Agenda item

PROCUREMENT AND AWARD OF CONTRACT FOR BOROUGH-WIDE STOP SMOKING SERVICE (SSS)

To receive the report of Glenn Stewart, Assistant Director of Public Health.

Minutes:

Dudu Sher-Arami, Public Health Director, provided an introduction noting that this was a great news story for residents as there hadn’t been a stop smoking service (SSS) in the borough for many years. She advised that additional resources had been allocated from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) specifically to do this piece of work and the report detailed the plan for achieving this.

 

Glenn Stewart, Assistant Director, Public Health introduced and highlighted key aspects of the report. Smoking is the greatest single preventable cause of health inequalities, mortality, and morbidity in the borough accounting for approximately 230 deaths a year and estimated to cost the borough some £209m a year. The UK Government has a target for the UK to become smokefree by 2030 where ‘smokefree’ means a smoking prevalence of 5% or less. The current prevalence is estimated at between 13.5% (according to the Annual Population Survey) and 15.6% (according to GP data) of the adult (18+) population i.e., 40-50,000 smokers. Grant funding for the borough-wide stop smoking service will be received over five years, from 2024-2029, and depending on prevalence will amount to approximately £2m.

 

Key elements of the required service were explained, and it was noted that the new provider will be expected to offer a comprehensive borough-wide SSS. This will include both face-to-face and a digital offer. Two levels of support will be offered; one whereby smokers will be given face-to-face support for 6 weeks, the other whereby smokers will be given the same support but through teams or telephone 1-1 support.

 

Expectations of the grant that LBE will achieve include a certain number of people setting quite dates over the five years of the grant and these figures are detailed in the report. The provider will be monitored through statutory quarterly returns on the number of quitters, success rates, ethnicity, areas of deprivation etc.  In addition, LBE will have regular contract meetings with the provider and there will also be links to the North Middlesex Hospital smoking pathway, London-wide work, and Enfield GP Federations SSS’s. As of 12 September 2024, seventeen providers have expressed an interest. 

 

The next steps of the process included sticking to the procurement timetable with a provider in place and accepting clients from January 2025 (challenge notwithstanding). Contract and performance management would then take place from January 2025 to March 2029.

 

Questions were invited from the Panel.

 

In response to Members’ queries regarding how this provision would impact maternity services, it was advised that this comes under the NHS long term plan, so they are obliged to pick up patients going into hospital either due to maternity or as an in-patient where smoking cessation services are currently offered. However, up to now no support is offered when leaving hospital but this new provision will assist with this.

 

Clarification was sought regarding the GP data shown on page 41 of the report detailing smoking prevalence by ward and it was explained that this was only a guide as it logged all smoking preferences including people who smoked occasionally or had since stopped.

 

In response to a question regarding how people will be referred to the service it was advised that this would be the same model as previously, with individuals able to self-refer without any interaction with health services.

 

Members asked further questions about the priority groups, and it was advised that smoking prevalence varies by geography (South-East of the borough), ethnicity (Turkish, Eastern European and Irish) and health (Serious Mental Illness (SMI)).  Good quality engagement will be essential , and the right actions taken to reach the ‘hard to reach groups’ in the borough

 

Members questioned if the new service would monitor vaping figures and ensure people weren’t ‘shifting habits’. Officers advised that the minimum the Office for Health Improvements and Disparities (OHID) are asking for is to achieve the targets identified in the report. The conditions of the grant are very clear in that it cannot be used to target vaping however, a suite of indicators will be used on a regular basis to monitor impact and progress.

 

Panel Members requested that a further update be provided in a years’ time to feedback on how the campaign is progressing.

Action: Stacey Gilmour

 

Supporting documents: