Tobacco Dependency Treatment (TDT) Programme celebrates its 'First Birthday'
The Tobacco Dependency Treatment (TDT) programme recently marked a significant milestone, as it celebrated its one-year anniversary since its launch in September 2022 - helping thousand of patients on their journey to quitting smoking in just 12 months.
The TDT programme was launched across all UHDB sites to support patients and our communities in quitting smoking. This is a campaign that has been launched across the healthcare system in Derby and Derbyshire, as well as within our sites in East Staffordshire, which offers personalised support for treating tobacco addiction to all patients admitted to our hospitals, including pregnant people and their partners accessing maternity services.
The aim of TDT is to reduce smoking prevalence in our communities to below the national average, and most importantly, to help save lives.
Over the past year, the TDT programme has achieved remarkable success. One notable achievement is that 75% of women admitted to UHDB's maternity services who smoke have been referred to the TDT service. This is a significant accomplishment, considering that 90% of all maternity patients were screened, indicating a high level of commitment to identifying and addressing tobacco dependency in this population. Additionally, there have been a total of 2,320 referrals from acute inpatients, of which 1,617 opted-in, resulting in a 70% uptake rate. Quit rates have also been impressive, with 55% of participants achieving a four-week quit, and 35% maintaining abstinence at the 12-week mark.
The initiative's anniversary also came shortly after the team were announced as winners of the Quality Improvement Award at our Annual Making a Difference Awards in October.
Dr Gillian Lowrey, a Respiratory Consultant at UHDB as well as Lead for TDT, said she was 'overjoyed' at the 'considerable' work that has been undertaken by all colleagues involved in TDT, as well as those in our organisation who have taken the necessary training to deliver practical, evidence-based support to address smoking prevalence in our communities.
She continued: "It's been great to celebrate one year since the launch of TDT, and to have received the Quality Improvement Making a Difference Award was the icing on the cake for us all. We are proud of ourselves as a team, and of all those who have made the commitment to quit with our support.
"To exceed our overall referral, opt-in, and quit rate targets in our first year is so impressive, and is a testament to not just the entire team but all colleagues who have done the work to get trained and deliver personalised, and effective advice to those with tobacco addiction."
The estimated impact of the initiative cannot be understated. In the year since its launch, an estimated 378 lives have been saved because of the cessation support. Additionally, there has been estimated annual cost savings of £1,160,500 based on potential readmissions due to smoking-related conditions: such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), coronary heart disease and heart attacks, cerebrovascular disease (the damage of arteries leading to the brain), and a variety of respiratory illnesses.
Furthermore, the TDT programme has contributed to the creation of 10 bed spaces per day based on potential readmissions. This demonstrates the potential for significant resource savings as a result of successful smoking cessation interventions.
All of this highlights the importance of addressing tobacco dependency not only from a health perspective, but also from a standpoint of cost-effectiveness, capacity building, and working 'smarter' as an organisation in providing the best possible healthcare to our communities.
The team gathered at the JUCD Wellbeing Hub at Royal Derby Hospital to reflect on the achievements and successes of the programme in its first year, as well as looking forward to ways in which the campaign could improve over the next year and beyond - with Gill saying the team are not "resting on their laurels" following these initial successes, and are keen to broaden their positive influence even further within the health of our communities.
Gill continued: "Though operational pressures over the last year have had some impact on engagement with the project, work is being undertaken to drive improvement in some areas - including looking to reduce the variation of trained staff and referral percentages across sites and clinical disciplines. Despite this, the percentage of all admissions being screened for their smoking status has more than doubled in one year, we are seeing consistent increases in referrals, and most importantly, we have supported countless patients to successfully reduce, or completely eradicate, their dependence on tobacco.
"To my UHDB colleagues - you can make a difference, you have made a difference, but we there is always more we can do. If you have not been trained up, make sure you access the resources available through Net-I and the eLearning Passport - and make every contact count. Just a five minute conversation could save a life."
Patient feedback
To mark one year since the launch of the TDT programme, we also spoke to some of the patients we have supported in their non-smoking journey to hear their thoughts on the support they received and more.
Amanda *
"I have COPD and breathing problems so have wanted to quit smoking for a while. With the support of TDT, I am now 12 weeks smoke-free and generally, feeling so much better in terms of my overall health.
"My breathing is much improved and I can taste my food a lot better. This is such a good service and with very nice people to talk to."
Sunil *
"I quit smoking 12 weeks ago and for me, the only negative of the experience is that I wish I had known of the support available to me even sooner, and that it didn't take me being admitted to hospital for me to find out.
"I never thought this was possible, and I certainly couldn't have done this without the support of the Advisors - from the NRT I've been offered, to the regular calls offering support.
"I really am truly grateful."
Andrew *
"I was admitted to hospital with a heart attack and spent days receiving various medication and treatments. Since I was unable to leave my bed, I was not able to smoke while I was being treated. Having been a smoker for decades, the idea of quitting seemed like a lost cause to me.
"Following the results of my screening, I was approached a tobacco dependency advisor who asked if I wanted to quit - and after 20 minutes chatting with him, I was clear of the impact of my addiction to my health, and now, a heart attack.
"I am still early on in my journey, but I am smoke-free, breathing better and feel like I'm clawing back lost time."
*Please note that names and some details have been changed to protect the confidentiality of patients.