When healthcare advice feels like blame – the problem with ‘Making Every Contact Count’

By Beth Nichol, Post-Doctoral Researcher in Disease Prevention, Northumbria University, Newcastle

Have you ever visited your GP for something specific – perhaps a sprained ankle or a routine check-up – only to find yourself receiving unsolicited advice about your weight, drinking habits or smoking? Sometimes this guidance feels supportive and timely. Other times it can feel intrusive, judgmental or irrelevant to why you’re there.

These increasingly common experiences aren’t accidental. Since 2016, NHS staff in England have been required to follow a policy called Making…

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