This month we sat down with Steph Parker, Tobacco Treatment Team Leader at the Royal Devon.

What does the Tobacco Treatment team do and how do you support patients?

We provide specialist support and treatment to all patients and staff across Royal Devon who want to quit smoking.

Geoff Williams, Tobacco Dependency Support Worker and I, provide one-to-one bedside support for patients in hospital. This includes, taking a carbon monoxide reading, assessing their dependency to nicotine, creating a quit plan for the patient to take home, and recommending which nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is right for them. We discuss both NRT and Varenicline (a medicine to help you stop smoking) with the patient and their doctor, to ensure the right option is chosen.

Patients leave with a two-week supply once they are discharged from hospital. Afterwards we organise ongoing support with Stop for Life Devon to ensure the patient continues to receive one-to-one specialist support. They can get access to nicotine replacement, Varenicline and vapes free of charge.

Why is the team so important?

We are focused on helping patients look at what behaviours are keeping them smoking. We come up with a realistic quit plan together and the patients leave with a plan they are happy with and that fits with their life. It’s like a map to help them quit smoking in the outside world when they leave hospital.

Quitting smoking can speed up recovery and lead to other significant health benefits for patients, reducing how long they need to stay in hospital, their risk of developing complications, readmissions to hospital, and their long-term risk of smoking-related illness. Because stopping smoking can prevent ill health, one of the key focuses of the new 10-Year Plan for the NHS, this can also save the NHS significant costs.

Why is your work so important in the hospital environment?

A large proportion of patients admitted to hospital are smokers and there is a direct relationship between their continued smoking and their treatment and recovery.

When patients are in hospital it brings their health to the forefront of their mind, so their motivation to quit smoking can often be at its strongest. This makes it the perfect time for us to ask the question about quitting and help them get started on their journey.

What’s happening during Stoptober?

Stoptober is an annual campaign that encourages smokers to quit for the month of October. If you do quit smoking for 28 days, you’re five times more likely to quit for good. The team are out and about providing information, tips and tricks to help people quit smoking, and we are sharing messaging via our social media channels, including this powerful remind me why I’m quitting video.

Is there anything else you’d like people to know about the team?

Geoff and I have a combined 40 years of experience working with people to help improve their health, and have helped many patients and staff negotiate the best evidence-based ways of quitting. We have specialist advice to give, but we are ultimately person centred and want people to feel supported in making changes to their lives.

For information about support to quit smoking, you can visit the quit smoking page on our website.

Pictured: Geoff Williams and Steph Parker