e-Newsletter - Issue 1

e-Newsletter - Issue 1

DECIPHer-ASSIST

Stop Smoking Service advisers from NHS Bath and North East Somerset (Banes) took part in a Train the Trainers Day as part of the roll out of the DECIPHer-ASSIST programme.

The three day course saw the participants engage in role playing exercises to try and understand and anticipate the mind set of the school children who will be attending the peer supporter training course.

Ruth Lander,Health Improvement Specialist for NHS Banes said:

'I heard about the DECIPHer-ASSIST programme and it sounded a very interesting and different programme. It's a big task trying to organise all the different elements and I am the key organiser now for the Banes area.

The programme targets influential young people but bases it around their choice so that they feel actively engaged in trying to improve the health of their peers. If we can stop smoking uptake at source then this can only be beneficial.

I'm exciting about working with kids and this course provides everything you need to be effective in what we're trying to do.'

Rachel Buckley said:

'The great things about this course are the hands on nature of the activities and role playing. They give very practical solutions to situations that can be very challenging.

'Working with this age range is so rewarding and this programme is tailored to get the best results in trying to stop smoking uptake.'

Lucy Crystal the South West ASSIST Programme Coordinator said:

'This is an excellent intervention to prevent uptake of smoking, which has been shown to be effective. It works with year 8 pupils (12-13 year olds), which is the time at which smoking uptake in young people begins to accelerate. It is fantastic that Smokefree South West has been able to support localities in taking this programme forward by purchasing DECIPHer-ASSIST licences on their behalf from DECIPHer-Impact. The roll out of the programme is now happening in certain localities across the South West, with more schools coming on board from January 2011. The South West will see the first large scale roll out of the programme across the UK with 11 localities participating. It is estimated that as many as 31,000 young people aged 11-15 years smoke in the South West and 45 teenagers start smoking every day and it is crucial that we work to tackle this. A key strand of the Smokefree South West business plan is to prevent this uptake and ensure smoking prevalence is reduced'

Liam Halvey (Health Trainer)

'I am enjoying the course so much. It's not just sitting down and being taught at there are lots of group activities as well as fun physical tasks. It really gives some insight into how to try to affect behaviour change in young people.'

Jenny Newman

'The course concentrates on empathy and trying to understand the difficulties faced by young people in going against the grain. It's a new approach using proper facts about the dangers of smoking and tobacco in general'

Jo Fuller

'It's a really well structured course which really empowers kids and trainers to make a big difference. It's a different type of learning experience aimed to reach as many people as possible. I've really enjoyed it'

DECIPHer-ASSIST is a smoking prevention intervention which aims to reduce adolescent smoking prevalence. DECIPHer-ASSIST encourages new norms of smoking behaviour by training influential Year 8 students to work as 'peer educators'. Peer educators are trained and supported to have informal conversations with other Year 8 students about the risks of smoking and the benefits of being smoke-free. Information is more effectively taken on board if the person giving the message is the same age as them and not a teacher of a parent.

Face to Face

The South West's NHS Stop Smoking Services took their expertise out and about in to the community during October and November.

The events were part of a coordinated South West programme which saw the promotion of the local NHS Stop Smoking Services in the community to raise awareness amongst smokers that there is help readily available to them.

David Phillips a Director of Public Health and spokesperson for Smokefree South West said:

"These events were a way of taking the stop smoking service out to the people who could need it most but haven't had the chance to access it.

"The NHS Stop Smoking Services are full of experienced, dedicated professionals who have helped so many quit. These events have made even more people aware of the excellent free service available to them."

Research has shown that smokers using the NHS Stop Smoking Service are giving themselves the best chance to quit and with many locations such as pharmacies, GP surgeries and workplaces, there is free help and support nearby.

Secondary Care

Smokefree South West has been working in partnership with University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust and the Bristol NHS Stop Smoking Service to encourage Bristol residents to quit with the NHS Stop Smoking Service.

The project, which is the first of its kind in the country, involves placing gigantic banners across the entire University Hospitals Bristol estate, over looking major roads into the city centre and fixing them to buildings in locations where people go to light up a cigarette.

Fiona Andrews, Director of Smokefree South West said:

"We know that the NHS Stop Smoking Service is the easiest way to quit smoking, and hospital buildings provide us with an ideal opportunity to promote the service to the wider population of Bristol.

"Thousands of people visit the Hospital Trust each year including: 110,000 A&E attendances, 400,000 outpatient attendances, 65,000 inpatient admissions, 60,000 day cases and 5,000 people are born in the hospital.

"In addition, the Trust employs over 7,000 staff including Doctors, Dentists, Nurses and Midwives, Therapists and Scientists.

"It's also estimated that hundreds of cars drive past the Hospital Trust every single day.

"These figures show that we have a captive audience and the banners are an ideal way of getting the message out there that there is free help and support available for those smokers living in Bristol that want to quit the habit."

Jonathan Sheffield, Medical Director at University Hospitals Bristol said: "We already know how harmful smoking is to our health and that stopping smoking can reduce the risk of getting a wide variety of illnesses.

However, we also know that it isn't easy to stop smoking.

That is why University Hospitals Bristol is pleased to be working with Smokefree South West to help increase awareness of the free support available to people who want to give up."