Statistics on NHS Stop Smoking Services - England, April 2011 to September 2011, Q2, Quarterly report

This quarterly report presents provisional results from the monitoring of the NHS Stop Smoking Services (NHS SSS) in England during the period 1 April 2011 to 30 September 2011. This report includes information on the number of people setting a quit date and the number who successfully quit at the 4 week follow-up. It also presents in depth analyses of the key measures of the service including pregnant women, breakdowns by ethnic groups and type of pharmacotherapy received and regional analyses at Strategic Health Authority (SHA) and Primary Care Trust (PCT) levels.

Quarterly results from the monitoring of NHS SSS for 2011/12 are provisional and will subsequently be revised to account for any revisions submitted by PCTs throughout the year. At this stage, any comparisons between 2011/12 and earlier years compare provisional figures with final figures. Final figures for 2011/12 will be included in the end of year report, expected to be published in August 2012.

• 378,724 people set a quit date through NHS Stop Smoking Services, a increase of 3 per cent (10,493) on the final figure for same period in 2010/11 (368,231), and an increase of 7 per cent (25,449) on the final figure for the same period in 2009/10 (353,275).
• At the 4 week follow-up 178,986 people had successfully quit (based on self-report), 47% of those setting a quit date. This is a increase of 2 per cent (4,365) on the final figure for the same period in 2010/11 (174,621), and also a increase of 6 per cent (9,786) on the final figure for the same period in 2009/10 (169,200).
• 73 per cent of successful quitters at the 4 week follow-up had their results confirmed by Carbon Monoxide (CO) verification . This percentage was 69 per cent based on final figures for the same period in 2010/11 and 68 per cent based on final figures for the same period in 2009/10.
• Of those setting a quit date, success at the four week follow-up increased with age, from 30 per cent of those aged under 18, to 55 per cent of those aged 60 and over.
• Of the 12,379 pregnant women who set a quit date, 5,318 successfully quit at the four week follow-up (43 per cent).
• The majority of those setting a quit date received Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) only (64 per cent). A further 26 per cent received varenicline (Champix) only, 1% received bupropion (Zyban) only, 2 per cent received both NRT and varenicline and less than 1 % received both NRT and bupropion. 4 per cent of people setting a quit date did not receive any pharmacotherapy and the type of treatment was unknown for a further 3 per cent.
• Of those who used varenicline only 59 per cent successfully quit, compared with 52 per cent who received bupropion only, and 43 per cent who received NRT only. 47 per cent of people who did not receive any type of pharmacotherapy successfully quit. (These data should not be used to assess or compare the clinical effectiveness of the various pharmacotherapies as they reflect only the results obtained through the NHS stop smoking services, and are not based on clinical trials. A trained stop smoking advisor discusses and agrees the treatment option with each client.)
• Total expenditure on NHS Stop Smoking Services was £41.4 million, an increase of 2 per cent (£1.0 million) on the final figure for the same period in 2010/11 (£40.4 million) and an increase of 3 per cent (£1.1 million) on the final figure for the same period in 2009/10 (£40.3 million). The cost per quitter is £231 compared with £232 based on final figures for the same period in 2010/11 and £238 based on final figures for the same period in 2009/10. These figures do not include expenditure on pharmacotherapies.
• Among Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs), Yorkshire and Humber SHA and South Central SHA reported the highest proportion of successful quitters (53 per cent), while North East SHA and North West SHA reported the lowest success rate (43 per cent).
• Among Primary Care Trusts (PCTs), Leeds PCT and Warrington PCT reported the highest proportion of successful quitters (69 per cent), while Southwark PCT reported the lowest success rate (30 per cent).
• For Quarter 2 in 2010/11, the increase between the provisional figures and the final figures was 7.8 per cent for the number setting a quit date and 7.6 per cent for the number of successful quitters (based on self-report). This suggests that the final figures for 2011/12 may be higher than the provisional figures stated above.
• For Quarter 2 in 2010/11, there was a increase of 0.2 per cent between the provisional and final Quarter 2 expenditure figure.
• Footnote 1 - Carbon Monoxide (CO) validation measures the level of carbon monoxide in the bloodstream and provides an indication of the level of use of tobacco: it is a motivational tool for clients as well as validation of their smoking status. CO validation should be attempted on all clients who self-report as having successfully quit at the 4-week follow-up, except those who were followed up by telephone.