National Referral System
to make every contact count in
secondary care
Wioleta Prylewska
Liz Gilbert
National Referral System
National Referral System
 Interface between hospital patient records system and
National Referral System
 Bespoke Very Brief Advice online training programme
 20 days programme management from NCSCT
 Review of stop smoking medicine provision
 Cultural change
Pilot
 Pilot: Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth
 600% increase in referrals
 400% increase in staff trained to give VBA
 http://www.ncsct.co.uk/usr/pub/ncsct-streamlinedsecondary-care-final-report.pdf
Phase I of implementation the National Referral System at Imperial
College Healthcare NHS Trust
Project scope: Main Outpatients Departments at Charing Cross Hospital,
Hammersmith Hospital and St Mary’s Hospital
Goal: to increase number of patient referrals to local stop smoking
services and to achieve behavioural change within frontline hospital
staff towards more preventative approach
Stakeholders
Tri-Borough Tobacco
Control Alliance
Communications Materials
Promotional campaign was launched in early January 2013
VBA online training
Within a 5 month period, the average monthly number of stop smoking
referrals increased to 45, from 18 in 2012
A short questionnaire was used to assess behavioural change within hospital
staff
Key Survey outcomes:
The number of staff members who admitted that assessing the smoking status
of patients is part of their everyday routine at work has increased from 34% to
58%
77% staff members know how to refer a patient to local stop smoking service
in comparison to 42% in 2012
The number of staff members who admitted to being very confident
in giving the advice to patients increased from 16% to 27%
Implementation of the National Referral system resulted in an
increase of stop smoking referrals
Patients are referred to the service which is in closest proximity
to their postcode
Implementation of the National Referral System within hospital
IT system is the ideal approach
Development
 17 acute trusts live by end of 2013/14
 GP Systems
 Lifestyle referrals development complete summer
2013
Lessons Learnt
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•
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Project manager
Cultural change: Emphasis of a whole hospital initiative
Engagement with staff: Matron & Senior Sister meetings
Stop smoking services having a presence within the hospital:
dispelling myths of support options
• A robust communication system within implementation
group
• A developed and comprehensive communications strategy
• System does not equal activity
Thank you!
Wioleta Prylewska
Wioleta.Prylewska@nhs.net
Kick It Stop Smoking Service
7 Galena Road, London W6 0LT
T: 020 8741 8314
Liz Gilbert
liz.gilbert@ncsct.co.uk
NCSCT
Office: 0203 137 9072
Mobile: 07884 443245