Tags: smoking

Resources to support No Smoking Day 2024

The 40th anniversary of No Smoking Day takes place on Wednesday 13 March. There are over 5.3 million adults in England who still smoke, and smoking remains the single largest preventable cause of death in England. In fact, up to two in three smokers will die as a result of long-term smoking. Almost every minute of every day someone is admitted to hospital in England with a smoking-related disease and in 2022-23, there were an estimated 400,000 hospital admissions in England due to smoking and one in four hospital patients is a smoker.

Despite the clear health risks of smoking, it’s estimated that nearly 50 million cigarettes are smoked every day in England – around nine cigarettes a day per smoker.

However, smoking rates have reduced considerably since the first year of No Smoking Day 40 years ago and this year’s No Smoking Day campaign aims to continue this pattern and encourage people to quit by offering free proven NHS resources and advice.

Be part of the change and help build a smokefree generation. A range of resources to help support No Smoking Day (Weds 13 March 2024) are now available to download from the OHID Campaign Resource Centre. These can be used by health care professionals to help drive awareness and encourage smokers to make a quit attempt.

Resources include:

• Posters
• Digital screens
• Social static assets
• Email signatures
• Social animated assets providing tips on quitting, support available and the health benefits of quitting
• Toolkit including campaign overview, key messages and suggested social posts.

Access the resources here

Any queries about the campaign can be sent to: [email protected].

Institute supports smokefree legislation

On behalf of the Institute of Health Visiting, Alison Morton, iHV CEO, joined key stakeholders yesterday at a roundtable to discuss the government’s proposed smokefree legislation. The meeting was hosted by Public Health Minister, Neil O’Brien, and the Chief Medical Officer for England, Professor Sir Chris Whitty. The group discussed the large body of evidence on smoking-related harms and also the challenges around youth vaping.

The group was convened following the government’s announcement on 12 October that they plan to create a ‘smokefree generation’ and will:

  • Legislate to raise the age of sale one year every year from 2027 onwards
  • Double the funding for local authority Stop Smoking Services from next year
  • Increase funding for awareness raising campaigns by £5 million this year and £15 million from next year onwards
  • Increase funding for enforcement on illicit tobacco and e-cigarettes by £30 million from next year
  • Launch a consultation shortly on specific measures to tackle the increase in youth vaping

At the roundtable, Public Health Minister Neil O’Brien said:

“Smoking kills, and this government is committed to taking action to protect a generation of children from ever experiencing the harms associated with tobacco. Working with our stakeholders to deliver this historic legislation will be vital, and I will continue to engage with these organisations to create legislation that prioritises the health of the next generation.”

Attendees included members of the Smokefree Action Coalition committed to ending smoking. The coalition is coordinated by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH).

Smoking is the UK’s biggest preventable killer – causing around 1 in 4 cancer deaths and 64,000 deaths in England alone – costing the economy and wider society £17 billion each year.

Chief Medical Officer for England, Professor Sir Chris Whitty, said:

“Smoking causes significant health harms at every stage of life – including stillbirths, many cancers, heart disease, stroke and dementia.

“To improve smoking-related ill-health, it is important to both ensure people do not become addicted to smoking and that those who smoke are supported to overcome addition.”

Alison Morton, iHV CEO, said:

“Health visitors see first-hand the devastating impacts of smoking-related harms in pregnancy and childhood that are almost entirely preventable. They also work with parents who are addicted to nicotine – the majority regret starting smoking and they recognise how difficult it is to quit.

“The iHV fully supports this ground-breaking legislation which presents an historic opportunity to break the cycle and prevent the next generation from becoming addicted to this lethal product.

“We are also committed to play our part in driving this change by ensuring that all health visitors are equipped to support families with babies and young children to quit smoking and provide smokefree homes.”

An online consultation is currently open on the proposed actions the UK Government and devolved administrations will take to tackle smoking and youth vaping, which we would encourage people to complete and support the legislation.

