Issue - meetings

Making Every Contact Count (MECC) is about altering how we interact with people through having healthy conversations and learning how to spot opportunities to talk to people about their wellbeing.  The attached report seeks the approval and commitment from the Board to implementing MECC locally.

The Board considered a report and received a presentation regarding Making Every Contact Count (MECC).  This involved altering how staff interact with people through having healthy conversations and learning how to spot opportunities to talk to people about their wellbeing.

The presentation covered the following issues:

·  Overview of MECC

·  The local approach

·  How implementation will be supported.  MECC is a national initiative and is intended to be brief. It should be enabling and empowering and not forcing or telling.

·  The aim is to provide a structure to help staff to undertake healthy conversations with their patients and support them in making healthy lifestyle choices.

·  Training will be provided using a cascade model.

·  Progress made – a co-ordinator has been appointed, a small grant application process has been set up, 12 trainers are in place and 88 staff have been trained.

The Board members were very supportive of this initiative and were happy to champion it.  It was acknowledged that although older people are currently considered to be a higher priority, the programme will also aim to engage young people using a phased approach.

Elaine Wainwright stated that Bath Spa University would be keen to be involved with this project and noted that the training provided would be skills based rather than topic based.

Jayne Caroll stated that Virgin Care would welcome the opportunity to look at this from the perspective of the role of the Health Visitor.

Hayley Richards stated that a large proportion of the AWP workforce were practitioners.  There was a small concern that people do not find it easy to talk about mental health issues.  It was acknowledged that the evaluation of the project would not be straightforward but that the approach should become a natural part of a person’s role.

A copy of the presentation slides is attached as Appendix 1 to these minutes.

RESOLVED:

(1)  To note the approach for implementing Making Every Contact Count (MECC).

(2)  To agree the suggested key principles for local implementation:

·  A focus on MECC Level 1: very brief intervention/healthy conversations.

·  Delivering MECC Plus to include the wider determinants.

·  A phased approach with identified target audiences.

·  A model of cascading the training/learning.

(3)  To provide high level support and commitment to MECC.