Workplace interventions to promote smoking cessation

This guidance is for all those involved in providing employees with help to stop smoking. NICE recommends the following to help people stop smoking: Brief interventions (including opportunistic advice, self-help materials and referral for more intensive support) Individual behavioural counsel ...

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This guidance is for all those involved in providing employees with help to stop smoking.

NICE recommends the following to help people stop smoking:

• Brief interventions (including opportunistic advice, self-help materials and referral for more intensive support)
• Individual behavioural counselling
• Group behaviour therapy
• Pharmacotherapies (for example, nicotine replacement therapy or bupropion)
• Self-help materials
• Telephone counselling and quitlines.

The recommendations include the following advice:

• Employers should develop a smoking cessation policy, provide employees with information on local stop smoking support services, publicise the interventions above and allow staff time off to attend smoking cessation services.
• Employees and their representatives should encourage employers to provide staff who smoke with advice, guidance and support on quitting.
• Employees who want information, advice or support to stop smoking should contact a local service such as the NHS Stop Smoking Services.
• Smoking cessation services should offer one or more of the recommended services listed above, delivered by trained staff and tailored to the person's needs. They should also offer employers support to help their employees quit. If demand exceeds the resources available, services should focus on small and medium-sized enterprises.

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