Access the full DHSC press release

Read the government’s report on yesterday’s roundtable

Find out more about iHV projects to reduce smoking in pregnancy and its harms in childhood:

New opportunity with iHV – Research Associate BabyBreathe

Exciting and unique opportunity with the Institute of Health Visiting and the University of East Anglia on a National NIHR research study.

We are seeking an ambitious, enthusiastic Research Associate (RA) with experience in public health research to join the Institute of Health Visiting (iHV) for a fixed-term period of 12 months to support the delivery of the BabyBreathe NIHR Trial in the North-East of England site. The post is available from mid-February 2022 to cover the maternity leave of the current RA.  The research is grant funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) working within the North-East of England. All work can be carried out remotely through home working, so the successful candidate can be based anywhere in the UK.

The Research Associate will be supporting a randomised trial of a postpartum relapse prevention intervention developed through an early phase intervention development study. The post holder will work as part of a team alongside Vicky Gilroy as the Principal Investigator for the North-East site from the iHV, supported by a team of experts in smoking cessation, and working with the trial manager as part of the Norwich Clinical Trials Unit as part of the University of East Anglia.

The individual would need to be dynamic, proactive, flexible and have the ability to work independently. They will be required to contribute to all elements of the research, this will include: helping to conduct literature reviews and evidence syntheses; supporting the development of study protocols and materials (e.g. interview topic guides and questionnaires); managing applications for ethical approvals; helping to deliver the training intervention; conducting data collection and analysis; contributing to research write up. Given the mixed-methods nature of the planned research, this post would suit someone with strong and demonstrable qualitative and quantitative research skills.

Key Requirements

Applicants should have a relevant master’s in a health or social science, and it is desirable to have completed or near-completed a PhD in Health Sciences/ Psychology/ Public Health related discipline.

The successful candidate must have experience of collecting and analysing qualitative and quantitative data. Excellent interpersonal skills, willingness and ability to work collaboratively and effectively as part of a team remotely and in person, in-depth knowledge of research design and methods relevant to applied health research, the potential to publish in high-quality journals, and excellent oral and written communication skills are essential.

This role does not meet the eligibility requirements for a tier 2 certificate of sponsorship under UK Visas and Immigration legislation. Therefore, the iHV will not be able to sponsor individuals who require the right to work in the UK to carry out this role.

Closing date: midnight Monday 17 January 2022, but the application may close early. Candidates are recommended to apply as soon as possible.

Interviews: Afternoon of Friday 21 January 2022 – please keep this date free.

For further details, job description and how to apply

New GPP: Promoting smoke-free families

On No Smoking Day 2021 (#NoSmokingDay 10 March 2021), iHV publishes new Good Practice Points (GPP) for health visitors – Promoting smoke-free families.

No Smoking Day is a national campaign that encourages the nation’s smokers to make a quit attempt on the second Wednesday of March each year. The day is an important opportunity to engage smokers in your local community, encouraging them to quit and access local stop smoking support.

Smoking is the single most modifiable risk factor in pregnancy. In 2019/2020, 10.4% of mothers were recorded as smokers at time of delivery. It is also known that pregnancy can be a time when parents are receptive to make changes to their behaviours.

There is no safe level of exposure to second-hand smoke. The best way to protect children from the effects of second-hand smoke is to not smoke during pregnancy and have a completely smoke-free home and car.

This GPP provides up-to-date evidence and references.

Go to GPP - Promoting smoke-free families

Please note that GPPs are available to iHV members.

If you’re not a member, please join us to get access to all of our resources.

The iHV is a self-funding charity – we can only be successful in our mission to strengthen health visiting practice if the health visiting profession and its supporters join us on our journey. We rely on our membership to develop new resources for our members.

So do join us now!

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Resources available for latest #iHVInsights – Supporting smoke-free families

Calling all iHV members – if you missed our iHV Insights webinar on “Supporting smoke-free families” held yesterday (Thursday 29 October), then don’t worry as the resources from this iHV Insights, as well as the previous ones, are available to iHV members to access as a free member benefit afterwards.

