Making Every Contact Count:

Making Every Early Contact Count

Too: Housing Officer Pilot Training

Project aims• To develop a face-to-face half-day MECC training for

housing officers

• To understand the specific needs of this group and whether we need to tailor what was currently available (e.g. e-learning)

• To consider how we can engage staff from the onset

The Training

Information PracticeWhy include US?How can WE

make it work for US?

Background to MECC

Healthy Behaviours

Sign-posting

Chat 4 Change

Our approach• Established individual and team needs via a questionnaire• Developed a half day interactive training package presented

in PowerPoint slides, practical activities and role-plays.• Included key components:

1) Why we were asking for their help – importance of MECC to all and their key involvement2) Theory – What is MECC, what are the health priorities & basic information?3) Practice – How do I build my confidence/start the conversation?4) Team approach to integrating MECC - Problem solving

Making the case for their involvement

Chris

• Started smoking at 15

• Always enjoyed a drink, now drinks daily, throughout the day

Housing officers provide brief advice

Early Death

Rings smoking cessation

Drinking daily , throughout day, smoking more heavily

Symptoms begin GP

Referred for specialist help

Hospitalised

QUITS

SMOKING

Longer Life

A ‘Sliding Doors’ Scenario

NHS cannot tackle this alone

• Housing see people sooner • NHS has to wait for people to come to them• Many don’t access healthcare services –

those who need help most• Housing may have more insight into what to

raise the issue about - understand needs• Can show people the doors into NHS & other

healthcare services

Results

• Evaluated the effectiveness of the training with pre- and post evaluation questionnaires.

Significant increases in:- Knowledge about what MECC is- Knowledge about key health messages- Confidence to raise the issue- Confidence at carrying out MECC- Knowledge about where to signpost

What did we learn?• Encourage ownership of MECC• Staff have ideas about what points within their service might

support MECC activity (e.g. housing assessment forms ask about smoking, could follow up with signposting and other questions)

• Housing officers were interested in the impact of Mental health and whether this could be incorporated into MECC.

• Suggested ‘Making EVERY contact count’ had put them off – chose to say every ‘appropriate contact’.

• Need regular encouragement – newsletters, progress of other teams

• MECC champion in each team

Thank you for listening

Dr Emmie Fulton

emmie.fulton@coventry.ac.ukTel. 024 7688 7171