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Early findings from the Tobacco Control National Support Team
Keith Burnett, Delivery Manager (North), Department of Health Tobacco Control National Support Team & Marie Meredith, Department of Health

Abstract
Since 2006 the Department of Health has developed National Support Teams (NSTs) to inform and assist improvement in a number of public health fields, tobacco control being the second. The Tobacco Control NST, established in October 2006, is now carrying out intensive support inputs in the 'most challenged' areas of England as well as starting to build a picture of successful holistic models of tobacco control at a local level reflecting the national 'six strands of tobacco control'. Intensive support visits involve interviews with a wide range of stakeholders including tobacco control experts and senior strategic officers, in NHS trusts, local authorities and other relevant agencies to assess scope for strengthening performance, followed by immediate recommendations for enhancements.

In response to widespread requests for feedback from our work thus far, the Tobacco Control NST offer an opportunity to share the key themes and findings including common barriers, predictors of success and proven routes of enhancing effectiveness. These will include some practical answers to the challenges of:

* Making a success of performance improvement in contexts that can appear dominated by performance management.
* Differentiating between Smoking Cessation and Tobacco Control without creating division.
* Sustaining the profile of Tobacco Control following implementation of smoke-free workplaces.
* Ensuring that multi-agency partnerships are truly strategic and able to maintain Tobacco Control as a shared priority.

This parallel session will also constitute an early opportunity to hear and comment upon developing work to identify and highlight high-impact changes in tobacco control and smoking cessation.

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Biography
Keith Burnett, TCNST Delivery Manager for the North, has considerable experience in the wider addictions field at both operational and strategic levels, having previously worked with both the NHS and national and local government as a drug strategy adviser, and most recently as one of England’s Regional Tobacco Policy Managers.

Marie Meredith, TCNST Delivery Manager for the South, has an extensive history of work in the tobacco control field and previously managed a large smoking cessation and tobacco control team that spanned three PCT areas and involved working closely with local and regional partners and organisations.

Keith Burnett
Department of Health
Wellington House
London
SE1 8UG

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