Making Every Contact Count (MECC) -17th February 2026

Making Every Contact Count (MECC) is a transformative approach to behaviour change that utilises the millions of day-to-day interactions that organisations and individuals have with other people to support them in making positive changes to their physical and mental health and wellbeing. This training promotes a culture change towards prevention and promoting good health by equipping frontline staff with the skills to have brief, meaningful conversations about health behaviours. MECC involves giving brief advice about the importance of behaviour change and simple signposting to appropriate lifestyle services for support, making every interaction an opportunity to improve health outcomes.

Information about this training

This interactive training session covers the fundamentals of MECC, including what it is, why it's needed, and how to implement it effectively. Participants will learn the philosophy of healthy conversations, including expressing empathy, avoiding labelling, being supportive, and understanding the wider determinants of health. The session includes practical activities on developing exploratory questions, real-play examples, and conversation reflection exercises. You'll learn SMARTER goal setting techniques (Specific, Measurable, Action Orientated, Realistic, Timed, Evaluated, Reviewed) and explore how MECC applies to key public health priorities including smoking, alcohol, physical activity, healthy eating, and NHS Health Checks. The training emphasises that people come to us with solutions and that being given information alone does not make people change. The content of this training may be adapted throughout the year in response to participant feedback and emerging updates to ensure it remains current, relevant, and aligned with service needs.”

Learning outcomes

By the end of this training, participants will be able to:

• Understand the MECC approach and its importance in promoting health and wellbeing
• Recognize the need for culture change towards prevention in healthcare settings
• Apply healthy conversation skills that are empathetic, supportive, and non-confrontational
• Understand and respect that people have different beliefs and come with their own solutions
• Develop effective exploratory questions to support behaviour change conversations
• Practice healthy conversation techniques through real-play scenarios
• Support clients with SMARTER goal setting to achieve sustainable behaviour change
• Understand the wider determinants of health and their impact on behaviour
• Provide brief advice and signposting to appropriate lifestyle services
• Apply MECC principles across multiple health priorities including smoking, alcohol, physical activity, and healthy eating
• Reflect on their own practice and conversations with clients

Who is the course aimed at?

This training is aimed at all frontline staff and healthcare professionals who have regular contact with the public across any setting. This includes reception staff, health trainers, community workers, pharmacy staff, practice staff, health visitors, nurses, allied health professionals, social care workers, voluntary sector staff, and anyone who has day-to-day interactions with people in Hertfordshire. MECC is relevant for all staff who want to make a positive difference to people's health and wellbeing through brief, opportunistic conversations.

Entry requirements to do this course

None

How you will be assessed

No assessment for this training.

What happens after I book this training?

After booking the training, you'll receive a confirmation email with pre-course requirements and course details. Post-training, a follow-up email will provide instructions to complete for your participation certificate. You'll also have the option to engage in follow-up communication.

Contact us details

01442 453 071

HealthImprovementService@hertfordshire.gov.uk

Venue

Online (MS Teams)