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Making every contact count

Making Every Contact Count (MECC)

'Making Every Contact Count’ or MECC, is a national initiative that aims to improve the health of the people around us.

The MECC approach encourages us all to have very brief conversations about health issues as part of the everyday contact that we have with other people and if appropriate, let them know where they can get further information or support.

Why should I MECC?

Appropriately encouraging someone talk about an issue affecting their health may:

lead to them taking action which improves their health
have a positive impact on their quality of life and that of those around them
improve their experience of the services we offer and commission.

How can I MECC?

In order to Make Every Contact Count, we encourage you to:

become informed of the facts about a range of health issues that affect our residents
take opportunities to have brief, sensitive conversations when anyone with whom you have contact raises a health issue
encourage those with whom you talk to get further information and support from specialist services
be confident in the small but significant role we can all play in improving the health of people in Brent.

What Support is there for me to MECC?

For services in Brent we offer a range of free, 60-90 minute briefings on various topics that impact on the health of our population.

These briefings, do not replace core training however they act as a refresher and stimulus for conversations between colleagues, they are usually delivered during team meetings and where possible are tailored to suit the context of each team.

Each briefing will:

build on the knowledge that participants already have
focus on updates to guidance, legislation, best practice & evidence based research
provide information about local and national specialist support services and further learning opportunities
encourage participants to Make Every Contact Count.

MECC briefings

Topic	What will be covered in the briefing
Dementia	Basic understanding of dementia Completing the session enables participants to become ’Dementia Friends’
Domestic Abuse	Coercion and control Gaslighting Clare’s law Revenge porn and consent Specialist support services for both victims/survivors and perpetrators of domestic abuse
Housing and Homelessness	What to do if you’re in contact with someone who is homeless or is at risk of homelessness Functions of our housing teams Role we all play in ‘Preventing and Relieving Homelessness’
Covid-19	Infection Control; PPE; Testing; Contact Tracing; Vaccinations; Health Inequalities and Community Engagement Essential actions required to reduce the spread of infection and respond appropriately to Government guidance Versions of this session focus on different topics/guidance as appropriate for the participants.
Mental Wellbeing	‘5+1 ways to wellbeing’ Factors likely to increase a person’s resilience to the difficulties of life Services that enhance wellbeing in Brent Local and national specialist support services
Mental Health	Local and national services that support people with common mental health conditions Referral pathways and thresholds In some cases, it may be possible to merge the Mental Wellbeing and Mental Health briefings into one 90 minute briefing
Safeguarding (Children & Adults)	Similarities and differences between safeguarding children and safeguarding adults Impact that Adverse Childhood Experiences have on adult health conditions Legislation, guidance and past cases What is expected in regard to safeguarding others and their data
Substance Misuse (including Gangs and County Lines)	How we define drugs Why people use drugs Ethics of drug use (impact of gangs and county lines on Brent) Impact drug use has on modern slavery and the environment Dependence and recovery Local and national specialist support services

In the past we have also offered briefings on the following topics and if appropriate (and depending on capacity), we may also be able deliver these or weave some of these issues into our briefings:

An Introduction to MECC & Models of Behaviour Change
Basic Drugs Awareness
Communicable Diseases (including Flu, HIV, Hepatitis, TB, etc.)
Dishonour Based Abuse
Female Genital Mutilation
Fire & Carbon Monoxide Safety
Forced Marriage
Safety
Oral Health
Protecting Ourselves and Residents from Common Health Hazards
Sexual Exploitation and Consent
Sexual Health
Tobacco (including Shisha, Paan & Vaping)

More information

For further details about the aim and learning objectives for each briefing, or to enquire about the possibility of a MECC session being delivered in your team or group meeting, please contact:

Sandy Youngson
mecc@brent.gov.uk