Four years of running a stop smoking clinic in a large teaching hospital in London
Riba Kalhar, Health Psychologist in Training, Smokefree Camden, St Pancras Hospital, London, UK

Abstract
Smokefree Camden has provided a stop smoking clinic at a London hospital since 2005. Eight hours clinical time was offered each week.

Engaging with staff was a crucial first step. A multi-disciplinary steering group met monthly. Service promotion to staff and patients was key. This involved developing promotional materials (e.g. leaflets/posters), stop smoking stalls, ward visits to distribute promotional materials.

Referrals increased with the development of the service and were maintained, coming from a variety of sources, the majority from healthcare professionals, self-referrals and the Smokefree Camden freephone.

On average 40 referrals per month were received: 50% were offered an appointment, others were referred to more appropriate services. Of those making a quit attempt 52% became 4-week quitters comparable to the national average of 52%. This is particularly effective as clients often have complex health problems.
There were a variety of challenges faced in setting up and maintaining the clinic. The service was not fulltime, which made it difficult to become fully integrated within the hospital. Referrals from hospital staff were low due in part to the regular turnover of staff, requiring constant awareness raising. Recommendations for providing an effective service in this context will be made.