RSPH and NHSE Workforce, Training and Education directorate (NHSE WTE) North developed a project focusing on mental health promotion across the North of England. The project was focused on upskilling the frontline non-specialist workforce in primary and community care settings to become more health promoting. This was done using a Making Every Contact Count (MECC) approach whereby they are able to integrate purposeful mental health conversations into everyday conversations with the public.

Embedding the MECC approach and promoting mental health are current national strategic priorities for the health system, and the effects of COVID-19 on population health have made this even more urgent. Estimates say that 20% of adults and 15% of children need mental health support now and in the coming years (Centre for Mental Health, 2020). MECC for Mental Health is well placed to support organisations interested in tackling this challenge through evidence-based mental health training that develops knowledge, skills and confidence to integrate relevant messages and interventions into routine practice.

First Contact Clinical’s own Susan Gill got involved with this project by training as a Lead Trainer and then delivering the programme to a group of people wanting to be trainers. She subsequently delivered the programme to several groups across South Tyneside. The excellent resources developed by RSPH contributed to Susan feeling very confident in her new role after the 2 days of training.

Susan’s involvement came about because First Contact Clinical is already commissioned to deliver a public health workforce development programme to professionals and volunteers across South Tyneside. “We offer Connect 5 and thought that MECC for Mental Health would complement the offer. As we deliver social prescribing services, we are aware that many people are experiencing higher levels of low mental wellbeing.”

There are a few strands to a strategic case for cascading MECC for Mental Health. 

1. Through our social prescribing delivery, we are seeing a greater prevalence of low mental wellbeing. Social issues such as money, housing, or isolation are impacting people’s mental health. We are seeing people waiting longer than ever for support from statutory mental health services. MECC for MH provides the workforce with the knowledge, skills and confidence to be able to talk and support people with their mental health. 

2. As the pressure on statutory services mounts, the VCSE sector is stepping up to support people within the community. Our VCSE partners have shared that their staff are having to support people with more complex and challenging aspects of their life. They are not necessarily equipped with the correct knowledge or skills to do this. This then impacts on their own mental wellbeing. MECC for Mental Health can support them to support themselves as well as others. 

3. The mental health community transformation programme seeks to integrate holistic support with mental health provision so that people are supported with all their needs. VCSE partners tend to step into this gap, again without necessarily the right knowledge, skills and support.

Susan has delivered (and can deliver) the training to a number of different groups: 

1. Train the trainers on behalf of the RSPH.

2. Family Hub Teams, consisting of local authority early intervention workers to support the families experiencing the most health inequalities. Susan was able to offer a shorter version of the MECC MH training and linked it with fuel poverty and lifestyle behaviours. The session was part of a team building day, in a community session with about 25 attendees. The aim was to raise awareness and consider how they could change their practice following the training. 

3. Local Authority social care front door team. The ask was to support them to consider their own mental wellbeing as well as ensure they felt they could support people who called their service. They do not tend to hold a caseload but rather connect people with the correct social care team (or other partners) based on their needs. There were about 8 staff and it was at their offices. 

4. GP Practice: Susan was asked to deliver a session as part of their Better Health at Work Award, with the focus on their own wellbeing. The session was delivered in 1 hour in their lunch break, in the waiting room. The whole primary care team was present (GPs, Nurses, Admin etc) and there were about 13 people. 

5. Multi-agency session, where we offer a 2 hour module as part of our workforce programme. The training is delivered from our training room, usually with groups of 8 to 16 people. They are open courses so anyone who volunteers or works in South Tyneside can attend free of charge.  

6. Refugee session: we were asked to take part in a promotion session for people who were supported by a local charity following relocating to the area after being asylum seekers. The session was 2 x 20 minute table discussions, with 8 people present. The focus was on the stress bucket and healthy v unhealthy coping strategies. Translators were present to facilitate the discussion.

The non-RSPH training has been reduced to an average of 2 hours as it is difficult to deliver full days because people tend to struggle. The funding First Contact Clinical has needs to deliver a wide range of modules too, so the resource needs to be used efficiently. The training is open to all disciplines, agencies across the borough. The focus can change depending what matters to the audience.

To date the training has been received well by participants. Overall, evaluations have rated it as Excellent or Good, and predominantly Excellent. When asked how confident they were to implement the new knowledge and skills, everyone said High or Very High. The most common word used to describe the training was “informative”, with attendees liking the new knowledge and the fact that they have a framework to work to.

When asked what difference she thinks MECC for Mental Health training will bring to the people who complete it, Susan commented: “It is supportive of both the people themselves and in supporting others. It is pitched at a level that volunteers and staff can utilise. It challenges you to think about language, about the resources we use, and if accessible to all. It provides a framework on which you can have a discussion. It prepares people with a range of assets with which they can link people to, based on their needs. The feedback has been extremely positive.”

The original article can be viewed at: https://www.rsph.org.uk/our-work/programmes-hub/making-every-contact-count-mecc-for-mental-health-training-programme/mecc-for-mental-health-ney-case-study-susan-gill.html.