Norfolk Emergency Department Stop Smoking Service

The Norfolk Emergency Department Stop Smoking Service provides support to adults who smoke and attend one of Norfolk’s Emergency Departments. The service offers immediate, evidence-based support to help people consider quitting smoking and begin a quit attempt.

The service is delivered in partnership between Provide Community and Norfolk County Council and forms part of a wider approach to improving population health and reducing smoking-related harm across Norfolk and Waveney.

Where the service is available

The service is delivered within the Emergency Departments of three hospitals in Norfolk:

• Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital
• James Paget University Hospital
• Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn

Our specialist staff work within these departments to identify and engage people who smoke while they are attending the Emergency Department.

What the service provides

The service offers evidence-based smoking cessation support for adults who smoke and are attending one of the Emergency Departments listed above.

Support may include:

• brief advice and information about stopping smoking
• a structured assessment with a trained stop smoking advisor
• behavioural support to help people prepare for and maintain a quit attempt
• use of recognised behaviour change techniques, such as motivational interviewing
• advice about ongoing support options and referrals to local stop smoking services if further treatment or medication is required

The aim is to provide immediate, practical support that can help people begin their journey to becoming smoke-free.

How the service works

Specialist Tobacco Dependency Advisors (TDAs) work within Emergency Departments and may speak with adults who smoke while they are attending or accompanying someone in the department.

If someone is interested in support to stop smoking, the advisor can:

1. carry out a brief assessment and discuss quitting options
2. provide information about tools that can help with quitting
3. offer a vape starter kit to support an immediate quit attempt where suitable
4. provide structured behavioural support over several weeks

Individuals who take part may receive up to six weeks of behavioural support designed to help them quit smoking and prevent relapse. Follow-up support can be provided through telephone calls, video appointments, or digital messaging depending on what works best for the individual.

If additional support or stop smoking medication is needed, individuals may be referred to local community stop smoking services for continued care.

Who the service is for

The service is available for free to adults aged 18 and over, who smoke and attend one of the participating Emergency Departments listed above.

This includes:

• people attending the Emergency Department for treatment
• adults accompanying someone who is attending the department
• individuals who smoke tobacco, including those who also use vapes

When the service may not be suitable

The service does not provide support to individuals who are:

• already receiving support from another stop smoking service
• using vapes only and not smoking tobacco
• pregnant (specialist maternity stop smoking support is available for pregnant individuals)

Supporting healthier communities

Stopping smoking is one of the most effective ways to improve health and reduce the risk of serious illness. Smoking cessation support delivered within hospital settings has been shown to help people make successful quit attempts and reduce future hospital attendances linked to smoking-related conditions.

The Norfolk Emergency Department Stop Smoking Service contributes to national ambitions to create smokefree communities and reduce health inequalities across the region.