Training

Why Help People to Quit?

Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the UK, accounting for over 100,000 deaths a year. Exposure to secondhand smoke has been shown to cause ill-health including lung cancer and heart disease in adult non-smokers and increased risk of respiratory problems and cot death in babies. Smoking is an addiction that needs a range of appropriate behaviour change interventions to promote positive lifestyle changes (DH 2011).

What training do you offer and who is it for?

Level 1, Brief Intervention: Bespoke training lasting 20 mins to 2 hours for groups of professionals (minimum 5) in their workplace. It aims to enable participants within their own role to effectively encourage smokers to access Quit4life for stop smoking support. Ideal, for example, for dental practice staff wishing to increase confidence in speaking to patients about smoking. Please contact heather.buchan@southernhealth.nhs.uk if interested.

Level 2, Smoking Cessation (5 modules): Designed specifically for health professionals who can commit to delivering complete stop smoking programmes within their current role. Support can be offered in various settings, including pharmacies, GP surgeries, Occupational Health departments, prisons and military establishments. Health professionals who have the capacity to deliver the service and agree to report outcomes, including 4-week status, to Quit4Life in accordance with DH standards, may be eligible for this course. Applicants must be able to attend all five modules and it is also necessary to have been a non-smoker for at least 6 months before being accepted onto the course.

Behaviour Change (module 1): may be relevant to health professionals in various fields and can be attended as a stand alone module.

The Refresher module is to be undertaken by Level-2 trained advisers every 18 months.

What do I do next?

Booking is essential. Training is free for eligible applicants working within Southern Health boundaries; a fee will be applied for each module in other areas. Please see details of dates and venues then contact the Training Administrator for more details and to apply. Call Trish on 01329 227198 or e-mail trish.matthews@nhs.net. We may be able to cater for individual training needs; to find out more please e-mail heather.buchan@southernhealth.nhs.uk.