Positive change through simple conversations

With the NHS struggling to cope with the crisis of rising long term and mental health conditions, we need to implement more preventative health measures to intervene early. To become a healthier nation, the UK needs to adopt behaviour changes to promote good health outcomes such as reducing drinking, exercising more and eating healthier. One effect approach to address these issues is ‘Making Every Contact Count’ (MECC).

The MECC approach – which involves a range of professionals being trained to have short, informal, focused conversations about health behaviour topics – is effective in introducing health behaviour change conversations into a variety of settings. We know that there are many benefits to MECC in promoting behaviour change and dealing with issues like the stigmatisation of certain conditions.

MECC training has overwhelming public support

Key recommendations

1. The government should direct more funding into preventative community
care and utilise the wider public health workforce to reduce strain on
the NHS.

The government should support approaches like MECC which can help to prevent
conditions from worsening by encouraging the public to get help early and teaching
individuals to implement positive health behaviour changes into their lives. This sort
of early-intervention approach will help to reduce the strain on the NHS, particularly
on A&E departments. Such approaches should go hand in hand with investment
to ensure that the public can access services in a timely manner, rather than being
forced to wait until they reach a crisis point.

2. Local authorities, businesses, and sector leaders should consider how they
can integrate different MECC approaches into a variety of settings and how
they can support staff to access training

Local Authorities and sector leaders can meet the needs of their communities by
implementing a variety of MECC programmes into different settings, such as schools
and care homes. This will help to make communities healthier places and improve the
public’s understanding of health issues. Local authorities should look at the needs of
their populations to determine which settings and/or MECC programmes would be
more helpful. For example, an area with a large population over 65 might want to focus
on MECC programmes which would meet the needs of this group. The eagerness
of the public for a range of professionals to be better trained in having health
conversations also highlights an opening for businesses to implement this training
across their employees.

3. The core and wider public health workforce need further training in low-level
behaviour change approaches, with the MECC framework providing a strong
overarching approach

The core and wider public health workforce are uniquely placed in that they can have
daily opportunities to implement MECC through regular contact with the public. Our
research has demonstrated that there is significant interest amongst the workforce
to engage in training, and the public would value this training being rolled out to more
issues and a diverse range of staff. To make this a reality, we should ensure that
everyone whose role could enable them to deliver behaviour change interventions is
given the training and support they need to do so, supported by their employers and
the health service.