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Making Every Contact Count

Supporting the public, private, voluntary and community sectors to share healthy lifestyle messages with individuals across the North East and North Cumbria.

What is Making Every Contact Count?

Making Every Contact Count (MECC) is an approach to behaviour change that uses the day-to-day interactions that health and social care staff have with people to support them in making positive changes to their physical and mental health and wellbeing.

South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is encouraging everyone working in its hospitals and healthcare services to support MECC.

But MECC interventions don’t need to be undertaken by healthcare professionals, everyone can have a role to play.

The idea of MECC is simple. Every day we all have hundreds of contacts that can support an increase in health and wellbeing conversations. A small change can make a big difference.

MECC focuses on the lifestyle issues that can make the greatest improvement to someone’s health such as stopping smoking, reducing alcohol, looking after mental health and cost of living support.   

The 4 As

  • Ask – use the opportunity to strike up a conversation or respond to a situation, for example a smoker’s cough or difficulty using stairs, during day-to-day contact with someone
  • Assess – decide if you feel the time is right to continue the conversation, if not leave the door open for another time
  • Advise – give messages about the benefits of healthy lifestyle change and tips to achieve them
  • Assist – share information or signpost people to where they can find local support

How staff can get more involved

Across the region there are a range of initiatives to ensure that MECC is embedded. A core element of this is a regional training programme. For more information contact [email protected]

The link button below takes you to a simple very brief intervention and signposting tool that has been designed to support MECC conversations across the region along with a database of regional MECC referral resources:

Making Every Contact Count – North East and North Cumbria