Shropshire stop smoking team commended for their work

Shropshire Council’s Help2Change team has been commended in the national Adviser Awards, coming third in the country for the support given to pregnant women and their families to stop smoking.

The prestigious annual Adviser Awards recognise the teams across the country that excel in stop smoking support.

Help2Change was praised for delivering flexibility and innovation by setting up a telephone and text service to offer extra support to pregnant women and their families. It was also recognised for working exceptionally hard to make the service a success, with no extra funding.

The service was set up in 2015 for women who struggled to go to venues, or didn’t want face-to-face support, and to provide extra support to those who were attending face-to-face sessions.

This personalised support has meant that advisers can discuss setting a quit date, habits, behaviour change, risks of smoking in pregnancy, addiction, withdrawal, treatments and queries about e-cigarettes with those that are harder to reach.

Since its introduction, the number of pregnant women who quit smoking at four weeks increased by 35 per cent, from 71 in 2014/15 to 96 in 2015/16.

The team, led by pregnancy adviser Claire Harrison, pooled time, resources and skills and shared the extra workload.

Karen Calder, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for health and well-being, said:

“Firstly I’d like to congratulate the team who have worked tirelessly to think outside the box and deliver an exceptional service to those who really need it.

“It really is a great achievement, particularly as they have done this without any extra funding.”

This innovative service is delivered alongside other flexible support for pregnant women, including home visits from early morning and into the evening, and appointments at GP practices, pharmacies and community venues.

A five minute video clip highlighting the importance of stopping smoking in pregnancy and how to access the service can be found at  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8ey2RZHPVU&feature=em-share_video_user

With dedicated support and an enthusiastic team more pregnant women can be supported to quit and stay quit. To access the service call the single point of access on 0345 678 9025 or www.healthyshropshire.co.uk.