Last year, MPs across Cumbria and Lancashire supported the Health Bill, which sought to protect young people from tobacco vending machines and tobacco point of sale advertising. The Bill was passed successfully through parliament and is now referred to as the Health Act. Since parliament recently started to debate the implementation of the Act, it has become clear that our new MPs need to hear both sides of the Health Bill argument and not just those views expressed by tobacco front groups.

In the last few weeks, many constituents across Cumbria and Lancashire have written to their MPs in support of the implementation of the Health Act, as they realise just how important this measure is. Not only will the Health Act help to reduce supply of tobacco through vending machines but it will also help to reduce young peoples’ demand for tobacco through removing the significant displays of tobacco that young people are faced with every time they go into a shop.

We have heard from ten of our MPs in the last few weeks on this issue and whilst there is broad support for protecting children from smoking, some of our MPs have reservations about whether age verification could be more effective for vending machines and the cost of covering tobacco displays in shops. We know that age verification will make very little difference to access as was shown by a trial earlier this year. At the trial The National Association of Cigarette Machine Operators gave evidence to the Scottish Government about its test purchasing trial of radio-frequency controlled vending machines which showed that staff still failed to ask for ID in 1 in 5 of cases.

In terms of the cost of removing point of sale tobacco displays, The UK Association of Convenience Stores found the average cost of compliance in Ireland was £300 for those retailers which had to pay, but the industry paid for many to convert.

If constituents would like to express their views to MPs, they can make use of the Cancer Research Campaign facility at: http://www.cancercampaigns.org.uk/ourcampaigns/tobacco/index.htm

If you would like a full briefing, please contact Fay.Watson@centrallancashire.nhs.uk

Every year thousands of leads for people who have expressed a desire to quit are collected for Local Stop Smoking Services. They may have been collected from local campaigns or regional or national face to face activity but do we maximise this opportunity? Leads don’t necessarily deliver an instant response and need to be managed over time.

Working alongside a Department of Health project, Smokefree North West have commissioned a piece of work to help understand the existing lead management processes within the North West Stop Smoking Services. This will help identify current best practice and develop recommendations for ‘the ideal’ prospects and customer relationship management programme. Ultimately this project will help improve conversion from lead to appointment.

Using best practice examples from Stop Smoking Services across the country and examples from the commercial sector, we will deliver an off the shelf programme to enhance effectiveness. We will provide training and a range of tools, from letter texts, SMS recommendations, lost prospect mailings and recommend a friend packs, all of which will have been researched with Routine & Manual target audience groups.

Delivery of the project will be in Quarter 4, and will initially be rolled-out in Greater Manchester (in-line with timings of Regional Database). Other sub-regions will follow.

If you would like any further information in the meantime please contact Matthew Downs, Regional Marketing Manager at Smokefree North West matthew.downs@emo.uk.com

McCann Manchester has supported Smokefree North West during April to June 2010 for a number of campaigns, announcements and launches including the Illicit Tobacco ‘Keep It Out’ campaign, the 3rd anniversary of the smokefree legislation, launch of the Polish toolkit, the continuation of work surrounding the Royal College of Physicians report and the ‘Take 7 Steps Out’ secondhand smoke campaign. 

McCann Manchester regularly communicates with our network of key journalists to ensure that we continue to lead the debate for a tobacco free future for everyone in the North West.

Extensive coverage has been achieved across every part of the region with support from extended communications teams at each sub-region as well as via public health networks, tobacco alliance, and other partnering organisations.

Highlights include the launch of the successful Illicit Tobacco ‘Keep It Out’ campaign on the 21st June 2010. Results included national and broadcast coverage with the BBC and Granada reporting on the campaign in a positive light. For this campaign, a total of 44 pieces of coverage was achieved,  including:
• Total Opportunities to See: 22,682,856
• Total Circulation/Unique users/Listeners: 20,798,232
Throughout the April to June 2010 a total of 52 pieces of coverage was achieved, including a number of key regional and local press in all five North West counties.

Coverage of 3rd anniversary of Smokefree legislation produced 24 pieces of coverage.

This month the Smoke & Mirrors project provided a training course for all the members of their Project Action Group. The group comprises those young people who want to actively participate in the planning of the project and in tobacco control work.

The young people in the Project Action Group identified that they would like training in presentation skills and public speaking to help them spread the word about the work they do and the Smoke & Mirrors project. This provided us with the opportunity to take them to the inspiring surroundings of the Lake District to visit the home county of some of the group members, and gave welcome relief from the city based meetings and activities they usually undertake. The residential was a great opportunity for the groups to meet new people, for some it was their first experience of a group residential.

As well as taking part in the training, the young people worked really hard on team building activities designed to foster creativity and co-operative working. One young person said: “I’ve learned lots more about the tobacco industry and I now feel more confident talking to groups now, because of the training”. For further information on Smokefree North West’s Youth Prevention work stream you can contact charlotte.lunt@smokefreenorthwest.org.uk

Smokefree North West is supporting the regions 24 stop smoking services to record and manage client data effectively and ultimately to move to a paperless system.  Funding for the purchase of the system and the first years licence has been provided by Smokefree North West and the Sub-Regional Tobacco Alliances. 

The chosen supplier, AN Computing has an established history of supplying web-based solutions to the NHS. Their portfolio includes the national surveillance systems for MRSA, MSSA and CDIF, which are in daily use by every Acute Trust in England and Northern Ireland. All their systems have been designed to permit reporting and performance management at local, regional and national levels.

The unique ‘Quit with Us’ system which allows services to track each clients progress and maintain regular contact via text and email, is being is currently being implemented across the Greater Manchester services and will go live during September.

For more information contact Tina Williams, Performance Improvement and Delivery Manager, SFNW tina.williams@smokefreenorthwest.org.uk