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Recruiting smokers into services: development and innovation
Dominick Nguyen, Campaigns and Communication Manager, Regional Public Health Group, UK and Catriona Cameron, Consumer Planning Manager, Social Marketing Unit, Commissioning Support for London, UK
Abstract
In a climate where encouraging smokers to attend NHS Stop Smoking Services is increasingly difficult, in the last year London has been testing innovative ways of recruiting new clients.
In October 2008, the Department of Health ran a series of Face-to-Face recruitment events across London. The events consisted of a stand in different venues – including shopping centres, supermarkets and high streets – with professional recruiters signing up smokers who want support from NHS stop smoking services. The evaluation found the events to be a cost effective way of recruiting quitters. However it also found a low conversion rate, with high numbers of quitters ‘dropping out’ during the follow up stage.
In February to March 2009, the London Social Marketing Unit and Regional Team is testing four different recruitment approaches – stand based events; pharmacies; roving street marketing and door-to-door – with three types of follow-up methods – LSSS lead, professional call centre and instant appointments.
The key aim is to understand what type of recruitment and follow up interventions maximise the number of quitters taking up support. This session will examine the evaluation findings and give participants the opportunity to discuss the recommendations and learning for future PCT and regional initiatives.
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About the presenters
Dominick Nguyen is the Campaigns and Communication Manager for the Regional Tobacco Policy Team for London. With a background in managing projects around sexual health in France and the UK, he got involved in tobacco control issues when he managed the Stop Smoking Service in Tower Hamlets in 2004. Since, he turned around the Kensington and Chelsea Stop Smoking Service, while working for QUIT and is now part of the Regional Public Group in London, responsible for providing communication and social marketing support to local tobacco control alliances and stop smoking services.
Catriona Cameron is the Consumer Planning Manager with the Social Marketing Unit, Commissioning Support for London, where she manages the Unit’s research and development programme. This includes projects across London on smoking, vascular disease, immunisation, healthy weight as well as audience lead insight. She has a background in consumer insight, research and strategy in the UK and Australia. She has worked as an Associate Director with Opinion Leader, a research consultancy, and in the housing sector including as Head of Housing Strategy and Commissioning with the London Borough of Camden.
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