refer
You can refer people living in NSW aged 16 years and over including:
- women planning a pregnancy
- pregnant or have recently given birth (post-partum), including those in GP shared maternity care
- adults with, or at risk of, chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease
- people living with have cancer but generally well, or in recovery (survivorship)
- older people who need support to eat well, keep moving and reduce their risk of falls.
Why refer
This section provides the key participant outcomes based on the following study.
Szewczyk Z, McGill B, Clare P, Lee K, Davidson S, Jeong SY, Bauman A, O'Hara BJ. Sustainable chronic disease prevention at scale: Evaluation of the Get Healthy Service, a telephone and online coaching service. Prev Med. 2025 Sep; 198:108357. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2025.108357. Epub 2025 Jul 9.
All participants
Participants in the program achieved:
- an increase in physical activity of 44 minutes per week
- a 30% increase in vegetable intake
- an 11% increase in fruit intake
- a 31% reduction in takeaway meals
- a 44% reduction in sugary drink intake
- an average weight loss of 1.45kg and a reduction in body mass index (BMI) of 0.51 kg/m²* and a reduction in waist circumference of 2.74 cm*.
*Weight-related outcomes exclude participants in the Get Healthy in Pregnancy program.
Priority populations (Aboriginal participants)
Aboriginal participants in the program achieved:
- an increased physical activity by 55 minutes per week
- an average weight loss of 2.25 kg and reduced BMW by 0.75 kg/m².
Learn more about the Get Healthy Service for Aboriginal people.
Participants receiving diabetes support
Participants in the program achieved:
- an increase in physical activity by 49 minutes each week
- an average weight loss of 2.7 kg and reduced BMI by 0.95 kg/m²
- a reduction in waist circumference by 3.38cm.
Explore more research and publications from the Get Healthy Service.
How to refer a patient
You can support your patients to access qualified support to build healthy habits. To refer a patient, you can:
- refer and register your patient online
- download and complete the relevant forms from this list:
Once complete you can fax it to 1300 013 242
Referral forms are also available on:
- Medical Director and Best Practice software
- digital referral pathways in all public maternity sites.
To learn how to refer your patients to the Get Healthy Service through your clinical software, download:
- Medical Director support instructions (PDF 413.42KB)
- Best Practice support instructions (PDF 880.72KB)
Referrals to the Get Healthy Service will also be available through EPIC when single digital patient record (SDPR) is launched in your district.
After you refer a patient
After receiving your referral, we contact the patient. To make sure people are suitable to take part in the service, we complete a screening assessment.
At first contact, the client concierge will:
- explain how the service works
- confirm the reason for the referral
- identify areas where support is needed, such as healthy eating, physical activity or a healthy pregnancy.
The first coaching call is then booked. A health assessment survey is sent for the participant to complete before the appointment.
The survey covers:
- the participant's area of interest
- their current eating and physical activity habits
- relevant life circumstances
- weight-related information (if healthy pregnancy or weight management is selected).
Participants can skip questions. Coaches can collect any missing information during the first coaching call.
If a medical professional has not confirmed that a patient is fit to take part at the time of referral, a medical safety screening is completed during the first coaching call.
The medical screening will cover:
- recent hospital stays
- heart conditions, including high blood pressure
- breathing (respiratory) conditions
- any falls in the past 12 months
- sudden or unexplained weight loss.
Participants identified as higher risk are referred to their General Practitioner (doctor) for medical clearance before starting the program.
All participants are also screened for:
- risk of type 2 diabetes
- alcohol intake.
Tailored support is offered based on their individual risk level.
What to expect after your patient has enrolled
Your patient's health coaching journey will begin when they are cleared to join the service.
After your patient has successfully enrolled, you’ll receive a confirmation email.
They will gain access to the service where they can work towards personalised health goals with support.
Finishing their final session is a milestone to celebrate with your patient.
If they have agreed to share their information, you will receive a progress report, which we encourage you to discuss with them.
Patients can re-enrol in the service by calling us or through a new referral form – ideally within 4 weeks so they can continue to use their existing data.
They can also call to enrol in Get Healthy, Stay Healthy, a free health text message service offering continued support.
You may be invited to complete a short survey about your experience. We appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback.