Since NHS Stop Smoking Services were established in 1999, the North East has led the way nationally in terms of the number of 4-week quitters achieved per population size. From helping just 1,250 smokers to quit in that first year, the NE saw over 28,300 quitters in 2011/12. Over the past 14 years, more than 280,000 NE smokers have been helped to quit with NHS SSS support.
The North East is served by six NHS SSS which cover 12 Local Authority areas, and an adult population of 2.1 million. All six SSS are separately commissioned, but all have core elements which have contributed to their success over the last decade. The structure of SSS adopted in most localities is the traditional hub and spoke model, with strong specialist teams, funded through block contracts, responsible for:
- Supporting smokers from key target groups to quit
- Training and mentoring “Tier 2” providers, paid through LES contracts
- Providing a local call-handling function
- Marketing the local SSS and developing new initiatives
This presentation will focus on the success achieved by the NE SSS over the last fourteen years, the key elements that have contributed to this, and the challenges that they face in the current climate.
