Healthy Cornwall: Making Every Contact Count

Cost: FREE

Making Every Contact Count (MECC) is an approach to improving health and reducing health inequalities developed by the NHS and local government. It is a way of encouraging people to make healthier lifestyle choices and to achieve positive long-term behaviour change.

MECC focuses on the lifestyle issues that, when addressed, can make the greatest improvement to an individual’s health and wellbeing:

• Stopping smoking
• Managing alcohol intake
• Healthy eating and keeping to a healthy weight
• Being physically active
• Improving mental health and wellbeing

The EPIC study found an increase in life expectancy of 14 years in patients who simply made these key lifestyle choices.

MECC’s approach is to utilise the many conversations we have daily and use them, where appropriate, to encourage and support a change in behaviour.

By training staff to engage with individuals holistically, treating every conversation as an opportunity to discuss the full spectrum of health issues, people are more likely to think about their health and make positive changes.