Preparing for smoke-free legislation: The experiences of English stop smoking services
Lucy Hackshaw, Research Health Psychologist, University of Bath, UK

Abstract
It was estimated that smoking rates in England could fall following the introduction of the smoke-free legislation. Many of those who quit may attempt to access support from NHS stop smoking services (SSSs). This research examined the impact of smoke-free legislation on English SSSs. This paper reports national survey findings from the first phase of research, conducted in March and April 2007, which attempted to explore the structure of services, preparation for the legislation and coordinators’ expectations of the legislation’s anticipated impact. The survey was conducted via an internet-based questionnaire. A pilot study was followed by the full national survey of 132 English SSS coordinators. Results were analysed using SPSS.

A follow-up survey is proposed for autumn 2008. Findings provide an overview of English SSSs before the implementation of the ban. They describe how services are structured and highlight the extent to which co-ordinators anticipated and felt able to cope with any rise in client numbers; focusing upon service management and staffing, service delivery and preparing for smoke free e.g. 59% of co-ordinators felt they would cope very well with a 25% increase in client numbers, however only 13% felt they would cope very well with a 100% increase.