Making Every Contact Count

If so, you can help create a healthier city.

Every day, countless staff and volunteers have discussions around health and wellbeing with thousands of people. Making Every Contact Count (MECC) aims to use these conversations as opportunities to maintain and, where possible, improve mental and physical health.

MECC is about encouraging and supporting people to make healthier lifestyle choices and positive behavioural changes. It is a ‘whole system’ approach, enabling any staff and volunteers to provide information on key lifestyle issues improving people’s health.

'In Milton Keynes 72.5% of adults are overweight or obese, 9.6% of reception-age children are obese and nearly 18.8% of children in year 6 are obese'.

(Active People Survey 2012; NCMP 2013/2014)

The long-term strategy is clear: to nurture a healthier population and reduce NHS costs. To be successful, organisations must foster a culture of support for continuous health improvement.

However, MECC is not only for service users, it is also incredibly valuable for all internal staff. Organisations that commit to implementing MECC will not only see improved health and wellbeing in the people they serve but also in the people they work with.

The programme focuses on five key areas of lifestyle behaviour:

Hands

  • Smoking
  • Weight Management
  • Physical Activity
  • Alcohol
  • Mental Health and Wellbeing

Visit www.makingeverycontactcount.co.uk for a more detailed look at what the programme offers and why it works.