The 13th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health

Objective:

The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation has been providing Stop Smoking Support in Liverpool since 1994 through its Community Stop Smoking Service, Roy Castle Fag Ends. In 2001 the service expanded to include the provision of support at two of the local NHS acute hospital trusts. The aim is to ensure that patients and staff have access to appropriate and immediate support to quit smoking.

Methods:

As the National Health Service plans to become completely Smokefree, the support provided within the hospitals is constantly adapting to meet the needs of both the staff and patients. Plans have been made to mirror this successful service within another acute trust. This service will provide amongst other things support for patients awaiting fertility treatment.

Developing a service which evolves to meet the needs of both staff and patients has meant providing support in different ways and at different times. This includes running late evening groups for staff to accommodate shift patterns, visits to wards for in-patients and also staff when they can not attend groups or one to one sessions due to staff problems or patient needs. Other developments include plans to provide an intensive service for the most at risk patients once they are discharged from hospital. The flexibility of the service allows it to respond quickly to any changes that become necessary.

Results:

During 2005, the hospital service supported 649 people, 353 staff, 147 in-patients and 141 out-patients. At 4-weeks 40% of staff, 56% of in-patients and 58% of out-patients were still quit.