Provision of smoking cessation help by primary care teams in Oxfordshire

Abstract

A QUESTIONNAIRE was posted in May 1991 to the senior partner of all 102 general practices in Oxford shire (85 per cent response rate) to ascertain what smoking cessation help they believed the primary health care team provided for patients and to ident ify useful additional resources. All practices offered individual advice: from the general practitioner in 99 per cent of practices, from the practice nurse in 91 per cent of practices, and from the health visitor in 55 per cent of practices. Thirty-one per cent of practices also offered a stop-smoking group, mostly run by a prac tice nurse or health visitor. Thirty-seven per cent of respondents wanted more publicity for these. In almost half the practies at least one team member had attended a smoking cessation training course. Smoking cessation was considered by general prac titioners to be important. All practices provided some support for smokers wishing to stop. Most would welcome extra resources, although one in three did not wish to provide anything more. Support for primary care teams has been reviewed in the light of these findings and a new resource pack has been developed.