Chief Executives, NHS Boards
Dear Colleague
SMOKING CESSATION
Summary
1. This letter informs you of recent and planned
developments in relation to smoking cessation activity as
part of our wider drive on tobacco control drive drive. .
Funding allocations for smoking cessation services
2. We will be writing to you shortly with further
details, but I can confirm that the First Minister
announced on 9 March:-
- the continuation in 06/07 and
07/8 of the existing funding streams already announced,
£7 million per annum (i.e. £2m in baselines from
"Smoking Kills and HIF and £5m from "A Breath of Fresh
Air for Scotland; and
- additional funding of £2 million
in 06/07 rising to £4 million in 07/08 bringing the
total available to £11 million.
3. You should be aware that Mr Kerr has encouraged
editors of local newspapers throughout Scotland to
highlightpublicise cessation-related activity within local
areas as a part of stimulating the wider public debate on
tobacco policy.. You should, therefore, anticipate an
approach from local journalists in the next few weeks and,
I hope you will be in a position to respond as fully as
possible to any requests for information. Chris Holme from
the Health Department's press desk will be in touch with
your communication colleagues in this regard to indicate
likely areas of interest. In particular, the local media
and the pharmacy press will have been alerted to our
forthcoming community pharmacy initiative, which is
outlined in the following paragraphs.
Pharmacy initiative Priorities and targets/monitoring
and evaluation
4. Services, therefore, need to be geared up to meet
the anticipated demand and to be delivered in the right
settings. Not everyone will want to go down to the local
health centre. They need to be taken to where people are-
pubs, working men's clubs, bingo halls- in other words
right into the heart of communities. Some creative
thinking and opportunism will be needed.
5. This project is designed to highlight the important
role played by community pharmacists in encouraging and
supporting successful quit attempts. It supports and
builds on the publicity surrounding national No Smoking Day
on 9th March. Each pharmacist will receive 50 small
carrier bags carrying the Executive's 'Clearing the Air'
message. These are designed to hold NRT purchases,
booklets with advice on giving up smoking and Smokeline
cards. The packs will be delivered direct through our
central distribution mechanisms and will be followed by a
letter from the Minister thanking pharmacists and their
support staff for their support in helping people to stop
smoking.
6. Alison Strath from our Pharmacy Division has
already been in contact with Chief Pharmacists of each NHS
Board to inform them about this initiative so that they can
ensure that it ties in with other broader local activity,
including on the smoking cessation front.
More information
Yours sincerely
Mrs Mary Cuthbert
Tobacco Control Policy Co-ordination Team