Developing smoking cessation services in primary care : a case study of one Scottish Health Board

• Main Author: Técher, Lucine
• Published: University of Edinburgh 2005
• Subjects: 610.7343
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.662796

This research found that smoking cessation experienced difficulties commonly associated with the implementation of health promotion practice within the primary care setting. The research has also shown that it is crucial to account for perceptions around the suitability and capacity of the settings within which health promotion strategies are implemented, and the ethical/theoretical frameworks informing the interventions offered by service providers. Many of the difficulties experienced in developing services were attributed to a perceived lack of funding, and priority assigned to smoking cessation nationally. However, there has been an increased political priority and financial commitment to the NHS smoking cessation strategy since the fieldwork was carried out, the potential implications of which are discussed in the thesis. The research provides the first in-depth analysis of smoking cessation service development in Scotland. In doing so, it has highlighted some of the key issues associated with the development and delivery of sustainable smoking cessation services, particularly within the primary care setting. It lends support to many of the recent policy initiatives and recommendations that have witnessed an increased financial commitment to the development of the NHS smoking cessation strategy, and potentially improved co-ordination/management and monitoring of Scottish services. Additionally, it recommends that future smoking cessation strategies should account for the setting in which they are to be implemented, the ethical/theoretical frameworks informing service provision within these settings, and where smoking cessation is perceived to sit within ‘core’ work duties. Future research should investigate the impact of increased funding, and the potentially more efficient monitoring and co-ordination of services on smoking cessation service development in Scotland.