On Thursday 29 October, we were joined by a great panel of experts including:

  • Martyn Willmore, Tobacco Control Senior Programme Manager, Health Improvement: Alcohol, Drugs, Tobacco and Justice Division, Public Health England
  • Hilary Wareing, Director, Improving Performance in Practice (iPiP)
  • Vicky Gilroy, Projects and Evaluation Lead, iHV

Click here to catch up on iHV Insights Supporting smoke-free families, as well as previous iHV Insights sessions:

Go to iHV Insights resources - don't forget to login to access

If you are unable to join the live event, after the event, iHV members can access:

  • Recording of the live iHV Insights webinar
  • Pdf of webinar slides
  • Responses to the Q&A session – key themes to unanswered questions provided by our expert panel
  • Record of Attendance/ Reflection template for you to download and complete for each iHV Insights attended

Next iHV Insights

Date for your diary – iHV Insights webinar: “Improving support for children with parents who are dependent on alcohol ” – 28 January 2021.

Further details,  including date and how to book, coming soon!

About iHV Insights

iHV Insights are webinars run just for our members.

These live online sessions are of interest to frontline health visitors and student health visitors, as well as service leads, commissioners and wider members of the health visiting team, both in the UK and with lots of transferable learning for our international members too.

If you are not an iHV member, join us today to access these resources and many other member benefits.

Bookings now open for October iHV Insights

Our 5th iHV Insights webinar for iHV members takes place on Thursday 29 October 3:30 to 4:30pm.

This will cover the topic of: “Supporting smoke-free families”.

We are pleased to announce that our expert panel of speakers includes:

  • Martyn Willmore, Tobacco Control Senior Programme Manager, Health Improvement: Alcohol, Drugs, Tobacco and Justice Division, Public Health England
  • Hilary Wareing, Director, Improving Performance in Practice (iPiP)

The webinar will also be recorded and will be available to iHV members on our website after the event, together with a FAQ sheet should we have a high number of questions.

Please join us.

How to book for iHV members

Go to our EventBrite booking page and please use your iHV membership number as your access code. If you have any problems or enquiries please email [email protected] and we will be happy to help.

Once you have submitted your details, you will be able to select your ticket and proceed to checkout – please note that this webinar is free to iHV members.

Go to EventBrite booking page

If you are not an iHV member, join us today to book your place on iHV Insights to access these resources and many other member benefits.

Previous iHV Insights

The great news is that recordings of all the iHV Insights webinars are available for iHV members to access as a free member benefit after the event.

Click here to catch up on our 4 fabulous iHV Insights sessions so far:

  • 21 May 2020 – COVID-19 in children and managing minor childhood illnesses
  • 18 June 2020 – Domestic Violence and Abuse: Keeping victims and children safe during a pandemic
  • 16 July 2020 – Health visiting during a pandemic and beyond
  • 20 August 2020 – Training as a health visitor during a pandemic

Exciting opportunity with iHV – Research Associate – BabyBreathe

Exciting and unique development opportunity with the Institute

Research Associate – Based in North East England

Please note: short closing date due to start date of the study

We are seeking an ambitious, enthusiastic Research Associate, with experience in public health research to support the delivery of the BabyBreathe NIHR Trial in the Newcastle site, to join the Institute of Health Visiting (iHV) for fixed-term period of thirty-nine months. The post is available from October, following successful appointment. The research is grant funded by National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) working within the North East of England.

The Research Associate will be supporting a randomised trial of a postpartum relapse prevention intervention developed through an early phase intervention development study. The post holder will work as part of a team alongside Vicky Gilroy as the Principle Investigator for the Newcastle site from the iHV, supported by a team of experts in smoking cessation and working with the trial manager as part of the Norwich Clinical Trials Unit.

