Scottish Government

Chief Executives, NHS Boards

Dear Colleague

SMOKING CESSATION SERVICES

Summary

1. Further to NHS circulars MEL(1999)38 and HDL(2001)64 and my letter of ? September 2003, I am writing to confirm that the additional £1 million made available across Scotland to support the expansion of local smoking cessation services last financial year, 2003/4, will continue to be made available for the next 2 financial years 2004/05 and 2005/6. Allocations to individual Boards will remain as before (see Annex A for details).

Priorities

2. As made clear in the tobacco control action plan "A Breath of Fresh Air for Scotland", which was launched in January, the provision of smoking cessation services will continue to lie at the heart of future tobacco control strategy in Scotland. The additional £1 million allocated with effect 2003/4 is support further expansion of cessation services and, as confirmed in the plan, a further £4 million will be made available in 2005/06. This money is in addition to resources already available to NHS Boards for cessation services as set out in paragraph 9 of HDL(2001)64.

3. The Action Plan emphasises the importance of Boards ensuring these new resources translate into additional quality smoking cessation capacity and that these expanded services are accessible to those in the most deprived communities, increasing the capacity of effective, accessible, evidence-based cessation services, and should be invested on the basis of the guidance provided previously in that circular and earlier circular, MEL(1999)64 on priority groups pregnant women, young people and people living in deprived areas. In order to help support the expansion of services the Executive aims to agree cessation targets with individual NHS Boards in the coming months, and take a proactive role in ensuring that local providers translate the additional resources into additional cessation capacity.

Allocations in 2005/6

4. The Executive wishes to allocate the new resources, £4 million, coming on stream next financial year, 2005/6, according to local needs and circumstances. It should be noted, therefore, that the Executive will be working with our health economists and other key stakeholders to agree funding formula which targets resources according to need. We will confirm individual allocations for 2005/6 as soon as possible to allow Boards time for future planning of expansion of smoking cessation services to meet local needs.

Monitoring and evaluation

5. Boards will be aware that the Executive has been working through Partnership Action on Tobacco and Health to develop and agree a minimum data set with smoking cessation co-ordinators. The pilot study has now been completed and we are now looking at rolling the minimum data set out across Scotland. This will serve to increase consistency across service provision and standardise definitions of key terms and standard procedures. This will all serve to facilitate national and local monitoring and evaluation.

6. In addition, as indicated above, we will be negotiating and agreeing cessation targets with each NHS Board within the next few months. . As part of that process we are working with PATH to introduce reliable baseline measures and develop outcome based measures for future use. Further details on both of these developments will be available shortly.

Yours faithfully

MARY CUTHBERT

ANNEX A

Smoking Cessation Distribution to NHS Boards (Allocation £1million)