The STaff smOking Project (STOP)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A randomised feasibility study comparing a novel intervention for Smoking Cessation in NHS staff to standard care.
IRAS ID
260608
Contact name
Anoop Chauhan
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 7 months, 25 days
Research summary
The proportion of smokers in and around Portsmouth is significantly higher than the national average. It is estimated that 20% of the staff working at Portsmouth Hospitals currently smoke. The Royal College of Physicians have reported that a smoking member of staff costs the NHS £2,800 a year due to illness absence, smoking breaks and seeking NHS care for smoking related diseases. It is also well known that staff smokers are less likely to approach patients about smoking cessation, and patients are less likely to respond to a member of staff who currently smokes.
Therefore by helping to support NHS staff to stop smoking, we can also impact the care of patients.
To achieve this we have designed a new smoking cessation programme. It is a mixture of one to one and group sessions and underpinned by pharmacotherapy, all of which will be accessible on the hospital site in line with NICE guidance. We now need a feasibility study to test whether this is effective compared to standard care, which is self-referral to a smoking cessation service. We will also be assessing the health economic aspect of the study, to ensure that the investment is providing positive financial results.
REC name
N/A
REC reference
N/A