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Poster presentation:
'Drop in 2 Quit'
Maria Williams
Abstract
Gateshead and South Tyneside Stop Smoking Service covers a mainly urban geographical area and serves a population of approximately 350,000.
The Service has evolved since 1999 delivering a mixture of one to one, group support and home visits where necessary.
In response to challenging stretched LDP targets, set in agreement with South Tyneside Local Authority for 2003-2006, it was decided that an innovative approach to attracting as many people through to the Service was required. A pump priming grant was allocated to the Service to help towards achieving targets for numbers of clients quit.
Following a training day delivered by South Birmingham Stop Smoking Service, it was agreed that we would implement an adapted programme to suit the needs of our clients and to achieve our targets.
A whole range of targeting interventions was used to promote and advertise the 'Drop in 2 Quit' programme. All G.P. practices were asked to send a pre-written letter to every smoker registered on their lists, radio advertising was commissioned leading up to and covering all dates of the drop in programme, posters and flyers were mailed out widely, e mails were sent to all Local Authority and PCT staff and the local media promoted and reported on the programme.
The programme was delivered by a multi-disciplinary team including, Specialist Advisers, Intermediate Advisers and Pharmacists over an eight week period on Saturday mornings. Clients had the opportunity to register over a four week period where CO levels were checked, preparation to quit advice was given, a range of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) was discussed and NRT was dispensed by Pharmacists on the premises.
Clients were then encouraged to return for four follow-up sessions to receive ongoing support, have their CO levels monitored and to receive their supplies of NRT.
Every client was given the opportunity to access 8 weeks of free NRT and could access further supplies from our local Pharmacies via our Care at the Chemist scheme (free if exempt from payment).
To date 558 people accessed the 'Drop in 2 Quit' programme (numbers still rising) and an analysis of captured data will be made following the final session on 8th April 2006.
This presentation will outline the rationale for the project, aims and objectives, collaborative working, project outline and will also feedback on the analysis of the data.
The authors hope to share their experiences and success of the project and also hope to gain insight into other innovative projects being delivered by Stop Smoking Services nationally via a question and answer session and will encourage participants to consider adopting a similar model of support to help in the achievement of challenging targets.
Biographies
Maria Williams is a Stop Smoking Service Coordinator employed by South Tyneside PCT and partly funded by Gateshead PCT. She has worked for Gateshead and South Tyneside Stop Smoking Service since 1999 and spent 5 years as a Specialist Smoking Cessation Advisor, before which she was employed as a Health Promotion Specialist for South Tyneside PCT.
David Carter is Secretary of the border region Pharmaceutical Society, Vice Chair of Sunderland and district branch of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain and Managing Director and Superintendent Pharmacist of D. L. Carter & Son LTD. David originally worked as a hospital Pharmacist at Newcastle General Hospital and the Royal Victoria Infirmary and moved into Community Pharmacy in the late 80's.
Author 1: Maria Williams
Stop smoking service coordinator
Clarendon
Windmill Way
Hebburn,
Tyne & Wear
NE31 1AT
Author 2: David Carter
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