Smoking cessation service for mental health service users: Tower Hamlets pilot project
Yaccub  Enum, Public Health Strategist, Public Health Department, NHS Tower Hamlets, UK and Laura Skingle, Mental Health Smoking Cessation Specialist,  Barts and The London School of Medicine, UK

Abstract
Tower Hamlets PCT commissioned a smoking cessation advisor to work with inpatients at the Tower Hamlets Centre for Mental Health to support the implementation of the smoke free legislation introduced in July 2008. The mental health trust is implementing a ‘partial smoking ban’ – allowing smoking in designated outdoor areas within the hospital premises. The advisor is also tasked with providing smoking cessation treatment to mental health service users in the community.

In the past, despite a show of willingness to quit, service users have generally found it challenging to quit in hospital due to a number of reasons including:

• a strong smoking culture on the wards
• patients generally not ready to quit due to their mental health problems
• difficulty with supplying nicotine replacement therapy on wards

The new service was commissioned in January 2009. It is working in partnership with the local Mind Health Trainers service and a Community Mental Health Team; and will complement the inpatient service by following up patients recruited in hospital when they are discharged. The service is rigorously monitored and evaluated.

Over the initial period of its operation, the service has identified a number of challenges. The presentation will cover these, together with ‘lessons learned’ and pointers for future service development.