Researchers Dr John Robins and Dr Debbie Robson, ARC South London's public health theme have been working with colleagues at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) on a project to improve support for people who want to stay smoke-free after leaving hospital.

Across England, anyone who smokes is offered help to quit during their hospital stay and for at least four weeks after discharge. At Bethlem Royal Hospital, Tobacco Dependence Treatment Advisers have been piloting a new approach to improve follow-up support after discharge. Thanks to their efforts, follow-ups have increased by 54.5%, helping more people stay on track with their smoke-free goals.

As the next step, Debbie and John are continuing to support the smoke-free team by analysing the additional data collected. Their aim is to identify further improvements that could enhance patient outcomes even more.

Beyond this, they are also working with the Department of Health and Social Care and the NIHR Policy Research Unit in Addictions to evaluate the impact of an additional £70 million per year investment in community stop-smoking services across the UK.

We’re fortunate in this country to have a national network of stop-smoking services in every borough. Research shows that people are three times more likely to quit successfully when they receive specialist support from a trained tobacco dependence treatment adviser, combined with stop-smoking medication or e-cigarettes, compared to trying on their own. The Government recognises this and has provided additional funding to local authorities to help more people access these services, particularly in communities where smoking rates remain high.

Debbie Robson, senior lecturer tobacco harm reduction, ARC public health theme lead and John Robins, research associate, King's College London

With this continued investment and innovative approaches, more people can receive the right support at the right time—helping them lead healthier, smoke-free lives.

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