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  • Yorkshire and Humber Workforce Development Programme

    Breathe logo
    The NCSCT is working in partnership with Breathe, a collaborative of fifteen local authorities within Humber and North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire NHS Integrated Care Boards. We aim to revolutionise the way in which stop smoking services interact with priority groups, and are developing and training staff in ground-breaking tailored support for those wanting to stop smoking.

    "As population smoking prevalence drops but remains stubbornly high within priority groups, the focus over the next five years is on overcoming the barriers to accessing services by these groups, maximising effectiveness of interventions and the individual tailoring of support and treatment."
    Dr Andy McEwen, Chief Executive, NCSCT





    Programme overview

    Mission statement
    We will support local stop smoking services to target delivery where and for whom it is most needed, and to adapt so that they can facilitate the delivery by stop smoking practitioners, and other health and social care professionals, of effective stop smoking support tailored to the individual.

    Who we are and why we are doing this
    The collaborative of fifteen local authorities within Humber and North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire NHS Integrated Care Boards are joined by the National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training (NCSCT).

    As a collaborative we aim to:

    • Increase the number of people who make aided quit attempts, with a focus on local priority groups
    • Work collaboratively to support people who smoke and who want to stop by providing access to person-centred, evidence-based stop smoking support and aids
    • Work in partnership and collaborate with other organisations across systems
    What we propose
    The vision is for a new regional training quality standard to be established across Y&H to ensure our workforce has the knowledge and skills to increase the impact of stop smoking services, especially among priority groups. The workforce training will be based upon the latest evidence best practice and align with the needs of people who smoke, service delivery priorities and future plans.

    A five-year plan for targeting by local stop smoking services (service adaptation), tailoring of interventions (flexible behavioural support and use of stop smoking aids based on need) and evaluating (making sure that what we do works). There will be development, delivery and sustainability phases – although the nature of this project means that they will overlap and need to remain flexible. We propose to develop, deliver and evaluate resources and new specialist training to:
    1. Target and adapt service models for priority groups
    2. Tailor interventions to the individual needs of people who smoke, particularly those in priority groups
    3. Deliver Very Brief Advice on Smoking (VBA+) in non-clinical settings
    4. Provide effective first point of contact and triaging by administrative staff
    Key principles
    • People who smoke are at the heart of what we do.
    • Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable illness, death and disability, and a leading driver of health inequalities. Tackling tobacco dependency is one of the most effective ways of eliminating health inequalities.
    • Identifying local priority groups and providing effective support to meet their needs is a high priority to reduce health inequalities and should be reflected in local commissioning and service delivery models.
    • Effective stop smoking interventions should be available to all, but the scale and intensity of interventions must be proportionate to the most disadvantaged.
    • Stop smoking services are extremely cost-effective and play an important role, alongside other tobacco control policies, in driving down rates of smoking at national and local level.
    • Stop smoking practitioners are an important local asset and optimising the effectiveness that they can have with people who smoke requires effective recruitment, training, support and supervision, continuous professional development and retainment.

    Progress

    We will use this page to update partners on how the Workforce Development Programme is progressing, and include any publications that have been produced during the programme.

    June 2025

    • Stakeholder consultation completed and report share with Collaboration leadership group. This report will be retained for internal use and future information
    • Review of evidence on targeting and tailoring stop smoking interventions to priority groups completed and shared with Collaboration leadership group. This review has fed into development of course content and informed the implementation strategy; it will form the basis of future bespoke evidence briefings for Y&H
    • Content and materials for delivery of virtual training course for tobacco leads and commissioner completed. Course planned for July re-organised for September because of logistical problems
    • Content and materials for delivery of virtual training course for service managers completed. Course dates set for July

    May 2025
    • Over 40 local leaders and national experts took part in consultations between March and May. Findings fed into development of content for training courses and informed evolving implementation plan
    • Aims, learning outcomes and course programme developed for advanced two-day practitioner course. Content development commenced and courses planned for September 2025 - March 2026
    • Filming of interviews with clients, practitioners, managers and Y&H leadership took place for use in the courses and for programme communication

    April 2025
    • NCSCT commissioned to consult on, and develop, a competency framework for community stop smoking practitioners. The framework will outline the individual competences required to deliver core stop smoking support and advanced stop smoking support
    • NCSCT asked to review and advise on a regional training pathway

    March 2025
    • Working groups formed to develop content of training courses for tobacco leads and commissioners, service managers, and practitioners

    February 2025
    • Stakeholder consultation commenced to engage national experts, Y&H leadership and staff in informing the workforce development strategy and development of new workforce training and resources
    • Review started of evidence on targeting and tailoring stop smoking interventions to priority groups

    January 2025
    • Collaboration leadership group formed to refine scope of programme. Group includes: Scott Crosby (NHS Humber and North Yorkshire ICB), Andy McEwen (NCSCT), Martyn Wilmore (NHS Humber and North Yorkshire ICB), Dave Jones (Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust), Susan Montgomery (NCSCT), Heather Thomson (Leeds City Council), Kaye Mann, (Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council), Sarah Hepworth (Sheffield City Council), Sophia Papadakis (NCSCT), Priti Gohil (Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council), Kirsty Tunnicliffe (DHSC), Tom Coleman-Haynes (NCSCT), Glyn Newberry and Philip Truby (both City of York Council).