NEW PATHWAYS FOR ACCESSING SMOKING CESSATION SERVICES
2 June 2023
Smoking tobacco remains the largest modifier risk to health in terms of mortality and morbidity, and one of the greatest drivers of health inequality in England.
The NHS Long Term Plan (LTP) includes three tobacco-related commitments for which Coventry and Warwickshire ICS need to deliver in order to support our population.
These commitments include:
- All people admitted to hospital who smoke will be offered NHS funded tobacco treatment services
- All pregnant women will also be able to access treatment services, with novel pathways to ensure support for partners/significant others
- A new universal smoking cessation offer will also be available as part of specialist mental health services for long-term users of specialist mental health, and in learning disability services
Working together as a system in Coventry and Warwickshire, partners including SWFT, GEH, UHCW and CWPT have embedded the necessary Governance, and are proactively progressing towards rolling out the above pathways. Each Trust is at a differing stage however, we are working in partnership to develop service models, data flows, and pathway development to ensure patients receive support whilst in hospital, including nicotine replacement therapy and behavioural support. Following on from this, at the point of discharge, patients are then referred into the local community stop smoking services, commissioned by the Local Authorities.
In addition to supporting the patient to manage withdrawal symptoms and initiate a quit attempt with a personalised plan, the tobacco dependency prevention programme is centred upon supporting the delivery of smokefree NHS premises.