The individual would need to be dynamic, proactive, flexible and have the ability to work independently. They will be required to contribute to all elements of the research, this will include: helping to conduct literature reviews and evidence syntheses; supporting the development of study protocols and materials (e.g. interview topic guides and questionnaires); managing applications for ethical approvals; helping to deliver the training intervention; conducting data collection and analysis; contributing to research write up. Given the mixed-methods nature of the planned research, this post would suit someone with strong and demonstrable qualitative and quantitative research skills.

Key Requirements

Applicants should have a relevant master’s in health or social science, and it is desirable to have completed or near completed a PhD in Health Sciences/Psychology/Public Health/related discipline.

The successful candidate must have experience of collecting and analysing qualitative and quantitative data. Excellent interpersonal skills, willingness and ability to work collaboratively and effectively as part of a team remotely and in person, in-depth knowledge of research design and methods relevant to applied health research, the potential to publish in high quality journals and excellent oral and written communication skills are essential.

This role does not meet the eligibility requirements for a tier 2 certificate of sponsorship under UK Visas and Immigration legislation. Therefore, the iHV will not be able to sponsor individuals who require right to work in the UK to carry out this role.

For further details, job description and how to apply

Applications close: anticipated to be midnight 23 September, but applications may close early due to the urgency in commencing this work. Candidates are recommended to apply as soon as possible.

Interviews: 2 October between 11:00 and 14:00 please keep that day clear in your diary.

For further information or an informal conversation about this post please contact Vicky Gilroy [email protected]

Your views are needed: Smoking in Pregnancy – A Public Health Nursing Approach

Improving Performance in Practice (iPiP) is working in collaboration with Public Health England (PHE) to review the role of health visiting and practice nursing in smoking in pregnancy and to develop tools to support their work.

To assist the team in understanding the situation, identifying current practice and to inform the development of training and learning resources, they have developed a survey for health visitors and would like to gather information on:

  • What you currently offer in your clinical practice area
  • What you believe would support you to work effectively and confidently with women and their families

They would appreciate you taking the time to give your views and feedback on Smoking in pregnancy – A Public Health Nursing Approach.

The survey should take no more than 10 minutes.

Survey closing date: Friday 13 April 2018

Go to Smoking in Pregnancy survey for HVs

Start4Life info to share with expectant or new mums who smoke

NHS England and Public Health England are encouraging the use of their Start4Life link (Baby on the way, quit today) with expectant or new mothers who smoke.

Stopping smoking is hard. But it’s the most important decision you can make for your baby.

Encouraging mothers to quit smoking while they’re pregnant means that their baby can develop healthily.

Go to Start4Life - Stop Smoking

Statistics on Women’s Smoking Status at Time of Delivery: England Q3

NHS Digital has today released new SATOD data for Quarter 3 2016/17. The full data can be accessed here.

Key points from the data are:

  • The percentage of women recorded as smokers at the time of delivery has risen slightly in the third quarter of 2016/17 to 10.6%.
  • This is the same rate recorded for quarter three last year and for 2015/16 overall (10.6%). It is slightly higher than the rate recorded for quarter 2 2016/17 (10.4%), although the difference is not statistically significant.
  • There were large geographical differences. Between CCGs this ranged from 2% in NHS Richmond to 26.6% in NHS Blackpool. Amongst all NHS England Regions, this varied from 16.1% in  Cumbria & North East  to 5.1% in London. This is a similar pattern to previous years.
  • The quality of this data remains a cause for concern, with 2% of maternities having an unknown smoking status (compared to 1.4% in 2013/14, although this is an improvement on the 2015/16 rate of 3.1%.

To note: From April 2017 the number of maternities with an unknown smoking status will be excluded from the baseline calculations; if this was applied to the current data the overall rate would increase to 10.9%.  To aid this transition and highlight the difference this may make to rates at a local level, NHS Digital is publishing both figures during 2016/17, which can be accessed via the excel spreadsheet.

Go to NHS England Statistics on Women’s Smoking Status at Time of Delivery, England - Quarter 3, 2016-17