Design Analysis of national service monitoring data.
Setting England.
Participants Smokers recorded as having been treated by English stop
smoking services between April 2001 and March 2011.
Main outcome measures Annual figures for the number of quit dates
set (throughput), the percentage of these that led to biochemically verified
abstinence after four weeks (four week quit rate), and the “impact” in
terms of the number of four week quitters beyond those who it is
estimated would have stopped with only a prescription for smoking
cessation treatment; characteristics of smokers being treated, medication
used, and mode of delivery (for example, one to one, group based);
variability across local services in throughput, four week quit rates, and
impact for 2010/11.
Results Throughput rose from 227 335 in 2001/02 to 787 527 (8% of
all smokers) in 2010/11. The percentage of four week quitters declined
slightly from 35% to 34%. Impact rose from 22 933 four week quitters
created in 2001/02 to 72 411 in 2010/11 (corresponding to an estimated
21 723 12 month quitters). The services were successful in reaching
disadvantaged smokers; 54% (n=425 684) were in receipt of free
prescriptions in 2010/11. Substantial variation existed across local
services in throughput, success rates, and impact.
Conclusions The English stop smoking services have had an increasing
impact in helping smokers to stop in their first 10 years of operation and
have successfully reached disadvantaged groups. However, performance
across local services has varied considerably.