The Scottish Government

Chief Executives, NHS Boards

Dear Colleague

SMOKING CESSATION SERVICES

Summary

1. Further to NHS circulars MEL(1999)38 and HDL(2001)64, this letter confirms the allocation in this financial year, 2003/4, of further £1 million across Scotland to support the expansion of local smoking cessation services. Allocations to individual Boards are detailed in Annex A attached.

Priorities

2. "Improving Health in Scotland: the Challenge" was published by the Executive in February 2003. The Challenge commits the Executive to reviewing national tobacco control policy in conjunction with key interests and to set out a new action plan to build on achievements made to date through implementation of the policies set out in the White Paper "Smoking Kills". NHS Health Scotland and Ash Scotland, therefore, were invited to review national tobacco control policy and to make recommendations about what further action should be taken in Scotland.

3. The Executive will be publishing an action plan later this year which takes account of the review report's recommendations. The provision of smoking cessation services will continue to lie at the heart of future tobacco control strategy in Scotland. For this reason, Ministers have decided to allocate £1 million this financial year to support further expansion of cessation services. While decisions about allocations for the remainder of the spending review period have yet to be taken, this level of funding, at a minimum, will be available for the next 2 financial years. This money is in addition to resources already available to NHS Boards for cessation services as set out in paragraph 9 of HDL(2001)64.

4. The new action plan will emphasise the importance of Boards ensuring these new resources translate into additional cessation capacity and that these expanded services are accessible to those in the most deprived communities, increasing the capacity of effective, accessible, evidence-based cessation services, and should be invested on the basis of the guidance provided previously in that circular and earlier circular, MEL(1999)64 on priority groups pregnant women, young people and people living in deprived areas.

5. Health Boards are required to record relevant information on their prevention and smoking cessation services and to monitor and evaluate performance. The Partnership on Tobacco and Health will issue guidance on this to cessation service practitioners later this year.

Yours faithfully

MARY CUTHBERT

ANNEX A

Smoking Cessation Distribution to NHS Boards (Allocation £1million)